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Courses in Art History
Art
2550
18TH & 19TH CENTURY ART
*Offered in alternate years.
4
SEMESTER HOURS
Syllabus for Fall
2006:
18TH & 19TH CENTURY ART
Art 2550 (01)
Fall 2006
Dr. Elise L. Smith
Academic Complex 323
974-1432 (o); 354-2290 (h: before 10)
E-mail: smithel@millsaps.edu
OFFICE HOURS. M & F 10-10:50, T 3-4, or by appointment (or
feel free to just drop in)
COURSE DESCRIPTION. This course will cover selected painters and
sculptors of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries--primarily French
and English artists, but also certain figures from other countries. Although
this is primarily an art history course, we'll try to place the visual
arts in context, i.e. in a broader cultural and historical framework.
TEXT. The text is Nineteenth-Century European Art by Petra
ten-Doesschate Chu (2nd edition; Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall, 2006). I've put some other books on reserve in the library, including
four general surveys of the period: 19th-Century Art by Robert
Rosenblum and H. W. Janson (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1984), John
Canaday's Mainstreams of Modern Art (Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1981), Fritz Novotny's Painting and Sculpture in Europe.
1780-1880 (London & New York: Penguin Books, 1978), and Stephen
F. Eisenman's Nineteenth Century Art. A Critical History (London:
Thames & Hudson, 1994). There will also be various articles distributed
during the semester.
GRADES. You'll be evaluated on the basis of class participation
(10%), three exams (15% each), reading responses (15%), a research paper
(20%), and an oral presentation (10%).
ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION. Regular class attendance is especially
important in this course since a number of the works we'll be seeing aren't
reproduced in the text. It won't be possible to duplicate the experience
of class discussions by simply reading along in the book. I truly believe
that your involvement is essential to the learning process (your learning
process and mine), and I strongly encourage all of you to ask questions
and to talk in class about the art.
Absences for whatever reason after the first three will adversely affect
your final grade. I will count off one point from your final grade for
each absence after the first three. If you are absent for an extended
excused illness or family emergency or school sports, you may be able
to make up those absences by doing additional writing assignments (it
will be your responsibility to consult with me about this if the need
arises).
EXAMS. The three exams will consist of the identification, analysis,
and comparison of selected works of art. The majority of the grade will
be based on the quality of your analysis in the essays, but correct identification
of each work will also be a significant factor. The complete identification
of an art work for purposes of this course includes the following information:
name of artist, title of the work of art, nationality, period, and approximate
date by quarter-century. Ordinarily no make-up exams will be given unless
you have a serious medical or other emergency reason and have notified
me in advance (by e-mail, phone, or in person) of the reason for your
absence.
READING RESPONSES. You'll write a reading response for the six
articles we'll read this semester. These can be typed or hand-written
(though typed is preferable - take pity on my poor eyes!) and should consist
of the following:
1) Bibliographic information in correct MLA format
2) Brief statement of the author's thesis (usually 1-3 sentences should
suffice), with parenthetical notation of the page number(s) where it can
be found in its clearest statement. Since in order to do justice to a
complex argument it's often necessary to pull together a couple of the
major points in the article, it's best to paraphrase the argument in your
own words rather than simply quoting a particular sentence.
3) Brief outline of the top 3 to 5 pieces of supporting evidence for that
thesis (no more than a couple of sentences for each, with parenthetical
notation of the relevant page number(s). Note that this is not the same
as a point-by-point summary of the article.
4) A significant question or two (general and/or specific) derived from
your close reading.
Your written response is due at the beginning of the class during which
the reading will be discussed. Also please be sure to bring the article
itself to class on that day.
In addition, you're required to attend one of the three Southern Circuit
films (see attached list) and write a short one–page review. If you
have a standing conflict on Monday nights please let me know right away
so we can work out an alternative for you.
RESEARCH PAPER. This paper (7-10 pages typewritten) will be centered
around a single work of art or cluster of related images by one of the
following artists: Courbet, Bonheur, Daumier, Millet, Rodin, Claudel,
Manet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Cassatt, Morisot, Caillebotte, Degas.
You should have a clearly stated thesis around which the paper is developed,
and should bring in relevant material from both of the following categories:
internal evidence (related directly to the images themselves), consisting
of a close technical, stylistic and/or iconographic (i.e., subject matter)
analysis;
external evidence (related to contextual issues), which could include
biographical information pertinent to your thesis and/or a consideration
of the larger context in which the work or works were made (historical,
political, literary, religious, and/or social, including issues of gender,
race, and/or class).
