AR103 Design and Color. A beginning study of basic problems in two-dimensional design and color. Emphasis is on problem-solving projects and learning the vocabulary of design and color. Content includes basic color theory.
Offered fall and spring semesters *
AR105 Drawing I. The development of skills in the representation of objects and the figure in terms of line, space, composition, and value. Emphasis is placed on basic drawing techniques and interpretative qualities of various media.
Offered fall and spring semesters and summer session. *
AR106 Ceramics I. A studio course which introduces the techniques of pottery, including hand-built constructions and forms
thrown on the potter's wheel. Experience with glaze preparation and kiln firing.
Offered fall and spring semesters and summer sessions. *
AH109 Art History or Histories. This course introduces students to the major periods, issues, and methodologies in the field of art history. While learning to analyze visually works of sculpture, painting, and architecture, students will also examine the changing functions of artworks, and the changing role of the artist throughout selected periods in history. Stylistic development will be explored in relation to the social, cultural, and political contexts in which the works were created. Topics include: art and archaeology; art and propaganda; art and its public; who decides?; and problems in non-Western art. The course includes individual and group museum visits.
Offered fall or spring semester.
AH112 Art of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. This course investigates selected issues in European Art from the eighteenth century to the contemporary period, Works of art are placed in the context of social, political, cultural, and philosophical developments, with a special emphasis on understanding the relation between artistic movements and historical changes. Specific issues and topics to be explored include: art as political propaganda; landscapes and nationalism; the rise of abstraction; the influence of "exotic" or foreign cultures on the development of modern styles; art in the Machine Age; art and the rise of mass culture, as well as many other topics. Periods and styles to be explored include Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, and others.
Offered fall semester.
AR114 Photography I. Fundamental techniques and principles of photography as an art form. Craft (camera know-how, developing, printing) and content (what to put on film) and their relationships in visual communication. Darkroom work.
Offered fall and spring semesters and summer session. *
AH118 Introduction to Art History: The Ancient World from a Non-western Perspective This course is designed to introduce students to the diverse variety of ancient material culture around the world. We will examine the artifacts, architecture, and art of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean, Mesoamerica, Africa, India, China and Far East Asia, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, and the Islamic world. The lectures will follow a geographical and chronological framework, examining each culture from the early formative periods (third millennium BC), through classical antiquity (Greece and Rome included), up through the medieval periods. Throughout the course we will move from one region to another, and back again, comparatively analyzing cultures as they develop and come into contact with one another. The goal of the course is to leave the students with a basic knowledge of ancient and non-western civilizations, as well as the ability to compare the ancients’ use of visual expression to our modern concepts of art and architecture, and an introductory knowledge of art historical and archaeological methodologies. This course will consist of class lectures, visits to various museum collections, and class discussion. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Offered yearly.
AR203 Advertising Art I: Computer Design. The student will create graphics using the Macintosh computer. The making of websites, animation, and print products will demonstrate the knowledge of software concepts and design principles; the use of type, page layout color, digital imaging, and motion. Projects will reflect the student’s personal interests and will form the beginning of a digital portfolio.
Offered fall and spring semesters. *
AR204 Sculpture. The course introduces students to the working in three dimensions. A variety of media are utilizes including day, Styrofoam, etc.
Offered fall semester*
AR205 Drawing II. The production of studies and finished drawings of the human figure using a wide range of media and techniques.
Prerequisite: Art 103 and 105 or permission of the instructor.
Offered spring semester. *
AR206 Ceramics II. A continuation of Ceramics I with a concentration on wheel-thrown forms and ceramic sculpture.
Prerequisite: Art 106.
Offered as required. *
AR208 Painting I. Instruction in basics such as preparation of palette, mixing of colors, making a stretcher, and stretching a canvas. Students follow step-by-step process from beginning sketches to finished paintings. Representational and non-representational art is explored.
Prerequisite: Art 103 and 105 or permission of the instructor.
