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Course Question & AnswerArt Historical Methodologies
Purpose of Course showclose
Course Information showclose
Welcome to ARTH301, Art Historical Methodologies. Below, please find general information on this course and its requirements.
Primary Resources: This course makes use of a variety of different online resources, including:
- Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art”
- The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keywords Glossary
- Dictionary of Art Historians
Requirements for Completion: To complete this course, you must work through all the assigned resources (readings, interactives, lectures, and videos), complete seven assignments (Writing a Visual Description, Writing a Stylistic Description, Writing an Iconographic Analysis, Critical Summary of James Elkins’s “The Failed and the Inadvertent: Art History and the Concept of the Unconscious,” Critical Summary of Linda Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?,” Short Answer Questions: Raymond Spiteri’s “A Farewell to Modernism? Re-Reading T. J. Clark,” and Critical Summary of Matthew Martin’s “Relics of Another Age: Art History, the ‘Decorative Arts,’ and the Museum”), and pass the Final Exam with a grade of 70% or more.
Time Commitment: Approximately 130 hours.
Tips/Suggestions: Although throughout the course every effort has been made to supply links to images and discussions of works that the student may be unfamiliar with, you are encouraged to briefly research works discussed in the readings that you have not seen or do not know much about. You should also note that many of these readings are theoretical and therefore very dense, so you may have to read over them, or at least sections of them, several times.
Learning Outcomes showclose
- Explain what art historians study and what kinds of questions they ask about works of art.
- Identify major art historical methodologies and their associated theories and theorists.
- Write a critical summary of a piece of art historical scholarship.
- Explain the major aspects of the methodological approaches outlined in this course and how they relate to the philosophical, historical, and social context in which they first appeared.
- Explain how different methodologies can be used to analyze works of art.
- Compare and contrast major art historical methodologies.
- Use different art historical approaches to interpret, analyze, and write about works of art.
Course Requirements showclose
√ Have access to a computer.
√ Have continuous broadband Internet access.
√ Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g., Adobe Reader or Flash).
√ Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer.
√ Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.).
√ Have competency in the English language.
√ Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.
√ Have completed ARTH101: Art Appreciation and Techniques, ARTH110: Introduction to Western Art History—Pre-Historic to High Gothic, and ARTH111: Introduction to Western Art History—Proto-Renaissance to Contemporary ArtUnit Outline show close
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Unit 1: What is Art? What is and Artist? What is Art History?
This unit first introduces the student to the discipline of art history and discusses how the conception of the discipline’s central focus—art—has changed over time. It then focuses on the aesthetic theories of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), the most important of several nineteenth-century German philosophers whose theories are associated with the birth of modern art history. Although aesthetics, art history, and art criticism are technically separate areas of study, writers from all three fields, more often than not, have made contributions to the development of art historical methodologies. After completing this unit, you will be able to explain how the concept of art has changed overtime, the differences among aesthetics, art criticism, and art history, and Hegel’s aesthetic theories.
Unit 1 Time Advisory show close
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1.1 What Is Art? What Is an Artist?
- Reading: Sweet Briar College: Professor L.C. Witcombe’s “What Is Art? What Is an Artist?: Introduction”
Links: Sweet Briar College: Professor L.C. Witcombe’s “What Is Art? What Is an Artist?: Introduction” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the changing conceptions of art and artists in the Western tradition from the Ancient World to the present and how they relate to concurrent political, social, and cultural developments. Then, click on the hyperlinks in the table of contents at the bottom of the page to read Sections 2-5 that discuss this development in more detail.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Sweet Briar College: Professor L.C. Witcombe’s “What Is Art? What Is an Artist?: Introduction”
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1.2 Art History vs. Art Criticism vs. Aesthetics
- Reading: California State University: Professor Ronald H. Silverman’s “Learning about Art: Exploring the Meaning of the Term ‘Aesthetics’”
Link: Reading:California State University: Professor Ronald H. Silverman’s “Learning about Art: Exploring the Meaning of the Term ‘Aesthetics'” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as a comparative overview of the questions asked by the field of aesthetics as contrasted with questions asked by art historians.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Lesley Martin’s “Aesthetics”
Link: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Lesley Martin’s “Aesthetics” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the study of aesthetics, a field separate from, but related to, art history.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia’s “Art History” and “Art Criticism”
Link: Wikipedia’s articles on “Art History” (PDF) and “Art Criticism” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read these pages as an introduction to history of art history and the related field of Art Criticism.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original Wikipedia versions of this article here and here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: California State University: Professor Ronald H. Silverman’s “Learning about Art: Exploring the Meaning of the Term ‘Aesthetics’”
