ARTH 505(F) The Artist and the Studio: Representations of Representation, Then and Now
This thematically based course explores depictions of the artist and the studio from (roughly) Velázquez into the present. Such representations often constitute a privileged arena for the development of reflexive concerns-concerns by artists about the nature and terms of the artistic enterprise. Precisely for this reason, that arena has also attracted a substantial body of ambitious art historical writing. Accordingly, much of the class will be devoted to exploring problems of interpretation raised by such "representations of representation," along with the art historical literature they have spawned. Artists include (but are not limited to) Velázquez, Vermeer, Delacroix, Courbet, Matisse, and Picasso; readings by Michel Foucault, Michael Fried, Svetlana Alpers, Daniel Arasse, and Leo Steinberg, among others. We might also read Balzac's Unknown Masterpiece and other works of art fiction.
Format: seminar. Requirements: students will be responsible for readings, and one research paper/presentation.
Enrollment limit: 12 (expected: 8-12). Preference will be given to graduate students and then to senior majors.
Hour: GOTLIEB