Offered fall and spring semesters. *
AR210 Watercolor. Watercolor painting. This course examines the various techniques of the watercolor medium and its particular advantages.
Prerequisite: Art 103 and 105 or permission of instructor.
Offered as required. *
AH211 Renaissance to Romanticism. Selected topics and periods in Western art from the beginnings of the Renaissance to the early nineteenth century. Readings and discussions focus on formal developments, as well as the shift in artistic patronage in this period. Topics explored include: the changing identity of the artist, the rise of art criticism and museums, the relation between art and the Catholic Church, the development of landscape, in-depth exploration of symbolism and iconography in Western painting, and the beginnings of artistic modernity. Artists include Botticelli, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Titian, David, Reynolds, Gentelleschi, Vigee-Lebrun, Goya, Delacroix, and Ingres. The class will visit the Frick Museum.
Offered spring semester.
AH212 Ritual, Religion, and Rulers: Art from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. This course explores art in a variety of media, from rave painting, to masks, to Gothic cathedrals. Works are examined in relation to the religious beliefs and political structures of various Western and non-Western cultures. Sanctuaries, idols, representations of numerous deities, ruler portraits, temples, mosques, and cathedrals are visually analyzed and interpreted. Topics include: Egyptian art and the after-life; African art and ritual; the palaces of ancient Crete; and the development of Christian iconography from Roman times to the Gothic period. Visits to museums and to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Offered spring semester.
AH213 Ancient Mediterranean Art and Architecture The ancient Mediterranean is often cited as the birthplace of western civilization. In this course we will examine this concept while surveying the art and architecture of the three distinct but related cultures of the Bronze Age Aegean, Classical Greek and Roman civilizations. Students will learn about the vast material cultures of these civilizations through examinations of ceramics, sculpture, painting, and architecture. Minoan and Mycenaean palaces, Classical Greek temples, and Roman amphitheaters and villas are but a few of the agencies of monumental expression covered in this course. This survey will touch upon issues relevant to the disciplines of Art History, Archaeology, History, Literature, and Religion. Students will engage the material through lectures, reading material, writing assignments, and museum trips. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Offered every other year.
AR213 Printmaking I. Major emphasis on the intaglio and woodcut processes, etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint, and mezzotint. Collograph and monotype, as well as other techniques, are explored.
Prerequisite: Art 105 or permission of instructor.
Offered fall or spring semesters. *
AH214 Ancient Near Eastern Art and Architecture This course is a survey of the art of ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). The region between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is known as the ‘Cradle of Civilization.’ The first urban societies, monumental architecture, written language, and complex empires are just a few of the innovations that appeared here. From the fourth to first millennium BCE Mesopotamia gave the world its first glimpse of advanced human civilization. Through incorporation of introductory texts and scholarly literature students will enjoy discovering the major issues confronted by Archaeologists, Anthropologists, Art Historians, and Linguists as they examine the culture of ancient Mesopotamia. Class sessions will consist of slide lectures, discussion of scholarly texts, and museum trips. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Offered fevery other year.
AR214 Photography II. A continuation of Photography I. Explores more sophisticated techniques and methods.
Prerequisite: Art 114
Offered spring semester. *
AH215 American Art History. What does it mean to be an American artist? This course introduces students to the study of American art, from it’s origins until the present day including painting, sculpture, architecture and photography. Selected topics and artists are explored in relation to the changing aesthetic, political, and cultural climate of the United States. Topics to be examined include: the rise of landscape painting and the notion of America as the New Eden; the question of national identity and connections with European art, the portrayal of African-Americans and Native Americans in American art; the relation between “high” and “low” American culture; women artists in the United States; the impact of the Cold War and the flight to suburbia on artistic identity and production.
Offered fall or spring semester.