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1.3 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831)’s “Lectures on Aesthetics”
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Hegel and the Birth of Art History"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Rowan University: Dr. David Clowney’s “Hegel”
Link: Rowan University: Dr. David Clowney’s “Hegel” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this text an introduction to Hegel’s aesthetic theory. Art history as we know it today originated in nineteenth-century Germany. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was the German philosopher whose aesthetic theories were most important to modern art history’s development. He outlined three steps in art’s historical development: the Symbolic, the Classical, and the Romantic. Additionally, Hegel’s lectures on aesthetics are important because in them he tried to determine why art was historically and socially specific and why art changes over time.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Hegel by HyperText’s “Hegel’s Lectures on Aesthetics: Introduction” and “Hegel’s Lectures on Aesthetics: On the Ideal of Classic Art”
Link: Hegel by HyperText’s “Hegel’s Lectures on Aesthetics: Introduction” (HTML) and “Hegel’s Lectures on Aesthetics: On the Ideal of Classic Art” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read both of these sections of Hegel’s “Lectures on Aesthetics” in their entirety.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Rowan University: Dr. David Clowney’s “Arthur Danto”
Link: Rowan University: Dr. David Clowney’s “Arthur Danto” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this short introduction to the art critic Arthur Danto, who in his 1984 article, “The End of Art,” and in subsequent works developed a contemporary version of Hegel's "end of art" thesis.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Hegel and the Birth of Art History"
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Unit 2: Visual Description and Stylistic and Biographical Analysis
First, this unit explains how to write a visual description and stylistic analysis of an artwork. It then examines the methodology of Formalism by first focusing on Heinrich Wölfflin’s (1864-1945) work and then on later mid-twentieth century Formalists. Although Wölfflin was interested in the cultural context in which stylistic changes occurred, later twentieth-century Formalist art historians and critics combined his approach with certain elements of connoisseurship to create a methodology that focused solely on the artworks’ formal properties. The result was analysis containing highly nuanced formal descriptions of art and artistic movements detached from larger claims about the culture in which they were created. The unit concludes by looking at Giorgio Vasari’s (1511-1574)“Lives of Artists” and biographical analysis.
Unit 2 Time Advisory show close
Unit 2 Learning Outcomes show close
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2.1 Visual Description
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Visual Description,” “Writing about Art: Ekphrasis,” and “Writing about Art: Formal Analysis”
Links: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Visual Description,” (PDF) “Writing about Art: Ekphrasis,” (PDF) and “Writing about Art: Formal Analysis” (PDF)
Also Available in Paperback: $10
Instructions: Please read these pages in their entirety as an introduction to writing visual descriptions of artworks.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original form here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: Writing a Visual Description: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database
Link: Writing a Visual Description: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database (HTML)
Instructions:First, find the following artwork in the Metropolitan Museum’s database, and write a concise two-page visual descriptionof Yves Tanguy’s From Green to White. Be sure to include the name of the artist, the title, the date, the medium, the approximate dimensions, the name of the collection, and the museum accession number (this is a number given to the object by the museum when it enters the museum’s collection). You do not need to do any further research. When writing your visual description, remember that it should be detailed enough so that your reader can visualize all the major elements of the artwork. Organize your description around several paragraphs that have topic sentences and correct grammar and spelling. After you are finished, please visit Marjorie Munsterberg’s Writing About Art: “APPENDIX III: Sample Student Papers (Visual Descriptions)” (PDF) to look at examples of student’s visual descriptions of these artworks. Note that these students wrote several drafts and the teacher’s comments on these drafts are also included on this page.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original from here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Visual Description,” “Writing about Art: Ekphrasis,” and “Writing about Art: Formal Analysis”
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2.2 Stylistic Analysis
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Stylistic Analysis,” “Writing about Art: Personal Style,” “Writing about Art: Period Style,” and “Writing about Art: Realistic”
Links: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Stylistic Analysis,” (PDF) “Writing about Art: Personal Style," (PDF) “Writing about Art: Period Style,” (PDF) and “Writing about Art: Realistic” (PDF)
Also available in Paperback: $10
Instructions: Please read these pages as an introduction to the technique of stylistic analysis. For more on the writing of Heinrich Wölfflin see subunit 2.3 below. For more on Connoisseurship see subunit 3.1 below.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original form here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: Writing a Stylistic Description: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database
Link: Writing a Stylistic Description: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database (HTML)
Instructions: Choose one of the two groups of artworks below and write a two to three page double-spaced stylistic analysis of the paintings or sculptures. (Note that the numbers in parentheses are the accession numbers and can also be used to find artworks in the museum’s collection database.)
