JAN 100 - Aesthetic & Moral: Socially Conscious Art from Modernism to Graffiti

Type:  In-Person
Course Meeting Days & Times:  MTThF, 12:00 PM-2:30:00 PM

Instructor(s): Arnold, Chad
Email: carnold@stmarys-ca.edu
Fee: $20

Course Description:  Do you love art? If so, take this course - it will give you the chance to learn about the recent history and theory of art and perhaps more importantly, it will give you the opportunity to go out into the world and have a look at some of the most exciting and important art in the world. This is an introductory course, so you don’t need any expertise, just an open mind! 

We will begin this course by asking what art is and further, do we know it when we see it? Other considerations and questions we will look at are what criteria is required for a work to be considered great? And what do we mean when we say ‘great’? 
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. The central philosophical consideration of this course is that making art can be a moral act, it can make a difference in people’s lives in the real world. We will focus on the social aspect of art, and how it can help the suffering and the world’s poor. There are many artists and artworks that function in response to, for example, armed conflict, migration, and poverty among others. 

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, JR, Ai Weiwei, 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 both canonic as well as 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 sculptures 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. 
 

Prerequisites & Notes
None

Credits: 3