Highlights in American Art

elective courses

This class is for students interested in visual art , history of art, and in critical thinking about art. During classes, we will discuss selected American art practices that have induced heated debates among art critics and the wider audience. We will explore the intersections between art and politics that are reflected in the reception of the analyzed works. Among the works discussed in class are: art in the public space, socially engaged art, performance, photography, etc.

Among the topics discussed in class are: the representation of the female body in feminist art, Robert Mapplethorpe's photography, the controversies surrounding Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, Washington, DC and the 9/11 Memorial, Jeff Koons' and David LaChapelle's postmodern art, Christo's art in the public space, Krzysztof Wodiczko's public projections, Marina Abramovic's performance, and others. Key categories that will be employed in class are: representation, political aspects of art, controversy, body, image, gender, race.

During our classes, we will watch numerous photos, clips and documents that address the presented works. The readings will contain both the accounts of the artists and the various critiques that analyze their works. We will make use of elements of aesthetic theories, feminist theories, postcolonialism and cultural studies in order to come up with a complex picture of the discussions induced by the presented works. The students are encouraged to express their own opinions and impressions, as the underlying assumption is that meaning is not given a priori, but is constantly negotiated.

Brooker, Peter (ed.). Modernism/Postmodernism. London and New York: Longman, 1992.

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: BBC I Penguin Books, 1972.

Brennan, Marcia. Painting Gender, Constructing Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001.

Butler, Cornelia (org.) WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution. Los Angeles: MOCA Publishing, 2007.

Foster, Hal (ed.). Discussions in Contemporary Culture, vol. 1. Seattle: Bay Press, 1987.

Foster, Hal (ed.). The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Culture. New York: The New Press, 1998.

Harrison, Charles and Paul Wood (eds.) Art in Theory 1900-1990. Oxford, UK i Cambridge, US: Blackwell Publishing, 1993.

Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood i Jason Gaiger (eds.) Art in Theory 1815-1900. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, US: Blackwell Publishing, 1998.

Heartney, Eleanor and others (eds.) After the Revolution: Women Who Transformed Contemporary Art. Munich, London, New York: Prestel Publishing, 2007.

Joselit, David. American Art since 1945. London: Thames&Hudson, 2003.

Kammen, Michael. Visual Shock: A History of Controversies in American Culture. Vintage Books 2007.

Kruger, Barbara and Phil Mariani (eds.). Remaking History: Discussions in Contemporary Art, vol. 4. Seattle, Bay Press, 1989.

Leja, Michael. Reframing Abstract Expressionism: Subjectivity and Painting since the 1940s. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1993.

Munro, Eleanor. Originals: American Women Artists. Da Capo Press, 2000.

O’Reilly, Sally. Body in Contemporary Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 2009.

Reckitt, Helena (ed.) Art and Feminism. New York: Phaidon Press, 2006.

Robinson, Hilary (ed.) Feminism-Art-Theory. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, US: Blackwell Publishing, 2001.

1. Knowledge

K_W02 knows / explores the terminology of visual art and cultural studies in the US context

K_W03 knows / explores the methodology of visual art and cultural studies in the US context

K_W08 knows / explores major contemporary directions in visual art in the US context

K_W16 knows / explores cultural symbols and their role in the shaping of visual art and culture

2. Skills

K_U01 learns / develops terminology of visual art and cultural studies

K_U05 is able to interpret, analyze, hierarchize and synthesize facts and theories in their cultural, social, historical and economic dimension

3. Social skills

K_K01 understands the value of his/her knowledge, work, skills

K_K04 is responsible for his/her work and respects the work of others

K_K08 recognizes the communal value of his/her knowledge and skills

Students are required to write a final essay on a topic corresponding to what has been discussed in class. The topic of the essay must be discussed with the teacher. They are also encouraged to actively participate in class discussions. Students may also volunteer to prepare a short presentation which will be counted as part of their final mark.

Students are allowed two absences.