Art History
Courses
ARH 1011/1012: History of Art (4 cr.)
The fall semester provides a chronological survey of Western art, primarily of Europe, from prehistoric times to the Renaissance. The second semester surveys both an area of non-Western art and Western art from the Renaissance to the present. Museum papers are required. Students may take one or both semesters, in either order. When feasible, those with little art history background should consider taking ARH 1012 before ARH 1011. (Fall/Spring)
ARH 1016: Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo (3 cr.)
An exploration of the lives and works of three of the best-known artists and architects of the Italian Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci, Raffaello Sanzio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti. We will analyze these artists’ work, training, and stylistic development, while examining the relationship of their work to the culture and artistic developments of the Renaissance. We will focus on understanding the role of patronage in their lives and works and explore the myths and legends about them--from divine inspiration to the burdens of terrible genius. (Fall '08)
ARH 1018: The Age of Castle and Cathedral (3 cr.)
This lecture course introduces students to painting, manuscript illumination, sculpture, and architecture produced in Europe during the 4th to the 14th centuries. Topics include Early Christian, Byzantine, Early Medieval, Carolingian, Ottonian and Romanesque art, as well as the birth and development of Gothic architecture. Lectures will also explore the evolution of cathedral sculpture, stained glass, and manuscript illumination. The end of the course will be dedicated to the study of the Gothic period in Italy. (Spring ‘09)
ARH 1019: Art of the Ancient World (3 cr.)
This introductory class will familiarize students with the artistic and cultural production of ancient Mediterranean civilizations, including Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization, Egypt, Minoan Crete, Greece, and Rome. Through the art of these ancient cultures, the class will acquaint students with basic issues in the study of art history, such as the importance of historical and archaeological context. Objects in, and visits to, New York City museums will be an integral part of the course. (Spring '10)
ARH 1030: History of Photography (3 cr.)
A survey of the history of photography from its earliest years to the present. We will examine the impact of various inventions upon the practice of this art form and also look at the work of some past and present masters. Commercial, documentary and art photography will be discussed. The course is non-technical in nature. (Fall '08)
ARH 1042: The Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (3 cr.)
This course will survey the arts of the native cultures of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, with a stylistic and historical overview of the traditional cultures of these three regions through slide lectures and assigned readings. There will be an emphasis on the religious and social contexts of the cultures under review, such as the Maya and Aztec of Central America, the Benin and Yoruba of Nigeria, and the Asmat and Abelam of New Guinea. The relationship of art to the religious practices, philosophy, and social life of these cultures will be explored. (Fall ’08)
ARH 1066: The History of Venetian Art and Patronage (2 cr.)
This class is offered in conjunction with the Art History Department's Study Trip to Venice during the March spring vacation. Students will be introduced to Venetian art, architecture and culture from the 11th to the 16th centuries by means of daily guided visits to monuments such as the church of San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, the Accademia museum, and the Scuola di San Rocco. Included is a day trip to Giotto’s Arena Chapel and the pilgrimage church of Sant’Antonio in Padua and Palladian monuments in Vicenza. In addition to tuition, students must pay trip costs. Sign-up with the Art History Department occurs in the fall term to allow travel arrangements to be made. ARH 1066, the two-credit, pass/fail version of the study trip, is recommended for students with no art history background.
ARH 2005: Art in Italy, 1200-1475 (3 cr.)
This course introduces students to painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy from 1200-1475, a time span that encompasses the “Italian Gothic” as well as the Early Renaissance. Lectures examine the development of style, focusing on the revival of antiquity in the visual and textual cultures. Special attention is given to patronage, urbanism, and the creation of civic spaces. Florence, Siena, Venice, and Rome are our primary focus, as are artists such as Giotto, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Botticelli. Students will become familiar with writers of the period and adept at critically reading primary texts. (Fall '09)
ARH 2006: The High Renaissance in Italy, 1475-1600 (3 cr.)
This course introduces students to the painting, sculpture and architecture in Italy from 1475-1600, a period known as the High Renaissance. Lectures will examine questions of style, material, function, and patronage in the work of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, and their most prominent contemporaries. Special attention will be given to ecclesiastical and political history, urbanism, and issues of gender. Students will become familiar with writers of the period and adept at critically reading primary texts. (Spring '10)
ARH 2009: 19th Century European Painting (3 cr.)