1) Claude Monet: “Camille Monet on a Garden Bench (2002.62.1),” “Camille Monet in the Garden at Argenteuil (2000.93.1)”, and “La Grenouillè (29.100.112)”
2) Medieval Sculptures: “Head of a David (38.180)”, “Head of Joseph (2007.143)”, and “Head of a King (47.100.55)”
Remember you do not need to do any research and your analysis should be based on a comparison of what the artworks look like. When writing your stylistic analysis, be sure to consider the following: size, format, what materials were used, how they were used, what is represented, and how it is represented. Organize your analysis around an introduction that includes a strong thesis statement, a body with complete paragraphs that have topic sentences, and a conclusion. Remember to carefully proofread your essay to check for any grammar and spelling errors. After you are finished, please visit Marjorie Munsterberg’s Writing About Art: “APPENDIX III: Sample Student Papers (Visual Descriptions)” (PDF) to look at examples of student’s visual descriptions of these artworks. Note that these students wrote several drafts and the teacher’s comments on these drafts are also included on this page.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original from here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Stylistic Analysis,” “Writing about Art: Personal Style,” “Writing about Art: Period Style,” and “Writing about Art: Realistic”
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2.3 Heinrich Wölfflin (1864-1945) and Formalism
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Formalism"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Books and Writers: Petri Liukkonen’s “Heinrich Wölfflin (1864-1945)”
Link: Books and Writers: Petri Liukkonen’s “Heinrich Wölfflin (1864-1945)” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the work of Heinrich Wölfflin. Wölfflin was a famous art historian who developed a set of classifying principles that were influential in the development of twentieth century art historical analysis.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 8: Formalism and Romanticism”
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 8: Formalism and Romanticism” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button and listen to the entire podcast (19:18 minutes). It discusses the development and methodology of Formalism and its relationship to Hegelianism and Modernism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunes U: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery: David Ward’s “Clement Greenberg: Face to Face”
Link: iTunes U: Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery: David Ward’s “Clement Greenberg: Face to Face” (iTunes U)
Instructions: Please listen to the entire podcast (33:22 minutes). It discusses the life and work of the Formalist art critic, Clement Greenberg (1909-1994), and places his work within the general social context of post-War World II United States. Clement Greenberg was also a Marxist, so this also serves as a preview of Marxist art historical analysis. You will read Greenberg’s first major work, “Avant-Garde and Kitsch,” which is mentioned in this podcast, in subunit 6.2.1 below.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: BNET: Deniz Tekiner’s “Formalist Art Critics and the Politics of Meaning”
Link: BNET: Deniz Tekiner's "Formalist Art Critics and the Politics of Meaning" (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this article in its entirety (11 pages) for an in-depth look at mid-twentieth century Formalism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Formalism"
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2.4 The Biography
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: The Biography”
Link: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: The Biography” (PDF)
Also available in Paperback: $10
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the use of biography in art historical analysis.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original form here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Adrienne DeAngelis’s version of Giorgio Vasari’s “Lives of the Artists: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Painter and Sculptor of Florence”
Link: Adrienne DeAngelis's version of Giorgio Vasari's, "Lives of the Artists: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519): Painter and Sculptor of Florence" (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the biography of Leonardo da Vinci from Giorgio Vasari’s “Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times” in its entirety. In writing “Lives of the Most Excellent Italian Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, from Cimabue to Our Times,” Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) is often created with founding the discipline of art history by analyzing the development of different artistic styles through the biographies of artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: The Biography”
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Unit 3: Connoisseurship and Technical Analysis
This unit looks at the development of connoisseurship and technical analysis. Connoisseurship focuses on establishing the authenticity and authorship of a work of art based on its size, condition, medium, and technique while also considering contemporary customs, fashion, and literature. Traditionally, this type of judgment was largely based on the connoisseur’s personal intuition. Technical analysis developed out of traditional connoisseurship, and it is an interdisciplinary field using modern scientific analysis to study, preserve, and conserve artworks.