AH216 Women in the Visual Arts. This course explores the work of women artists, as well as representations of women throughout history, with an emphasis on the modern period. Issues of gender are examined in relation to the subject matter, stylistic preference, media, reception, and criticism of female artists. Issues to be discussed include self representations by women artists; themes of motherhood, prostitution and female sexuality in the visual arts; the impact of the women's movement on art; issues of the gaze and the gendering of vision; and the various obstacles and options facing the contemporary women artist. Painters, sculptors, and photographers to be examined include Artemesia Gentelleschi, Frida Kahlo, Berthe Morisot, Eva Hesse, Georgia O'Keefe, Cindy Sherman, Judy Chicago, Merritt Oppenheim, and Hannah Hoch. Discussions also focus on major works created during the Renaissance, Impressionist, and Modern periods, as well as works in such diverse visual media as performance, cinema, and advertising. The course includes a trip to the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Offered spring semester.
AH217 Medieval Art. The art of the middle ages continues to enchant, inspire and move us. This course examines the full range of artistic production in the medieval period, from the fall of the Roman Empire, to the high Gothic period. We attempt to get a better understanding of what life was like in Middle Ages by studying the architecture, sculpture, stained glass, manuscripts, paintings, tapestries, reliquaries, and icons produced during the era. We range from the British Isles and central Europe to the eastern reaches of the Byzantine Empire and growing Muslim territories, and look at early Christian, barbarian, Byzantine, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic periods. Works of art are examined against the social, political, and economic events of the time, from the founding of monasteries, to the Crusades, to the rise of chivalry and courtly love. The last weeks of the class are devoted to exploring the legacy of Medieval art in the modern world, from nineteenth century paintings to recent films.
Offered as required.
AH218(I) Cities and Perversities: Art in Turn-of-the-Century Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona This course focuses on art in the fin-de-siecle in four major cosmopolitan centers: Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona, with occasional stops in Belgium, Norway, and England. Styles discussed include Expressionism, Symbolism, Post-Impressionism, Art Nouveau, and Jugendstil. The an of the period is explored in relation to issues of national identity c. 1900 and as a response to the shock of metropolitan life, a phenomenon experienced by artists in all four cities. These issues include attitudes toward sexuality, the rise of the crowd, alienation, the impact of psychoanalysis, escapism, and the withdrawal to the interior. We will also study the interrelation between painting, sculpture, architecture, design, and the popular arts in this period. The course attempts to understand better the shared visual language of turn-of-the-century Europe, while illuminating the special contributions and characteristics of the art of each city.
Offered as required.
AH219 Egyptian Art and Architecture Ancient Egypt is unique among ancient world civilizations; it contributed seminally to artistic expression in both the western and non-western worlds. This course examines the birth and development of ancient Egyptian culture by examining major monuments of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the Predynastic Period through the New Kingdom. It places the development of the powerful and sometimes enigmatic forms of Egyptian art in the context of the culture that created them, considering such factors as religion, politics, and philosophy. Students will engage the material through lectures, reading material, writing assignments, and museum trips. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement
Offered every other year.
AH220 Islamic Art and Architecture Islamic Art and Architecture is a field of study holding special relevance in today’s world. This course will cover the different periods of origin, early development and imperial climax of Islamic material culture through the Ottoman Empire (650-1800). The development of the visual world and material culture of Islam will be emphasized to the end that students will gain an understanding they can use to decipher the meanings and concepts inherent in that culture today. Various major regions of the ancient Islamic world will be covered: Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, Anatolia, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco), and Spain. Major monuments of Islamic architecture, sculpture, and painting will be explored as will the development of the powerful and sometimes enigmatic concepts of Islamic art within the context of the culture that created them, considering such factors as religion, politics, and philosophy. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Offered fevery other year.
AH Monumental Expression in the Ancient World Expression of power has long been the focus of propaganda for rulers. Such expression is commonly manifest in visually stimulating architectural programs sponsored by such rulers. Cultures of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Minoan Crete, the Classical and Islamic worlds, were all fueled by rulers' drive to impress and hold power over the population through visual persuasion. Visual persuasion and expression of power was conveyed through architecture, imagery, and organization and control of space. This course will examine the use and incorporation of visual expression in various ancient cultures through detailed analysis of a few specific monumental architectural complexes. Palaces and temples, and the objects found inside these buildings will be analyzed to determine how messages were conveyed to the audiences of the ancient world. A major component of this class is conducting a research project on a specific complex of monumental architecture. Students will also come away from this seminar a more active member of the visual world that surrounds them; the use of written expression is vital in consideration of our world today.