A study of major European artists of the 19th century against the prevailing background of Neoclassicism through Impressionism. It includes the English Romantics, Blake and Constable, German Romanticism and Goya, while emphasizing French painting.
(Fall ‘08)
ARH 2011: Greek Art (3 cr.)
The course examines the art of Greece and its Minoan and Mycenaean predecessors, including painting, sculpture and architecture. It also considers Greek art as the foundation of the classical tradition in Western art. Field trips to New York museums.
ARH 2013: American Art I: Colonial to 1850 (3 cr.)
A study of American art and architecture from its beginning in the 17th century through the early decades of the 19th century. Special emphasis is placed on its European roots and the gradual evolution of indigenous characteristics. Field study encouraged. (Fall ‘09)
ARH 2014: American Art II: 1860 to ca. 1940 (3 cr.)
A study of major artists and movements in American art and architecture from the late Hudson River School through the mid-20th century. May be taken independently of ARH 2013. (Spring ‘10)
ARH 2018: 20th Century European Painting (3 cr.)
Study of modern movements in European and American painting from Post-Impressionism through Abstract Expressionism. (Spring ‘09)
ARH 2020: Northern Renaissance Art (3 cr.)
This lecture course explores the artistic production of Flanders, the Netherlands, France and Germany from approximately 1350 to 1600, beginning with an examination of the International Style and ending with the school of Fontainebleau. Although special attention will be paid to cross-cultural exchange with Italy, lectures will attempt to place the art of Northern Europe within its own unique cultural context. The course will examine the works of the Limbourg Brothers, Jan Van Eyck, Bosch, Durer, Holbein and Brueghel, among others. (Spring '10)
ARH 2022: Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt (3 cr.)
The emphasis in this course is on Egyptian culture from the perspective of the visual arts and architecture, and it will provide a survey of the art of ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period through the end of the New Kingdom. The objectives of this course include mastery of major monuments of ancient Egypt, including painting, sculpture and the decorative arts, as well as of the contexts for which they were created, including funerary complexes (mastabas, pyramids, rock cut tombs and funerary temples), temples dedicated to the gods and royal palaces.
ARH 2024: Survey of Irish Art (3 cr.)
This course will provide an overview of Irish art from the Neolithic era to the present day. Particular emphasis will be placed on the “golden age” of Irish art in the early middle ages and on developments during the Georgian era in the 18th century. Architecture, sculpture, metalwork, manuscripts and paintings will be examined within the context of the various influences on the Irish culture and the development of a national identity. Two slide exams and a short research paper will constitute the means of evaluation. (Spring ‘10)
ARH 2025: Survey of African Art (3 cr.)
A survey of African sculpture and decorative arts from sub-Saharan Africa. Works will be examined within a cultural and historical context. (Fall '09)
ARH 2029: Discovering the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1.5 cr.)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of the largest and most comprehensive art museums in the world, contains an encyclopedic collection of art dating from ancient times to the present. This course will explore the art, history, collecting practices, and exhibition style of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lectures will take place at the museum weekly. Each class meeting will focus on a different museum collection and study its masterpieces. (Fall/Spring)
ARH 2038: Baroque Art and Architecture in Italy (3 cr.)
This course introduces students to the painting, sculpture, and architecture produced in Italy during the 17th- and 18th-centuries. Lectures will examine cultural, political, and intellectual changes in 17th-century Europe that make the art of this period distinctive. Topics to be explored include the emerging prominence of female artists; architecture and urbanism in Rome; the impact of the Counter-Reformation and Council of Trent on the arts; changing patterns of patronage; antiquarianism and art collecting. The class will also examine the careers of individual artists in depth, including Bernini, Caravaggio, the Carracci, and Artemisia Gentileschi.
ARH 2039: The City of Rome, Antique to Baroque: Study Tour (3 cr.)
(Spring ’09)
ARH 2040: Chinese Art (3 cr.)
An introduction to Chinese art from Neolithic times to the 17th century, considering both the enduring aesthetic values and the rich variety of the Chinese art tradition. Objects of bronze, jade, lacquer, pottery as well as funeral monuments, Buddhist arts and secular painting will be examined in light of cultural, social and religious trends. Museum visit.
ARH 2042: Art of Civilization’s Cradle: From the Neolithic through the Ottoman Empire (3 cr.)