Unit 3 Time Advisory show close
Unit 3 Learning Outcomes show close
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3.1 Connoisseurship
- Reading: Wikipedia’s “Connoisseur” and “Giovanni Morelli”
Links: Wikipedia’s “Connoisseur” (PDF) and “Giovanni Morelli” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read these texts as an introduction to the study of connoisseurship.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original Wikipedia version of these articles here and here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorenson’s “Bernard Berenson”
Link: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorenson’s “Bernard Berenson” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this Biography as an introduction to the life and works of the controversial, influential connoisseur, Bernard Berenson (1865-1959).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Art History Today: David Packwood’s “Connoisseurship Today” and “Connoisseurship and the Public Eye”
Links: Art History Today: David Packwood’s “Connoisseurship Today” (HTML) and “Connoisseurship and the Public Eye” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read these blog posts by David Packwood as an overview of the history of Connoisseurship, its proponents and opponents, and the potential role it can play in art historical scholarship today.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia’s “Connoisseur” and “Giovanni Morelli”
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3.2 Technical Analysis
- Reading: The Getty Conservation Institute’s “From Connoisseurship to Technical Art History: The Evolution of the Interdisciplinary Study of Art” and “A Matter of Teamwork: A Discussion about Technical Studies and Art History”
Links: The Getty Conservation Institute’s “From Connoisseurship to Technical Art History: The Evolution of the Interdisciplinary Study of Art” (HTML) and “A Matter of Teamwork: A Discussion about Technical Studies and Art History (HTML)
Instructions: Please read these pages in their entirety as an introduction to the development of Technical Art History and its present practice.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The National Gallery’s Close Examination: Revealing the Stories behind the Paintings: “Fakes,” “Mistakes,” “Discoveries,” “Secrets,” “Being Botticelli,” and “Redemption”
Link: The National Gallery’s Close Examination: Revealing the Stories behind the Paintings: “Fakes,” “Mistakes,” “Discoveries,” “Secrets,” “Being Botticelli,” and “Redemption”
Note: All websites are in HTML format.
Instructions: Click on the links and choose one painting from each. Read the accompanying text to learn how connoisseurship and scientific analysis have changed how we look at and what we know about different paintings.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunes U: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Marco Leona’s “Lecture 1: The Department of Scientific Research”
Link: iTunes U: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Marco Leona’s “Lecture 1: The Department of Scientific Research” (iTunes U)
Instructions: Please watch the entire lecture (50:27 minutes) for an overview of the different scientific techniques that can be used to contribute to the study, preservation, and conservation of artworks.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Getty Conservation Institute’s “From Connoisseurship to Technical Art History: The Evolution of the Interdisciplinary Study of Art” and “A Matter of Teamwork: A Discussion about Technical Studies and Art History”
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Unit 4: Icon, Iconography, and Iconology
This unit examines the art historical methodology of iconography and its foremost practitioner and theorist, Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968). Iconography focuses on the themes and ideas found in artworks in order to interpret them as symbolic expressions of the culture that created them. After completing this unit, you will be able to explain the basic elements of iconographical analysis and write an iconographical analysis of an artwork.
Unit 4 Time Advisory show close
Unit 4 Learning Outcomes show close
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Iconography and Iconology"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Wikipedia’s “Iconography” and “Erwin Panofsky”
Links: Wikipedia’s “Iconography” (PDF) and “Erwin Panofsky” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read these pages as an introduction to the study of iconography and the works of the art historian Erwin Panofsky.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original Wikipedia version of these articles here and here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: MNEMOSYN’s “Jack van Eyck: The “Arnolfini” Portrait” and “Edwin Hall: The Arnolfini Betrothal”
Links: MNEMOSYN’s “Jack van Eyck: The “Arnolfini” Portrait” (HTML) and “Edwin Hall: The Arnolfini Betrothal” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read these pages that provide an overview of Erwin Panofsky’s original reading of the Arnolfini Portrait and Edwin Hall’s later reinterpretation.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Iconclass’s “What Is Iconclass” and “History of Iconclass”
Links: Iconclass’s “What Is Iconclass” (HTML) and “History of Iconclass” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the webpages in their entirety as an introduction to the Iconclass subject-specific classification system. When you are done, make sure to try out the Iconclass 2100 Browser (HTML) by choosing one of the topics located on the left hand side of the webpage and exploring the different subheadings that appear when you click on the link.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Iconographic Analysis”
Link: Marjorie Munsterberg's "Writing about Art: Iconographic Analysis" (PDF)
Also available in: Paperback $10
Instructions: Please read the page as an overview of how to write an iconographical analysis of a work of art.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original form here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: Writing an Iconographic Analysis: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database
Link: Writing an Iconographic Analysis: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Collection Database (HTML)