Offered fevery other year.
AR221 Gallery Management. This course introduces Art and Arts Administration students to contemporary thought and practice in the making, exhibiting and marketing of visual art. Through essays, class discussions and field trips to local galleries, museums and auction houses, students will explore the importance of context and presentation in how works of art are perceived by the public. Students will assist with hanging and dismantling exhibitions in the Wagner College Gallery. This course is open only to Art and Arts Administration majors.
Prerequisite: Art 103 and 203 or permission of the instructor, This course is open only to art and arts administration majors.
Offered fall semester
291 Special Topics. This course is offered to present new subject matter or to present possible new courses.
AH291-1 Islamic Art and Architecture Islamic Art and Architecture is a field of study holding special relevance in today’s world. This course will cover the different periods of origin, early development and imperial climax of Islamic material culture through the Ottoman Empire (650-1800). The development of the visual world and material culture of Islam will be emphasized to the end that students will gain an understanding they can use to decipher the meanings and concepts inherent in that culture today. Various major regions of the ancient Islamic world will be covered: Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, Anatolia, Syria-Palestine, Egypt, North Africa (Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco), and Spain. Major monuments of Islamic architecture, sculpture, and painting will be explored as will the development of the powerful and sometimes enigmatic concepts of Islamic art within the context of the culture that created them, considering such factors as religion, politics, and philosophy. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
AH291-2 Egyptian Art and Architecture Ancient Egypt is unique among ancient world civilizations; it contributed seminally to artistic expression in both the western and non-western worlds. This course examines the birth and development of ancient Egyptian culture by examining major monuments of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the Predynastic Period through the New Kingdom. It places the development of the powerful and sometimes enigmatic forms of Egyptian art in the context of the culture that created them, considering such factors as religion, politics, and philosophy. Students will engage the material through lectures, reading material, and museum trips. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
AH291-3 The Assyrian Empire The Assyrian Empire was one of the most powerful ancient civilizations, for a time holding sway over the entire region of the Ancient Near East. Ruling with great military might, the Assyrians constructed massive palatial complexes containing extraordinary narrative relief sculpture documenting their exploits. This class will examine these complexes, looking at the architecture, art, and writing that were integral parts of the buildings. Students will actively participate in critiquing various scholarly texts and objects from area museums and will be responsible for a series of projects dealing with these palaces and the context for which they were created. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement, and is being offered as an Honors course.
Offered as required.
AH301 Art and Narrative All great civilizations have a story to tell; great Assyrian kings bragged about military feats, Mayan nobles watched as champion athletes played a lethal ball-game, Renaissance painters illuminated biblical stories. In this course we will examine how these stories and ‘historical’ events found a place in the visual artistic tradition of multiple civilizations. We will examine the written tradition of narrative, analyzing the construction of stories, and look at how various stories are told. We will compare these texts to visual representations of stories, and dissect the imagery to better understand modes of visual narrative. Multiple cultures, from multiple time periods will be examined, including but not limited to: Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Mesoamerica, China, Japan, the Islamic Middle East, the Byzantine world, and Renaissance Europe. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Prerequisites: any other Art History course.
Offered every other year.
AH302 The Assyrian Empire The Assyrian Empire was one of the most powerful ancient civilizations, for a time holding sway over the entire region of the Ancient Near East. Ruling with great military might, the Assyrians constructed massive palatial complexes containing extraordinary narrative relief sculpture documenting their exploits. This class will examine these complexes, looking at the architecture, art, and writing that were integral parts of the buildings. Students will actively participate in critiquing various scholarly texts and objects from area museums and will be responsible for a series of writing projects dealing with these palaces and the context for which they were created. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement, and is being offered as an Honors course.