This course explores the artistic production of the region known as “The Cradle of Civilization,” corresponding roughly to modern Iraq and Iran. It examines art and architecture from the dawn of urban life in the Neolithic Period; through the major empires such as the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Achaemenid Persian; and the introduction of the Greco-Roman traditions in the Parthian and Sassanian Empires. It also examines the periods during and after the birth of Islam in this region, looking at the continuity of earlier traditions in the visual art and architecture, as well as the changes that accompanied new religious and political institutions. This course will draw upon visits to the collections of the Departments of Ancient Near Eastern and Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Fall '09)
ARH 2046: Japanese Art (3 cr.)
An introduction to Japanese art from prehistoric times to the 17th century, including painting, sculpture, architecture and gardens. Both the enduring aesthetic values of the Japanese art tradition and its changes in response to cultural, social and religious developments will be considered. Museum visit.
ARH 2059: Far Eastern Painting (3 cr.)
Chinese painting has a long history over 2000 years. Its pictorial tradition, represented by the medium of ink, brush, and paper, has developed an elaborate symbolism based on learning and doctrines of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism; events from the past; and the literary works. This tradition established in China was also entrenched in its neighboring countries, Korea and Japan. This course will provide a good survey of the development of the pictorial tradition from the ancient civilization to the early 20th century in these countries in East Asia. Although the three countries share the same artistic values originated in China, students will realize that each country also had its distinctive taste for certain genres and subject matters to create its unique style. Students will also learn historical backgrounds and literary traditions embedded in Asian culture. Thanks to the wonderful collection of Asian art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, students will have an opportunity to observe original works of art and write a short research paper. The class requirements are three exams, two or three short oral reports, and a paper. (Spring 2009)
ARH 2060: Roman Art (3 cr.)
This course offers a detailed study of Roman civilization through its artistic and architectural monuments, from the time of the Etruscans to the fall of the Roman Empire. Topics to be studied include the cultural legacy of the Etruscans, the impact of Greek art and architecture on that of Republican and Imperial Rome, the houses and paintings preserved by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, Augustan Rome, The monuments of Trajan and Hadrian, the era of Constantine and the shift to Christianity. (Spring ’09)
ARH 2066: The History of Venetian Art and Patronage (3 cr.)
This class is offered in conjunction with the Art History Department's Study Trip to Venice during the March spring vacation. Students are introduced to Venetian art, architecture and culture from the 11th to the 16th centuries by daily guided visits to monuments such as the church of San Marco, the Doge’s Palace, the Accademia museum, and the Scuola di San Rocco. Included is a day trip to Giotto’s Arena Chapel and the pilgrimage church of Sant’Antonio in Padua and Palladian monuments in Vicenza. There are trip charges in addition to tuition. Sign up with the Art History Department occurs in the fall term to allow travel arrangements to be made. ARH 2066, the 3-credit version of the study trip, has a prerequisite of one art history course or permission of the instructors.
ARH 2123: The New York Experience: Life Of A Great City
The purpose of the course is to experience the geography, sites, structures, and people of New York City’s history. It relates the social, political, economic, and religious history of New York to the actual physical environment of streets, buildings, and neighborhoods.
ARH 3029/ARH 5029: Hudson River Painters (4 cr.)
This seminar will focus on the treatment of the American landscape by painters of the Hudson River School. We will examine both the stylistic and the philosophical trends of this 19th-century art movement, relating it to literary and historical developments. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor. (Spring ’09)
ARH 3030/ARH 5030 Ancient Painting Seminar (4 cr.)
This course begins with a brief survey of painting in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and Greece, and will focus on Roman painting in particular. The paintings and mosaics preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. provide a unique opportunity to examine these ancient media within their cultural, architectural and archaeological context. We will explore the Roman practice of copying paintings by renowned Greek painters, and of “translating” these paintings in to mosaic, as well the use of styles and subjects that are uniquely Roman. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor. (Spring’09)
ARH 3032/ARH 5032: Impressionism (4 cr.)
The seminar will focus on French painting from about 1860 to 1900. We will examine the work of such leading artists as Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas and Renoir, as well as that of lesser-known members of the group. We will also look at the influence of proto-Impressionists painters, including Boudin and Jongkind, and consider issues of gender and the role of women in the movement. Emphasis will be upon the stylistic development of Impressionist painters. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3033/5033: Abstract Expressionism (4 cr.)
