Art History Undergraduate Courses

This course examines the history of western art from ancient times through the Gothic Period in Western Europe. Through classroom discussions, assigned readings, and—should time allow—museum visits, students will become familiar with the development of a variety of early forms of art. With each new style or period, we will attempt both to describe the works themselves, and investigate the cultural, social, religious, political and personal contexts that surround the object.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Continues MET AH 111, but can be taken separately. Chronological survey of European art from the Renaissance to the present. Emphasis on the relation of art to its historical and cultural context.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Extensive practical application in basic aspects of photography. Negative exposure and processing coordinated with print production and evaluation. Students use their own 35mm camera. Single-lens reflex is recommended. Cost of materials: approximately $125.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Painting, sculpture, and architecture in Greece from early times to the end of the Hellenistic period. Interrelationships among art, mythology, religion, athletics, and history.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Painting, sculpture, and architecture in Italy and the Roman Empire from the Etruscans to Constantine, the first Christian emperor. Emphasis on art, engineering, politics, religion, and urban life.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

  [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

This course offers an introduction to the study of European and American photography from its invention in 1839 to the present. The goal of this course is to understand the development of photography as an element of material culture and as an art form. The course will explore how a photograph communicates its visual message and its function as a historical tool. Lectures will focus on photographic movements, specific photographers and how their work can be viewed as documents, cultural artifacts and as art. In addition, discussion will incorporate theory and criticism of photography.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

This course description is currently under construction.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

The role of the artist and his work in fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Europe. Emphasis on the rise of humanistic thought and the shift from a God-centered to a man-centered society.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

The artistic masters of the High Renaissance and their patrons, from Leonardo da Vinci to El Greco, with an emphasis on social forces and artistic styles in the sixteenth century.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Traces the development of Boston as an urban entity since the seventeenth century. Emphasis on Boston as a model for American architectural history from the colonial to the international styles. Surveys the city's history from English village to modern megalopolis.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

An examination of the new concepts of reality that grew out of the French Revolution, and how these concepts influenced the critical theories of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Analysis of the work and thought of major masters of twentieth-century painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography, including the School of Paris and the New York School.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Program faculty selects seminar topics of current interest, usually with a singular focus, in the field.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Detailed study of Impressionism from 1860s to circa 1900. Emphasis is on French artists, but Impressionists elsewhere in Europe and America are also considered. Discusses Impressionism's sources, Realist underpinnings, stylistic development, themes, and changes in the 1880s.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Introductory survey of digital imaging in the visual arts. Lectures and slides illustrate historical perspective, and hands-on studio sessions allow students to create and manipulate digital images. Emphasis on expressing personal ideas through new imaging techniques.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

The intention of this course is to offer in a seminar format, a combination of lecture and video presentations, outside exhibition review assignments, independent research, field trips, and classroom discussions. The primary focus will be the fine arts and the related performing arts. Artists often take on the “hot button” themes and issues of contemporary culture. Accordingly there will be presented strong images related to gender, race, religion, social and historical issues of war and conflict. This is an important aspect of the basic approach of understanding, “cutting edge,” challenging issues in contemporary art. This material will be presented in an educational context but students who would potentially be offended by this imagery and its related discussion must consider whether it is appropriate to take this course. A major area of study will be the manner in which contemporary art constantly evolves and changes in response to an ever-shifting world and how specific artists and movements have a particular and sustained influence.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Independent study on special projects under faculty guidance.   [Var cr.]

Prereq: consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring 2010

Independent study on special projects under faculty guidance.   [Var cr.]

Prereq: consent of instructor.

Offered: Spring 2010

  [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

An examination of the arts institutions, issues, and forces that shape the contemporary art world. Topics include government cultural policy, National Endowment for the Arts, museums, symphonies, curators, critics, artists' rights, public art, corporate support, censorship, feminism and multiculturalism. See also Arts Administration. Stamped approval required.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

Participate in this extraordinary experience as we look at Cuban art and cultural institutions, the role of the arts and the freedom of intellectual, artistic, and cultural creation in Cuba. Join us for an intensive residential course in Cuba for a provocative exchange of ideas and experiences among students, faculty and professional artists in Cuba. Visit bu.edu/explorations for details on how to join this educational excursion.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

A survey of the visual arts in Cuba from the early twentieth century to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary art and an examination of the role of the artist in Cuban society. Work is discussed in its historical, social, economic, and cultural context. Students visit artists' studios, talk with Cuban artists and art administrators, and visit Havana's important museums and arts organizations.   [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010

  [ 4 cr.]

Offered: Spring 2010