Prerequisites: any other Art History course.
Offered every other year.
AR303 Advertising Art II: Graphic Design and Typography. Continuation of Advertising Art I. Emphasis on promotional and institutional graphics.
Prerequisite: Art 203.
Offered as required. *
AR305 Drawing III. This class is designed for students who have successfully completed studies in Drawing 1 and II. The goal of the course will be to further the students' technical skills as well as to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of the language of drawing. The imagery will derive from a study of still life, the human model, and landscape, but will also rely upon the students' more personal imagery deriving from sources such as memory and imagination. We will explore, as well, the abstract possibilities of drawing, attempting in our work to take the concept of drawing beyond the idea of a preparatory sketch and investigate the use of drawing as a finished statement. The class size will be limited to encourage a seminar-type atmosphere and free exchange between teacher and students.
Prerequisites: Art 105, 205.
Offered as required.
AR308 Painting II. Oil or acrylic. Students are encouraged to experiment with varied art styles, including past and present directions. Class discussions are geared to understanding contemporary art. Representational and nonrepresentational art is explored.
Prerequisite: Art 208.
Offered spring semester.
AR310 Materials and Technique Workshop. This class is designed to give the student a working knowledge of mediums that are not taught in other studio classes, as well as to explore new possibilities inherent in some of the generally used materials. We will experiment with mediums such as pastel, colored pencils, conte crayon, gouache, and collage, using them both in their accepted format as well as in ways which may give insight into new means of expression. We will have guest lecturers presenting step-by-step demonstrations in the use of new materials. While we will consider the aesthetic issues in each work, the focus will be on mastery of a variety of techniques and mediums.
Prerequisite: Art 105.
Offered as required.
AR313 Printmaking II. Continues the development of techniques learned in Printmaking I. The major emphasis is on color monotype and colograph. Limited edition printing, presentation, print conservation, and preservation.
Prerequisite: Art 213.
Offered as required. *
AH 341: Contemporary Art This course familiarized students with contemporary art practice, debates in art theory and criticism and the most important issues facing the artist today. We will examine the work of diverse artists in the context of larger social, political, economic and aesthetic issues. In addition, we will look at issues such as the role of the museum today, censorship and the impact of the internet on contemporary art making. The works of important contemporary critics and theorists are
explored.
AR 400 Reflective Tutorial in Art (junior year) and AR 400 Reflective Tutorial in Art (senior year). The senior reflective tutorial culminates in the exhibition of students’ work and production of a written thesis. Students will actively participate in several formal critiques throughout the semester. The experiential component will consist of students working independently in their studios to produce a body of work for public exhibit.
Required of art majors as part of the senior learning community
Department permission required.
AH490 Imaging the Individual: What is a Portrait? This course is designed a to be a capstone course. A portrait is often thought of as a visual, naturalistic representation of an individual. However, this is only one definition. In this course, we will examine the concept of portraiture: what is a portrait? Does it have to portray the likeness of a person? Can a portrait contain other types of imagery? How does written text relate to visual portraiture? How is a portrait of a Mayan Lord different from that of a Japanese Samurai? How does a portrait of an Egyptian Pharoah differ from a portrait of Andy Warhol? We will survey ‘portraits’ of individuals beginning with Paleolithic Venus figurines, and end with those of contemporary artists. We will look at self-portraits, paintings, sculptures, and even some works of monumental architecture. This course meets the College requirements for an International Perspectives Requirement.
Prerequisites: any other Art History course.
Offered every other year.
593 Independent Study. With special permission of the department chair, the course may be taken for two units.
Offered as required, consult department chair.
Available to art majors only.
Capstone Course. Either AH 341 Contemporary Art or AH 490 Imagining Portraiture.
Weekly figure-drawing session. This session is mandatory for all art majors. Students can use any dry or water-based media. The session allows students to practice the drawing skills they developed in previous classes and to experiment with personal expression and style. The class is monitored and attended by a faculty member, and attendance for the entire three hours every week is required.
