DESCRIPTION

This is an exciting class that allows you the chance to travel the world and experience the art of a wide variety of cultures from the comfort of your own home (in an online environment). 

My goal is to help you appreciate artistic traditions from all over the world. The time-frame of this class allows us to explore ancient art. And because we consider art from all over the world, you are sure to find some type of art with which you can connect on a personal level. If you've ever been interested in art, archaeology, history, or anthropology, then this is the class for you! 

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to major works of art from prehistoric times through the 16th century C.E. and to aid you in interpreting these works within their global contexts. Throughout this course, we will not only consider what the images tell us about these periods, but also what our interpretations reveal about our modern ways of seeing and understanding these images. You will learn to recognize the most prominent artistic trends of the times, and you’ll be able to speak articulately and write coherently about how these trends reflect world viewpoints. Because we will be dealing with an immensely large time frame, this course will provide a general overview of world art from Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The class is a worldwide journey.

Objectives

1. Place a work of art in its historical, cultural, and stylistic context. 

2. Perform visual and critical analysis of a work of art using specialized vocabulary.

Lecture and discussion material

1. Introduction to the discipline of art history:  Principles of aesthetic and formal analysis. 
2. Art of Prehistoric Europe 
3. Ancient Near East/Mesopotamia art 
4. Ancient Egyptian art 
5. Aegean art 
6. Ancient Greek art 
7. Etruscan and Roman art 
8. Early Jewish and Christian art 
9. Islamic art 
10. Art of South and Southeast Asia 
11. Chinese and Korean art 
12. Japanese art 
13. Art of the Americas

Textbook

Art History, Volume 1, 5th Edition 
By Marilyn Stokstad, Michael Cothren

For more information

email: hsaleh@santarosa.edu

See ART 1.1 in the Schedule of Classes