You should also incorporate into your paper at least one or two images
for comparative purposes, to clarify your understanding of these issues.
This is a paper that will involve considerable research. You should have
at least five different sources in your bibliography. Internet sites are
not acceptable sources for this kind of formal art history paper. Please
use specialized books and articles on the artist or the period as much
as possible, rather than general art history surveys, and look for the
most up-to-date sources that you can find. You will probably have to supplement
our library holdings with books and articles acquired through interlibrary
loan, so be sure to leave at least two weeks for those sources to arrive.
For appropriate scholarly books, check the bibliographies and notes of
books and articles that you've already found, and/or go to the on-line
site of a major library such as Harvard (www.harvard.edu) or Yale (www.yale.edu)
to see what they have. For articles, check the periodical index called
The Art Index, which is available either in hard copy in the reference
area of the library or (for the last few decades) on-line through the
library web page (go to Search Tools, then Research Databases, then Art
Index). I also have a number of books in my office and would be glad to
loan them out if they'd be useful.
Most important: a narrow focus, a thesis, and a full development of your
argument. Learn as much as you can about the topic, and then figure out
what aspect you want to pursue. Avoid simple summary, and be sure to include
substantial, extended analysis of art or art ideas (in other words, this
paper should not just be biography or history, but should include close
analysis that reflects your growing awareness of and proficiency with
the language of art). One productive way to start is to sit down with
a color illustration of the image or images and look very closely for
a long time, free-writing your way into a deeper understanding. This probably
won't end up as part of your paper, but will help you to establish your
own voice as you work on the image. It's your paper, so don't let the
voices of your sources dominate you. But this is also not an opinion piece.
It's a formal scholarly paper. Your voice and thesis and analysis should
be informed by awareness of the available scholarship on this artist and
image. Remember to include xeroxed illustrations when needed, with figure
numbers in the text to refer your readers to those illustrations. You
can read a few examples of award-winning art history papers written by
Millsaps students by going to the art department web page at http://www.millsaps.edu/art/ah_paper_awards.shtml.
You should also become familiar with the short document "Tips for
Writing Art History Papers," also found on our departmental web page
at http://www.millsaps.edu/art/word/PAPERS_TIPS.doc.
Revision Process: You will turn in an early draft of the paper, which
will be read by me and a small group of peer readers. Each of us will
write comments, responses, and suggestions in the margins, along with
a summative response at the end.
A note to peer readers: you will be evaluated on how serious, thoughtful,
and substantial your responses are, and that grade will become part of
your class participation grade. I suggest that you think about and respond
to the following questions as you read each paper (and as you reread your
own during the revision process):
--does this paper have a clearly defined question or point or thesis?
--is it well organized?
--is the tone scholarly and formal, but does it also incorporate the author's
personal voice in the form of a
clear argument?
--is the argument persuasive (in other words, is there enough supporting
evidence for it)?
--does the paper include research from scholarly sources that is appropriately
documented?
--are there aspects of the art objects or ideas that haven't been sufficiently
explored?
Late Papers: Late papers will be marked down a third of a letter-grade
for each 24 hours that they are late (not exceeding two full letter grades),
unless you receive prior permission from me (which means permission must
be given no later than 10 p.m. the day before the paper is due, not the
due date itself). If you're late turning in a paper I suggest that you
send it to me as an e-mail attachment as soon as it's completed so I won't
continue to mark it down, but don't assume that I've received it unless
I respond with an e-mail acknowledgment. You must also turn in a hard
copy with illustrations as soon as possible.
ORAL PRESENTATION. Ten-minute presentations will be based on the
research done for your papers and will start in Week 7 and continue throughout
the rest of the semester, depending on your topics. Images will be presented
in the ARTstor Offline Image Viewer (you'll be given separate instructions
on using ARTstor and constructing a presentation).
PLAGIARISM - A Reminder
Always be careful about plagiarism, even in short writing exercises and
take-home exams. Plagiarism, as you know from Liberal Studies and/or your
other core courses, is the use of another person's ideas or words without
proper acknowledgement.
Two of the most common forms of plagiarism are defined by Diana Hacker
in The Bedford Handbook for Writers (Boston: St. Martin's, 1994) as
"(1) borrowing someone's ideas, information, or language without
documenting the source and
(2) documenting the source but paraphrasing the source's language too
closely, without using quotation marks to indicate that language has been
borrowed" (477).
