Revised 08/2022

ART 102 - History of Art: Renaissance to Modern (3 CR.)

Course Description

Surveys the history and interpretation of architecture, painting and sculpture from the Renaissance through the modern era. This is a Passport and UCGS transfer course.
Lecture 3 hours. Total 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

Art 102 presents art from the Renaissance through the modern era. Students will develop a basic knowledge of historical art movements and their characteristics. They will critically evaluate the role of social, cultural, and global connections through art historical analysis.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

  • Communication
    • Utilize a formal vocabulary to describe art
    • Recognize and describe the media and techniques used to create the works of art, as well as the technologies used in architecture
  • Cultural and Social Understanding
    • Identify major artist and/or works of art
    • Distinguish art historical periods/movements and recognize their characteristics
  • Critical Thinking
    • Critically evaluate works of art and the ways in which these monuments function within their historical, cultural, and religious contexts
  • 15th Century - European Art (Early Renaissance)
    • Identify the characteristics of Northern Renaissance painting.
    • Recognize the artistic and architectural characteristics of the Early Renaissance in Italy.
    • Examine the principles of linear perspective.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.
  • 16th Century - European Art (Renaissance, Mannerism)
    • Summarize the characteristics of High Renaissance art in Italy.
    • Distinguish the artistic traits of Mannerism.
    • Describe the distinctive trends in the sixteenth-century art of the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.
  • 17th Century - European Art (Baroque)
    • Explore the characteristics of the Baroque art and architecture in Italy.
    • Characterize the "Golden Age" of painting in Spain.
    • Recognize the new artistic developments in Flemish art.
    • Discuss the distinctive styles and subjects preferred in the Protestant regions.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.
  • 18th & early 19th Century European & American Art (Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism)
    • Explain how the Rococo art and architecture was a reflection of life among the aristocracy in eighteenth-century France.
    • Explore Neoclassicism's connection to Enlightenment thought and Classical art.
    • Identify aspects of Romanticism in landscape painting.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.
  • Mid- to late 19th Century European & American Art (Photography, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Architecture)
    • Discuss the historical context that led to the emergence of photography as a new art form.
    • Examine the social and political concerns presented in Realism.
    • Summarize the origins, artistic characteristics, and content of Impressionism.
    • Distinguish the various artistic styles of Post-Impressionism.
    • Describe the impact of historicism and new industrial materials in late nineteenth-century architecture.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.
  • Early to Mid-20th Century Modern European & American Art (Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Expressionism, Bauhaus, Harlem Renaissance, Mexican artists)
    • Trace the spread of Modernism across Europe in the early twentieth century.
    • Characterize the arrival of Modernism in the United States.
    • Summarize the new developments in Modern art and architecture in Europe between World Wars I and II.
    • Identify global artworks that inspired, or were influenced by, the art produced during the periods/movements presented. Correlations may be drawn from themes, subject, and/or technique.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • 15th Century – European Art
  • 16th Century – European Art
  • 17th Century - European Art
  • 18th & early 19th Century European & American Art
  • Mid- to late 19th Century European & American Art
  • Early to Mid-20th Century Modern European & American Art