JAN 049 - Great (…but what is Great?) Artists and Art of the 20th and 21st Centuries

What is art? Do we know it when we see it? Do you love it anyway? If so, take this course - it will give you the chance to go out into the greater bay area and have a look at some of the most exciting art in the world. This will be an introductory course where you don’t need any expertise, just an open mind! 
The 20th and 21st centuries have been a remarkable period for many reasons, and one of the most important and uplifting is in the world of art. It is a profound period of acknowledgment and affirmation. In this course we will seek to understand the central movements, trends, and concerns that have come to define contemporary culture, with specific attention to works in the fields of sculpture, fiction, film, painting, and poetry that have been passed over or are otherwise marginalized. We will also examine economic considerations and social trends in art that help define the works and our society. 
In this exciting course we will be explicating in detail major works by Clarice Lispector, Pablo Picasso, Virginia Woolf, John Cage, Marina Abramovic, Kara Walker, Tauba Auerbach, and many others. 
This will be a short if detailed history of the last hundred years or so of primarily American and European art focusing on canonic, marginalized, and disenfranchised artists and works. 

This course also seeks to develop your analytical skills and attentiveness for reading deeply and seeing past the pigments glow and tint. You will learn how to read and enjoy poetry and learn how to look at paintings and sculpture with new insight and appreciation. We will also explore the vital relationship between how much you know and how much you like. 

And it will be fun. 

The ability to recognize and be moved by art is a skill that needs to be practiced, not only for the moral evolution of humanity, but for its health and diversity. With such discipline we might improve the condition of the world. Art has restorative powers beyond the page or gesso ground, and the study of art is one of the most satisfying ways to connect with other people and the world around you. This challenging course will explore connections between seemingly disparate modes of aesthetic inquiry to unpack the vitality of the whole. 

Instructor(s): Chad Arnold
Email:  carnold@stmarys-ca.edu
 

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisites:  None
Course Fee:  25
 

Credits: 1