Instructions: Write a two to three page iconographic analysis comparing the artist’s treatment of the subject matter in the following paintings: Cigoli (1991.7)’s and Andrea Mantegna (32.130.2)’s “Adoration of the Shepherds.” First, view these paintings in the Collection Database of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then, if you are not familiar with their subject matter, do a small amount of research regarding what is depicted. In your analysis, make sure to discuss how the viewer is drawn to essential iconographic elements in each artwork. Remember to organize your analysis around several paragraphs that have topic sentences and correct grammar and spelling. After you are finished, please visit Marjorie Munsterberg’s Writing About Art: “APPENDIX III: Sample Student Papers (Visual Descriptions)” (PDF) to look at examples of student’s visual descriptions of these artworks. Note that these students wrote several drafts and the teacher’s comments on these drafts are also included on this page.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original from here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Iconography and Iconology"
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Unit 5: Psychoanalysis
This unit explores the use of psychoanalytic concepts in art historical scholarship. It begins by examining Freud and how some of his concepts—including his ideas of consciousness, the unconsciousness, and Object Relations Theory—be used to analyze artworks. It then turns to the Lacanian concepts of “the gaze” and “object petit a,” which art historians have used in their analyses. After completing this unit, you will be able to explain the major elements of psychoanalysis and how this methodology can be used to analyze a work of art.
Unit 5 Time Advisory show close
Unit 5 Learning Outcomes show close
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Psychoanalysis"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Psychoanalysis"
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5.1 Freud and the Unconsciousness and Object Relations Theory
- Reading: Sweet Briar College: Amanda Switzenberg’s “The Methodologies of Art History”
Link: Sweet Briar College: Amanda Switzenberg’s “The Methodologies of Art History” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the text from “Psychoanalysis is a complex methodology…” to “Introductory Chapter of ‘After the End of Art.’”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Kaitlin Pomerantz’s “Unconscious, Conscious”
Link: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Kaitlin Pomerantz’s “Unconscious, Conscious” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction Freud’s concept of the unconscious and its relationship with the art world and art history.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Psychology Department at Sonoma State University: Victor Daniel’s “Object Relations Theory”
Link: The Psychology Department at Sonoma State University: Victor Daniel’s “Object Relations Theory” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the sections: “Overview,” “Central Concepts,” “Melanie Klein,” “Ronald Dodge Fairbairn,” and “D.W. Winnicott” for an overview of the main theoretical developments in Objects Relations Theory. Aspects of this theory have been used to analyze art.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: YouTube: NGATION’s “Psychoanalysis and Art”
Link: NGATION’s “Psychoanalysis and Art” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please watch this short video (1:30 minutes). It explains D. W. Winicott’s theory of Transitional Objects and how it relates to art.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Academy for the Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts: James Elkins’s “The Failed and the Inadvertent: Art History and the Concept of the Unconscious”
Link: Academy for the Study of the Psychoanalytic Arts: James Elkins’s “The Failed and the Inadvertent: Art History and the Concept of the Unconscious” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety for an in-depth analysis of Freudian concept of the unconscious, Freud’s readings of various artworks, and a critique of how the unconscious has been and can be used by art historians.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: The Saylor Foundation’s Critical Summary of James Elkins’s “The Failed and the Inadvertent: Art History and the Concept of the Unconscious” and “Guide to the Critical Summary of James Elkins”
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Sweet Briar College: Amanda Switzenberg’s “The Methodologies of Art History”
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5.2 Lacan and “the Gaze”
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Phil Lee’s “Eye and Gaze” and Kristi McGuire’s “Object petit a”
Links: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Phil Lee’s “Eye and Gaze” (HTML) and Kristi McGuire’s “Object petit a” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read these pages as an introduction to the concept of the “the gaze,” a psychoanalytical tool popularized by Jacques Lacan and his conception of “object petit a.” Many scholars have adopted and adapted this concept in art history and other disciplines, particularly Feminist art historians.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage aboveSee a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Dr. Allen Faber’s “The Changing Concepts of the Gaze”
Link: Dr. Allen Faber’s “The Changing Concepts of the Gaze” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the above page that includes excerpts from Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright,Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture (Oxford, 2001), to get an idea of how Lacan’s ideas have been used to interpret films, art, and contemporary visual culture.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Phil Lee’s “Eye and Gaze” and Kristi McGuire’s “Object petit a”
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Unit 6: Historical, Cultural, and Social Analysis
In the middle to late twentieth century, many art historians have focused on the historical, social, economic, and cultural context in which art is made. Within these frameworks, three major methodologies emerged that have also been espoused by scholars working in other disciplines: Marxism, Feminism, and post-colonialism. After completing this unit, you will be able to explain the major elements of these methodologies and how Marxism, Feminism, and post-colonialism can be used to analyze art.