When should you document a source? In addition to citing the source of
a direct quote, you should give a citation when you refer to an idea,
opinion, hypothesis, or conclusion from one of your sources, or when you
summarize or paraphrase a section of your source, or when you rely on
one of your sources for a fact that would not be considered common knowledge
for the audience of your paper (Hacker 477-78). The point of all this
is to help the reader (and yourself as writer) to distinguish between
your own ideas and those with whom you are entering into scholarly conversation.
What is meant by paraphrasing a source too closely? This is probably
the kind of plagiarism that I most often see in student papers. It has
often been considered "unintentional", but is nonetheless clearly
recognizable as plagiarism. With the Honor Code now in place at Millsaps,
and with a concerted effort being made by faculty and students alike to
clarify the boundaries of academic dishonesty, you will no longer be able
to plead lack of understanding but will be turned in to the Honor Council.
If you're uncertain about plagiarism, I encourage you to read Hacker,
pp. 467-79, on the process of taking notes in order to properly paraphrase
your sources and on constructing and writing your essay in order to maintain
a strong, clear voice.
HONOR CODE. I want to remind you of the following pledge signed
by all students upon entering Millsaps: "As a Millsaps College student,
I hereby affirm that I understand the Honor Code and am aware of its implications
and of my responsibility to the Code. In the interests of expanding the
atmosphere of respect and trust in the College, I promise to uphold the
Honor Code and I will not tolerate dishonest behavior in myself or in
others."
Please pledge all your written work for this class.
* * *
Learning Disabilities: If you have a learning disability and need special
arrangements you must discuss it with the appropriate person in Student
Affairs and also with each of your instructors. In order for me to be
able to accommodate your needs you must inform me within the first week
of the semester and we must both sign a written contract clarifying any
changes in the expectations and requirements for the course.
* * *
If you're having problems of any sort that are affecting your work in
this course or as a student at Millsaps, please feel free to come talk
to me about it, or write me an e-mail message. I would be happy to talk
with you about any questions or concerns you might have.
* * *
COURSE CALENDAR (subject to change) (readings are listed on the
day they'll be discussed)
We might need to adjust the dates for the readings specified below, depending
on how the semester progresses. This will give you a general idea, though,
about how to keep up with the relevant sections in Chu's Nineteenth-Century
European Art. I strongly advise you to keep up with these readings since
the information will be important for class discussion and for the exams.
Other readings might also be distributed throughout the semester. We will
meet occasionally during the 4th-hour period.
Week
1
W, 8/30 Rococo; Neoclassicism
F, 9/1 Rococo; Neoclassicism
READ: Chu 19-26, 31-36, 43-65, 95-104, 111-134, 138-39 (over the next
week)
2
M, 9/4 Neoclassicism
READ: Frederick Antal's "Reflections on Classicism and Romanticism"
from Classicism and Romanticism (1966)
DUE: Reading response on Antal (read the whole article but focus on his
discussion of The Oath of the Horatii and follow directions on pp. 1-2
of this syllabus)
W, 9/6 Neoclassicism
READ: Stephen Brown, "David's The Oath of the Horatii as authoritarian
fiction" (1996)
DUE: Reading response
F, 9/8 Neoclassicism
3
M, 9/11 Neoclassicism
W, 9/13 Neoclassicism
F, 9/15 Neoclassicism
READ: Syllabus pp. 2-3 (on the research paper and plagiarism) and "Tips
for Writing Art
History Papers" at http://www.millsaps.edu/art/word/PAPERS_TIPS.doc
Notice that the topic for your research paper, along with a preliminary
bibliography, is due next week. If you're uncertain about how to choose,
or if you have several possibilities that you can't decide among, or if
you're having trouble finding material, let me know! Send me an e-mail
or talk to me after class or in my office. I'd be glad to help out.
4
M, 9/18 Romanticism
READ: Chu 143-57, 203-27, 234-36 (over the next week)
W, 9/20 Romanticism
DUE: Topic for research paper: artist's name, title(s) of the main art
work(s), source of illustration(s), and preliminary bibliography based
on search of the Art Index, a major library web site such as Harvard or
Yale, our own library collection, and the books in my office. Note in
the margin beside each bibliographic entry where you found the reference
and whether you have the book/article in hand or whether you've requested
it through interlibrary loan (with the request date).
Turn in your interlibrary loan requests right away!
F, 9/22 Romanticism
5
M, 9/25 Romanticism
READ: Marcia Pointon, "Liberty on the Barricades: Woman, Politics
and Sexuality in Delacroix" from Naked Authority: The Body in Western
Painting 1830-1908 (1990) - You can stop reading at the top of p. 79 if
you run out of steam.
