A survey of the genre from its beginnings in the political and artistic avant-garde movements of Europe at the turn of the 20th century through contemporary American conceptual bookworks. In particular, the course will examine the varieties of form and expression used by book artists and the relationships between these artists and the socio-cultural, literary, and graphic environments from which they emerged.

Topics course. A survey of photography, photographers, and the literature of photography. Consideration of the formal, technical, historical, and social factors in the development and practice of photography since 1839. Recommended background: ARH 101. Enrollment limited to 40.

Post Counter Reformation Italy and the reconsideration of art theory and design at the Academy of the Carracci in Bologna beginning about 1580, the emergence of a new artistic interpretation brought about by Caravaggio and his followers - first in Rome and then across Europe, and the subsequent change in styles to meet various political and regional needs will be examined through painting and sculpture in Italy: with such artists as Annibale and Ludovico Carracci, Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Pietro da Cortona, Guido Reni; etc.; in France: Simon Vouet, Poussin, Claude, and Georges de La

Topics course. In conjunction with the exhibition Drawn to Excellence, this colloquium will offer students the chance to study the development of drawing in France and Italy from 1500-1850, working primarily with original works of art from the exhibition and the collection of the Smith College Museum of Art. Issues unique to drawings, in terms of the market, connoisseurship, techniques, supports, conservation, provenance, literature and collecting, will be explored, and a small installation of works planned and carried out. No prerequisites. Enrollment limited to 12. (E)

Topics course. Through a series of case studies from the 7th century to the present, this course examines encounters between Islamic and non-Islamic Art and Architecture. The lens of cross-cultural exchange will be used to consider how Islamic aesthetics developed in relation to Byzantium, Crusader Christianity, Mongol China, pre-modern Europe, India, and the modern ?global? context of artistic production. The implications of influence, hybridity, and art as competitive discourse will be examined.

Architectural, sculpted, and pictorial arts from the twelfth through the early fifteenth century North of the Alps. Gothic art in its relationship with urbanization, patronage, rise of literacy, changes in devotional attitudes, and new kinds of visual experiences. Prerequisite: ARH 150 or ARH 150, or permission of the instructor.

The art of Japan, especially painting, sculpture, architecture, and color prints. Particular attention given to the roles of native tradition and foreign influences in the development of Japanese art from Neolithic times to the 18th century.

This course explores many different aspects of life in the cities and sanctuaries of the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Etruria, and Rome. Recurrent themes will include urbanism, landscapes, and patterns of worship, including initiation, sacrifice, and pilgrimage. We'll probe how modern notions of the secular and the sacred influence interpretation and how sometimes the seemingly most anomalous features of the worship of Isis or of the juxtaposition of commercial and domestic space within a city can potentially prove to be the most revealing about life in another place and time.

This course examines a selection of key buildings, images, and objects created from the prehistoric era, the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, and medieval times to European and American art of the last 500 years. Over the semester we will study specific visual and cultural traditions at particular historical moments and become familiar with basic terminology, modes of analysis and methodologies in art history.

This multicultural course introduces students to the visual arts of Asia. In a writing- and speaking-intensive learning environment, students will explore architecture, sculpture, painting and other arts from the earliest times to the present in relation to the history and culture of such different Asian countries as India, China, Japan, and others. Illustrated class lectures, group discussions, museum visits, and writing exercises will allow students an opportunity to develop skills in visual analysis and art historical interpretation. No prerequisites. Enrollment limited to 40.