Unit 6 Time Advisory show close
Unit 6 Learning Outcomes show close
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6.1 Introduction to Historical, Cultural, and Social Methodologies
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Historical Analysis”
Link: Marjorie Munsterberg's "Writing about Art: Historical Analysis" (PDF)
Also available in: Paperback $10
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the many different aspects of historical analysis.
Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the kind permission of Marjorie Munsterberg, and can be viewed in its original form here. Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the copyright holder.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Marjorie Munsterberg’s “Writing about Art: Historical Analysis”
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6.2 Marxism and the Social History of Art
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Marxist Art History and the Social History of Art"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Marxist Art History and the Social History of Art"
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6.2.1 Marxist Art History
- Reading: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Marxism, Art, and the Artist”
Link: arthistorystuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette's "Marxism, Art, and the Artist" (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to orthodox Marxist views of art and the artist.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Michael Czolacz’s “Ideology” and JeeHee Hong’s “Material, Materiality”
Link: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Michael Czolacz’s “Ideology” (HTML) and JeeHee Hong’s “Material, Materiality” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the first page (“Ideology”) as an introduction to the Marxist conception of ideology and its relationship to art production and media theory; read the second (“Material, Materiality”) as an introduction to the idea of material and materiality and how they relate to Marxist art history and critique.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Clement Greenberg’s “Avant-Garde and Kitsch”
Link: Clement Greenberg’s “Avant-Garde and Kitsch” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this article by Marxist art critic Clement Greenberg (1909-1994) that was first published in 1939 in the “Partisan Review.” Note that Clement Greenberg was also a driving force behind the formalist movement during the mid-twentieth century (See subunit 2.3).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Art Story.org’s “Meyer Schapiro”
Link: The Art Story.org’s “Meyer Schapiro” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read this biography of Meyer Schapiro (1904-1996), one of the twentieth century’s foremost art historians. Schapiro adopted and adapted theories found in the writings of Hegel and Marx.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Marxism, Art, and the Artist”
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6.2.2 The Social History of Art
- Reading: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorenson’s “Clark, T[imothy] J[ames]”
Link: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorenson’s “Clark, T[imothy] J[ames]” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this short biography as an introduction to the life and works of the social art historian, T. J. Clark (b. 1943). For an analysis of arguments from T. J. Clark’s “Farewell to an Idea: Episodes from a History of Modernism,” see Unit 7. Art historians who are “social art historians” are varied and include Neo-Marxist as well as non-Marxist art historians. Social art historians reject the orthodox Marxist determinist account in which art is an element of the superstructure and therefore a reflection of its economic base. Both Neo-Marxist and non-Marxist art historians focus on the political and social beliefs behind art.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorenson’s “Clark, T[imothy] J[ames]”
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6.3 Feminism and Gender Theory
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Feminist Art History"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’s “Feminist Art”
Link: Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles’s “Feminist Art” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to the Feminist Art Movement, a movement that is closely related to the development of Feminist art history.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Sweet Briar College: Amanda Switzenberg’s “The Methodologies of Art History”
Link: Sweet Briar College: Amanda Switzenberg’s “The Methodologies of Art History” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the text from “Feminism has been one of the most effective methodologies practiced…” to “Psychoanalysis is a complex methodology.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorensen’s “Linda Nochlin n?e Weinberg”
Link: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorensen’s “Linda Nochlin n?e Weinberg” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this short biography of the feminist art historian Linda Nochlin (b. 1931) before reading excerpts from her most famous book, “Women, Art, and Power and Other Essays.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Baker University: Anne Daugherty’s version of Linda Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?”