DUE: Reading response to Pointon
W, 9/27 Romanticism
Th, 9/28 Romanticism
F, 9/29 Romanticism
6
M, 10/2 Romanticism
READ: Fred Licht, "The Disasters of War" from Goya: The Origins
of the Modern Temper in Art (1980)
DUE: Reading response to Licht
W, 10/4 Romanticism
F, 10/6 EXAM
7
M, 10/9 Realism
READ: Chu 247-67, 285-93, 364 (over the next week)
W, 10/11 Realism
F, 10/13 Realism
8
M, 10/16 Realism
W, 10/18 Realism
F, 10/20 Victorian England
READ: Chu 191-201, 323-51 (over the next two weeks)
Notice that the first draft of your paper is due in a little more than
a week.
9
M, 10/23 Fall Break!!
W, 10/25 Victorian England
F, 10/27 No class (I'll be at the Southeastern College Art Conference)
10
M, 10/30 Victorian England
W, 11/1 Victorian England
F, 11/3 Victorian England
DUE: First draft of research paper (stapled proof-read copies to me and
your peer readers, with letter to the reader attached at the front and
appropriate notes and bibliography)
11
M, 11/6 Victorian England
READ: Lynne Pearce, "The Lady of Shalott: Cracks in the Mirror"
from Woman Image Text: Readings in Pre-Raphaelite Art and Literature
(1991)
DUE: Reading response to Pearce
W, 11/8 Victorian England
DUE: Peer responses (turned in to me)
Th, 11/9 Victorian England
F, 11/10 EXAM
12
M, 11/13 Rodin and Claudel
READ: Chu 490-97
W, 11/15 Rodin and Claudel
Th, 11/16 Manet
READ: Chu 293-301, 387-88
F, 11/17 Manet
13
M, 11/20 Manet
W, 11/22 Manet
Th, 11/23 Manet
READ: John House, "In front of Manet's Bar: Subverting the 'Natural'"
(1996)
DUE: Reading response to House
F, 11/24 Impressionism
READ: Chu 389-409, 419-425 (over the next two weeks)
14
M, 11/27 Impressionism
DUE: Final research paper
W, 11/29 Impressionism
F, 12/1 Thanksgiving Holiday
15
M, 12/4 Impressionism
W, 12/6 Impressionism
Th, 12/7 Impressionism
F, 12/8 Impressionism
Articles for 18th-19th Century Art
Robert Rosenblum's "Reconstructing David" (1990) -- pp. 188-197,
257, in Art in America (May 1990)
Frederick Antal's "Reflections on Classicism and Romanticism"
from Classicism and Romanticism (1966) - pp. 339-48, 511, in W. Eugene
Kleinbauer, Modern Perspectives in Western Art History (NY: Holt, Rinehart
& Winston, 1971)
Stephen Brown "David's The Oath of the Horatii as authoritarian
fiction" (1996) -- pp. 151-160 in Word & Image 12:2 (April-June
1996)
Carol Ockman, "This Flatulent Hand: Nineteenth-Century Criticism"
from Ingres's Eroticized Bodies (New Haven: Yale UP, 1995), pp. 85-109,
162-67
Marcia Pointon, "Liberty on the Barricades: Woman, Politics and
Sexuality in Delacroix" from Naked Authority: The Body in Western
Painting 1830-1908 (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1990), pp. 59-82, 142-45
Fred Licht, "The Disasters of War" from Goya: The Origins of
the Modern Temper in Art (1980) -- pp. 135-46 in Carole Gold Calo, Writings
about Art (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1994)
Lynne Pearce, "The Lady of Shalott: Cracks in the Mirror" from
Woman Image Text: Readings in Pre-Raphaelite Art and Literature (Toronto:
Univ. of Toronto Press, 1991), pp. 71-85 and Plate 4
Albert Boime, "Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère as an
Allegory of Nostalgia" (1993) - pp. 47- 70, and figs. 1, 7, 8-12,
in Bradford R. Collins, ed., 12 Views of Manet's Bar (Princeton: Princeton
UP, 1996)
John House, "In front of Manet's Bar: Subverting the 'Natural'"
(1996) - pp. 233-49, and figs. 1, 8, 15, 24, 31-33, in Bradford R. Collins,
ed., 12 Views of Manet's Bar (Princeton: Princeton UP, 1996)
Norma Broude, "Edgar Degas and French Feminism, ca. 1880" (1988)
-- pp. 268-293 in Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard, eds., The Expanding
Discourse: Feminism and Art History (NY: Harper Collins, 1992)
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