AH 895 Seminar in 20^th Century Art: Picasso

Spring 2008 Wed. 9-11

Jonathan P. Ribner

CAS 210; Tel. 353-1465; jribner@bu.edu

Office hours, Wed. 8-9, Thurs. 8-10

SYLLABUS

1. Jan. 16 Introduction

2. Jan. 23 Paris circa 1900

3. Jan. 30 Biography and its discontents

R. Krauss, “In the Name of Picasso,” in The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths

T. Reff, “Themes of Love and Death in Picasso’s Early Work,” in Picasso in Retrospect, edited by R. Penrose and J. Golding.

M. Schapiro, “Picasso’s Woman with a Fan,” in Modern Art

L. Steinberg, “The Skulls of Picasso,” in Other Criteria

Essay due (3-5 pp): Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the four readings, drawing comparisons when relevant.

4. Feb. 6 Primitivism; the advent of cubism

W. Rubin, “From Narrative to ‘Iconic’ in Picasso: The Buried Allegory in Bread and Fruitdish on a Table and the Role of the Demoiselles d’ Avignon,” Art Bulletin 65, no. 4 (Dec. 1983): 615-49 (on AH 895 website).

A.C. Chave, “New Encounters with the Demoiselles d’Avignon: Gender, Race, and the Origins of Cubism,” Art Bulletin 76, no. 4 (Dec. 1994): 597-611.

C. Green, Art in France, 235-53

5. Feb. 13 Cubism and collage

R. Rosenblum, “Picasso and the Typography of Cubism,” in Picasso in Retrospect, edited by R. Penrose and J. Golding

C. Greenberg, “Collage,” in Art and Culture

C. Green, Art in France, 112-15

Essay due (2-3 pp): Characterize the differences in approach represented by the Rosenblum and Greenberg readings. Feel free to voice your opinion of what is persuasive and what is not.

No class Feb. 20

6. Feb. 27 Context, culture, sources

N. Staller, A Sum of Destructions, with particular attention to pp. 146-60; 163-72; 177-207; 209-67

7. March 5 Classicism and modernity

K. Silver, Esprit de Corps, chap. 6 (“Blue Horizons”)

C. Green, Art in France, 141-65; 185-217

Spring Break

8. March 19 Picasso as sculptor / Picasso and Surrealism

A. Bowness, “Picasso’s Sculpture,” in Picasso in Retrospect, edited by R. Penrose and J. Golding

C. Green, Art in France, 115-38; 260-90

9. March 26 Reports begin

10. April 2

11. April 9

12. April 16

Mon. classes on Wed. April 23

13.. April 30

Final papers due in my mailbox CAS 302 Tuesday May 6 by noon: The paper is an essay (15 pp. maximum) based on the oral report material . Referring to specific works of art, and incorporating references to the art-historical literature, present those points that you consider most significant. Be sure to include documentation in the form of footnotes or endnotes and bibliography.

Basis of grade: 33.3% class participation, level of energy and commitment to course; 33.3% oral report; 33.3% essays and final paper