Link: MiraCosta College: Anne Daugherty’s version of Linda Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” (HTML)
Instruction: Please read Linda Nochlin’s seminal article in its entirety.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: The Saylor Foundation’s Critical Summary of Linda Nochlin’s “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” and “Guide to the Critical Summary of Linda Nicholin”
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorensen’s “Griselda Pollock”
Link: Dictionary of Art Historians: Lee Sorensen’s “Griselda Pollock” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this short biography of the feminist art historian Griselda Pollock (b. 1949) before reading excerpts from her work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: SUNY College at Oneonta: Dr. Allen Farber’s version of Griselda Pollock’s “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity”
Link: SUNY College at Oneonta: Dr. Allen Farber’s version of Griselda Pollock’s “Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read these excerpts in their entirety from Griselda Pollock’s "Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity.” They come from “Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism, and the Histories of Art,” published in 1988.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Feminist Art History"
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6.4 Postcolonialism
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Postcolonialism"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Lehigh University: Amardeep Singh’s “An Introduction to Edward Said, Orientalism, and Postcolonial Literary Studies”
Link: Lehigh University: Amardeep Singh’s “An Introduction to Edward Said, Orientalism, and Postcolonial Literary Studies” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this blog webpage as an introduction to Postcolonial Studies and the works of one of its most influential theoreticians, Edward Said (1935-2003).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History’s “Orientalism in Nineteenth-Century Art”
Link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History’s “Orientalism in Nineteenth-Century Art” (HTML)
Instructions: Read this text as an overview of the type of imagery Linda Nochlin critiqued in “The Imaginary Orient.” After you have read the text, click on “View Sideshow” and view some examples of art with orientalist themes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click on each individual image and read the accompanying text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage aboveSee a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Getty: The Iris Views from the City: Susan Edwards’s “Rethinking Orientalism, Again”
Link: The Getty: The Iris Views from the City: Susan Edwards’s “Rethinking Orientalism, Again” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this blog post discussing Linda Nochlin’s essay “The Imaginary Orient,” Jean-Léon Gérôme’s artwork, and the complicated reactions which they generate.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Postcolonialism"
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Unit 7: Semiotics
Semiotic theory originally developed in the field of linguistics and has been used by art historians to question the very system whereby meaning and interpretation is created. In contrast to the other methodologies you have studied so far, semiotic theory allows for many different interpretations of an artwork because it argues that meaning is created in the act of viewing. After completing this unit, you will be able to explain the major elements of semiotic theory and how they can be used to analyze works of art.
Unit 7 Time Advisory show close
Unit 7 Learning Outcomes show close
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Semiotics"
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: Columbia University: Sonja Drimmer’s “Saussure: An Introduction”
Link: Columbia University: Sonja Drimmer’s “Saussure: An Introduction” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read through all eleven pages on this website. It provides an introduction to Ferdinand de Saussure’s concept of the sign by clicking on the arrows on the upper right hand corner.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Hua-Ling Linda Chang’s “Semiotics”
Link: The University of Chicago: Theories of Media: Keyword Glossary: Hua-Ling Linda Chang’s “Semiotics” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this introduction to the field of semiotics in its entirety.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia’s “Art History: Barthes and Semiotics”
Link: Wikipedia’s “Art History: Barthes and Semiotics” (PDF)
Instructions: Please scroll down and read this short overview of how semiotics has been used by various art historians.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original Wikipedia version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: University of Chicago: Kristan Hanson’s “Annotations on Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson’s ‘Semiotics and Art History’”
Link: University of Chicago: Kristan Hanson’s “Annotations on Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson's 'Semiotics and Art History'” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this overview as an introduction to Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson’s "Semiotics and Art History," a detailed and multifaceted article which discusses the possibilities that semiotics offers as a methodology to art historians.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: University of Glasgow: Journal of Art Historiography: Raymond Spiteri’s “A Farewell to Modernism? Re-reading T.J. Clark’”
Link: University of Glasgow: Journal of Art Historiography: Raymond Spiteri’s “A Farewell to Modernism? Re-reading T.J. Clark” (PDF)
Instructions: Please scroll down the webpage (about ¾ length), select this article by clicking on the “3-RS/1” following the article’s title, and read the article in its entirety. This text discusses the T. J. Clark’s interpretive strategies in sections of “Farewell to an Idea: Episodes from a History of Modernism” and many of the methodologies and theorists you have studied in this class.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: The Saylor Foundation’s Short Answer Questions: Raymond Spiteri’s “A Farewell to Modernism? Re-reading T.J. Clark’” and “Guide to Short Answer Questions: Raymond Spiteri”
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Lecture: The Saylor Foundation's "Semiotics"
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Unit 8: Art in the Museum
This unit focuses on the development of the modern art museum and the issues related to the display and interpretation of objects in this context. After completing this unit, you will be able to outline the history of the modern art museum and explain the issues present in displaying works of art in this context.