A seminar-style investigation of the roots and development of this Post-World War II, American art movement. Modern masters such as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko will be investigated. Students write a research paper and give an oral presentation. Required field trips. Prerequisite: one course in art history or permission of instructor. (Spring ’10)
ARH 3057/ARH 5057: The Glory of Renaissance Venice (4 cr.)
This seminar focuses on painting, sculpture and architecture produced in Venice during the 15th-and 16th-centuries. It includes: analysis of the relationships between Venice and Byzantium, and Venice and the East; in-depth examinations of Bellini’s religious paintings, Carpaccio’s narrative paintings, Giorgione’s and Titian’s “painted poetry,” the drama of Tintoretto, and the grandeur (and controversy) of Veronese; and investigations of the importance of the nearby mainland. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3063/ARH 5063: Sexuality and Gender in Ancient Art (4 cr.)
A seminar focusing on the ways in which the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome used art as a means of presenting and representing the relationship between biological sex (male, female) and the social invention of gender (husband, warrior, king, wife, mother, whore, etc.). Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor. (Fall '09)
ARH 3065/5065: The Book: Celtic to Gothic (4 cr.)
The class is designed to explore the development of medieval books from Late Antiquity to the fifteenth century. Monumental works such as the Cotton Genesis, the Book of Kells, Lindisfarne Gospels, Gospel Books of Otto III and glamorous illustrated manuscripts from Romanesque and Gothic periods are analyzed in detail. The course will end with sumptuously illustrated books of the Late Gothic and the Renaissance, as well as early printed books including the Gutenberg Bible. It also includes some Hebrew and Islamic manuscripts. Much emphasis is given to illumination and decoration in manuscripts, although attention is paid to the type of texts, paleography, codicology, patronage, book owners/readers, and issues of literacy. We will also discuss methods of production, the status of artists, patrons, and other important issues of medieval culture. In the first half of the class, important examples of illuminated manuscripts and their creators are introduced chronologically. In the second half of the class, specific issues in the study of illuminated manuscripts are discussed while students present their research on a group of famous illuminated manuscripts. This is a seminar for advanced students, preferably with some knowledge of European history. Students are required to write a research paper, present an oral report, and participate in field trips. In addition, there will be two short exams. Field trips will be scheduled to visit manuscript collections in New York City such as the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Cloisters, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Public Library. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops.(Fall ‘08)
ARH 3070/ARH 5070: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Art and Society (4 cr.)
This course examines images of dying, death and the afterlife, as well as art and objects created to accompany the dead into the next world, in the ancient, pre-Christian world, particularly in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Within the context of each of these four major civilizations, the course will examine the beliefs and rituals that attend death and the afterlife, as evidenced through archaeology, art, mythology and literature. We will look closely at the interplay between images and beliefs. At least three field trips will be held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art for lectures in the galleries. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history class or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3073/ARH 5073: Issues in Contemporary Art (4 cr.)
This seminar will examine contemporary art from 1945 to the present, focusing on developments in painting, sculpture and installation art with an emphasis on artists from Europe and the United States. Topics include: abstraction vs. figuration, conceptual art, feminist art, post-modernism and current tendencies in 21st-century art. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One art history class or permission of the instructor. (Fall ‘08)
ARH 3076/ARH 5076: Troubled Images: Art and Conflict in Ireland (4 cr.)
This seminar surveys political art in Ireland from the 19th and 20th centuries to the present. Students are introduced to the visual arts of modern-day Ireland. Issues of national identity and cultural revivalism are addressed as we look at Irish political art beginning with the Celtic Revival of the late 1840s and continuing to the Northern Irish mural movement of the 1980s and 1990s. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and writing workshops. Prerequisite: One class in art history or in Irish studies, or permission of the instructor. (Spring ‘09)
ARH 3079/ARH 5079: Michelangelo (4 cr.)
This seminar explores the life and work of “the Divine” Michelangelo Buonarroti, perhaps the best known artist and architect of the Italian Renaissance. It provides an in-depth analysis of the artist’s oeuvre, training, and stylistic development. Additional topics include the relationship of the artist’s work to the culture and artistic developments of the Renaissance, the importance of Michelangelo’s patrons, and myths and legends about the artist - from divine inspiration to the burdens of terrible genius. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 3080: Seminar for Majors (4 cr.)