Unit 8 Time Advisory show close
Unit 8 Learning Outcomes show close
- Reading: NPR: Bob Mondello’s “A History Of Museums, 'The Memory Of Mankind'”
Link: NPR: Bob Mondello's "A History of Museums, 'The Memory of Mankind'" (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page about the history of museums in the United States and their place in the contemporary world.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: National Gallery of Art, Washington’s “Mission Statement”
Link: National Gallery of Art, Washington’s “Mission Statement” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the mission statement of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC to get an idea of how contemporary art museums define their work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: David Gordon’s “The Art Museum”
Link: David Gordon’s “The Art Museum” (PDF)
Instructions: Select this article by clicking on the hyperlink “The Art Museum,” and then read this article that discusses the historical development of the art museum as an institution and some of the challenges art museums face today in its entirety (10 pages).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: University of Glasgow: The Journal of Art Historiography: Matthew Martin’s “Relics of another Age: Art History, the ‘Decorative Arts,’ and the Museum’”
Link: University of Glasgow: The Journal of Art Historiography: Matthew Martin’s “Relics of another Age: Art History, the 'Decorative Arts,' and the Museum” (PDF)
Instructions: Please scroll down the webpage (about ¾ length), select this article by clicking on “3-MM/1” that appears directly after the article’s title, and read this article about historiography of the category “decorative arts” and how it relates to the display strategies of art museums in its entirety (9 pages).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Activity: The Saylor Foundation’s Critical Summary of Matthew Martin’s “Relics of another Age: Art History, the ‘Decorative Arts,’ and the Museum’” and “Guide to the Critical Summary of Matthew Martin”
The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: NPR: Bob Mondello’s “A History Of Museums, 'The Memory Of Mankind'”
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Final Exam
- Final Exam: Saylor Foundation's ARTH301 Final Exam
Link: Saylor Foundation's ARTH301 Final Exam
Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access this exam. If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Final Exam: Saylor Foundation's ARTH301 Final Exam
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Further Readings
The following readings are optional and included here for students who are interested in reading more examples or critical assessments of the methodologies examined in this course. You may want to check your local library for the availability of these books.
Antal, Frederick. “Florentine Painting and Its Social Background.” London: Kegan Paul, 1948.
About the Text: This book is a classic work of Marxist art history that links stylistic changes to economic structures and class relations.
Clark, T. J. “Image of the People: Gustave Courbet and the 1848 Revolution.” London: Thames and Hudson, 1999.
About the Text: This book includes Clark’s seminal work, “On the Social History of Art,” as its introduction.
Clifford, James. “The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth Century Ethnography, Literature, and Art.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1988.
About the Text: This book is a collection of essays, including Clifford’s Postcolonial critique, “Histories of the Tribal and Modern,” of the Museum of Modern Art’s 1984 exhibit, “Primitivism.”
Coombes, Annie. “Reinventing Africa: Museums, Material Culture, and the Popular Imagination.” New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1994.
About the Text: This book is a Postcolonial critique of museum culture in nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century England.
Fer, Biony. “On Abstract Art.” New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1998.
About the Text: This book uses the theories of Freud and Lacan to interpret non-representational art.
Gombrich, Ernest H. “Art and Illusion: A Study of the Psychology of Pictorial Representation.” London: Princeton University Press, 1960.
About the Text: This book provides a criticism of early Formalists.
Gombrich, Ernest H. “In Search of Cultural History.” Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1969.
About the Text: This book provides an in-depth account of the influence of Hegel on later art historians.
Krauss, Rosalind. “The Originality of the Avant-Garde and Other Modernist Myths.” Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1985.
About the Text: This book contains a collection of essays that include “In the Name of Picasso” and “Notes on the Index” both of which employ semiotic theory.
Panofsky, Erwin. “Meaning in the Visual Arts.” Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1970 [1955].
About the Text: This book is a collection of some of Panofsky’s most famous essays and also contains an outline of his method.
Pollock, Griselda. “Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art.” London: Routledge, 1988.
About the Text: This book is an important collection of feminist articles that include “Vision, Voice, and Power” that discusses the relationship between Marxist and Feminist art historical analysis and “Woman as Sign: Psychoanalytic Readings.”
Podro, Michael. “The Critical Art Historians of Art.” New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1982.
About the Text: This book provides concise and probing critical accounts of the methodologies covered in this course.