The seminar introduces the professional world of art history, including new methodologies, museum education, museology, gallery and auction house work, graduate study, art patronage, conservation and restoration. Students will have regular writing assignments. Frequent field trips. Open only to Junior and Senior art history majors. Students are urged to consult with the instructor or department chair before registering for this course. (Fall)
ARH 3081/ARH 5081: Art of Fifteenth Century Florence (4 cr.)
This seminar explores painting, sculpture, and architecture produced in 15th-century Florence, the city that is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. Students will consider the important role of art in the culture of the early Renaissance. We will examine early Renaissance style and the revival of antiquity, the changing status of the artist, and evolving patterns of patronage – from the guilds of Florence to the powerful Medici family. Artists to be studied include: Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Donatello, Ghiberti, Fra Angelico, Alberti, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, and Verrocchio. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor. (Spring ‘09)
ARH 3089: The Life and Times of Leonardo da Vinci (4 cr.)
This seminar investigates the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci, examining his oeuvre, training, stylistic development, and contributions to the Renaissance. Students will be asked to read and analyze the work of several authors such as Giorgio Vasari, Sigmund Freud and Dan Brown, who “invent” Leonardo, contributing to the myths and legends surrounding him, and blurring the line between fact and fiction. Mandatory attendance at all required field trips and workshops. Prerequisite: One art history course or permission of the instructor.
ARH 4495: Independent Study (3 cr.)
Students may undertake a research project with the approval and supervision of a member of the art history faculty.
(Fall/Spring)
ARH 4497: Internship (3 cr.)
Museums, galleries, historical societies, auction houses and other cultural institutions in Westchester and New York City offer many opportunities for internships. One day per week of work (or the equivalent), a written journal and overview paper, and the written evaluation of an on-site supervisor are required. Note: Internships fulfilling the requirement for Senior Evaluation may NOT be taken under this course number. (Fall/Spring)
CSCH 3002: Decoding Da Vinci (4cr.)
This interdisciplinary seminar takes as its point of departure Dan Brown’s contemporary fictional thriller, The DaVinci Code (Anchor/Doubleday 2003). Students are expected to read the book over the summer, before the course begins. During the course, students will be introduced to a wide array of primary texts as well as visual materials that will help them come to a more sophisticated, critical understanding of some of the factual and interpretive assertions made by Dan Brown with regard to church history, the historical identity of Saint Mary Magdalene, her relationship with Christ, as well as the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci.
In the first part of the course, students will read sections of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, as well as other Early Christian writings, not only to come to a better understanding of the historical identity of Mary Magdalene, but also of the place of these different types of writings in the history of the early Early Church. The debate about the Magdalene’s identity – was she or wasn’t she a reformed prostitute? -- will be followed through the 16th Century and into the modern era.
In the second part of the course, students will be introduced to the discipline of art history -- and will explore how the life of Mary Magdalene was given visual form by artists in the Christian West. Class discussions and readings will encourage students to examine relationships between text and image, as well as to appreciate how the feminist critique of art history allows for new types of questions to be asked about images of women. They will then be introduced to the life and work of one of the best known, but perhaps least-understood, artists of the Italian Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. Class discussions and readings will allow for an in-depth analysis of the da Vinci’s oeuvre, training, stylistic development, and importance to the development of the High Renaissance style in Italy. Students will read Leonardo’s own writings on the subjects of art, the paragone, and the status of the artist. Students will also read the work of several authors, each of whom in one way or another “invents” da Vinci, contributing to the myths and legends surrounding the life and work of the artist, and blurring the line between fact and fiction, from the sixteenth century biography written by Giorgio Vasari, to Sigmund Freud’s famous psychobiography Leonardo da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood.
In the third part of the course, students will be asked to deliver a 20-minute oral presentation on the results of their own research. As a final exercise, students will view and critique the Hollywood version of The DaVinci Code (Dir. Ron Howard, 2006), reexamining the question of myth-making. Required field trips to Cloisters and Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as guest lectures, TBA. May be taken for art history credit. (Fall ‘08)
MSTUD 1001: Introduction to Museum Studies (3 cr.)
This class introduces students to the history of museums and their role in the 21st century. We will cover the types and definitions of museums, from traditional art museums, to interactive science and children’s museums, history museums and historic sites. In the second half of the course, we will explore the range of professions within the museum, including management, fundraising, public relations, security, collections management and conservation, education, membership support, research, development and design of exhibitions. The class features mandatory field trips to, and guest speakers from, local and NYC museums. (Fall ’08)