Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
In order to take this course, you must:
√ Have access to a computer
√ Have continuous broadband internet access
√ Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (Adobe Reader)
√ Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc)
√ Be competent in the English language
√ Have read the Saylor Student Handbook
√ Have completed ARTH111: Introduction to Western Art History: Proto-Renaissance to Contemporary ArtCourse Information: Welcome to ARTH209. Below, please find some general information on the course and its requirements.
Course Designer: Anahit Ter-Stepanian, Ph.D.
Primary Resources: The course is based on a wide range of resources, including podcasts from arthistoryunstaffed.com, articles on topics of modern art from the Museum of Modern Art website and World Wide Art Resources, and museum materials on specific exhibits.
Requirements for Completion: To pass this course you will need to have a score of 70% or higher for the Final exam. You will also have to take the tests for each of the eight units:
Time Commitment: You will need 128 hours to complete the course.
Tips/Suggestions: Please read all assigned materials and take notes. All end-of-unit quizzes and the Final exam are based on the information included in posted materials.
This unit presents a brief summary of major developments that occurred during the last three decades of the 19th century and paved the way for twentieth-century modernist art. In this unit, we will try to understand the concept of Modernism in art. Art historians argue about how far back in history we see the origins of twentieth-century art. Some suggest going as far as the French Revolution of 1789, others view the 1855 Paris exhibition as the pivotal turn to modern themes, yet others consider the 1863 Salon des Refuses the beginning of the major development in the direction of modernism; however, it is undisputable that the year 1874 marked one of the most decisive turns in the history of Western art with the emergence of Impressionist movement, which we will adapt as a starting point in our discourse of modern art in this course. Then, we will explore the art of Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. After that, we will focus on modernist trends that emerged during the last decade of the nineteenth century, such as Art Nouveau art and architecture.
Unit 1 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 1.1: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 1.2: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 1.3: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 1.4: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 1.5: 3 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: Smarthistory: Dr. Parme Giuntini’s “Becoming Modern” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page in its entirety as an introduction to the meaning of “modern” for art and culture and changes in the eighteenth and nineteenth century (political, social, economic, scientific, and moral) that helped shape the modern world.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast Episode 1: What Is ‘Modern’?” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button and listen to the entire podcast (8:07 minutes). It discusses what defines the meaning of “modern” for art and culture, the changes in the society (industrial, political, scientific, and moral) in the 18th and 19th centuries that helped shape the modern world.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Links: Sweet Briar College: Professor Christopher L.C. E. Witcombe’s “Roots of Modernism” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the first 5-6 paragraphs of this essay as an introduction to the notion of artistic Modernism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: SmartHistory: Beth Gersh-Nesic’s “Impressionism” (HTML)
Instructions: Read this brief essay as an introduction to Impressionism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Margaret Samu’s “Impressionism: Art and Modernity” (HTML)
Instructions: Read this essay for additional information about artists of the Impressionist movement.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: YouTube: “Art History in a Hurry–Monet” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch this short film (2:37 minutes) on Claude Monet.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Post-Impressionism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Post-Impressionism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying texts. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin on the right side of the page and read about each of these preeminent Post-Impressionist painters.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 36 Painting 2: Manet to Post-Impressionism” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button, and listen to the entire podcast (12:45 minutes). It discusses the changes in painting technique from Manet to Post-Impressionists due to many factors, such as advances in pigment production, change of the tastes in late 19th-century Europe, change in the artist-dealer relationship. To appreciate this podcast to the fullest, please first review the other materials in this subunit.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Art Nouveau” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Art Nouveau. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying texts. Finally, choose three artists from the right side of the page and click on “Detail View” to learn more about their lives and works.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Antoni Gaudí” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read this Wiki article as a brief summary of Gaudi’s architectural works.
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).
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 1 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 1 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
In this unit, we will explore the art of the first decade of the twentieth century. Two artists shaped the early twentieth-century painting, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. We will start this unit with the discussion of Fauvism and the works of Henri Matisse. Then, we will study the art of two German avant-garde groups, Die Brucke and Der Blaue Reiter, which are known as German Expressionists. Finally, we will explore Cubism, the most influential style of the early twentieth century, developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque. The sources of Cubism are found in African masks and in Paul Cezanne’s breaking down the form into cubes, cones, and spheres. Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon of 1907 with its spatial revolution paved the way for a new way of seeing and representing objects. Cubism went through two stages, Analytic (1908-1912) and Synthetic (1912-1914, with some responses lasting until 1919). Cubism had an enormous impact on avant-garde artists.
Unit 2 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 14 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 2.1: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 2.2: 5 hours
☐ Subunit 2.3: 5 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: The Art Story’s “Fauvism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Fauvism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying texts.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Links: Smarthistory’s “Fauvism & Matisse's Bonheur de vivre” and “Matisse’s The Red Studio” (HTML and Flash Video)
Instructions: Read both of these pages as an introduction to Henri Matisse and his famous paintings, Bonheur de vivre and The Red Studio. When you are finished reading “Matisse’s The Red Studio,” watch the accompanying video in its entirety (9:10 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Expressionism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Expressionism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying texts. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Paul Kleeon the right side of the page and read about each of these Expressionist artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Expressionism & Kirchner's Street, Dresden” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Street, Dresden in its entirety (9:55 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Cubism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Cubism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying texts. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Pablo Picasso and Georges Braqueon the right side of the page and read about each of these Cubist artists. This reading covers materials for subunits 2.3.2–2.3.4
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: Denise Murrell’s “African Influences in Modern Art” (HTML)
Instructions: Read this essay about the influence of African art on Picasso’s art and Cubism in general. Click on the thumbnails at the top of the webpage, and read description for each work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Links: www.mariabuszek.com: Guillaume Apollinaire’s “On the Subject of Modern Painting” (PDF)
Instructions: Please click on the link “ApolPtg.pdf” hyperlink to read the document.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 2.3. Please focus on the text beneath the heading, “Picasso, Braque and Analytic Cubism.”
Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 2.3. Please focus on the text beneath the heading “Synthetic Cubsim.”
Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 2.3. Please focus on the page about Picasso that appears after you have clicked on “Detail View” underneath the artist’s name.
Links: Smarthistory’s “Cubism & Picasso’s Still Life with Chair Caning” (HTML) and “Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (HTML)
Instructions: Read both pages and watch the accompanying videos in their entirety to learn about Pablo Picasso and his two famous works, Still Life with Chair Caning and Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (Still Life video: 13:36 minutes; Les Demoiselles video: 7:44 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpages above.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 2 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 2 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
In this unit, we will explore the further development of modernist art in 1910s. We will start with Futurism, a radical avant-garde movement which emerged in Milan, Italy in 1909. Then, we will discuss the art of two Russian artists, Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich. Both were pioneers of abstraction, although approached it from two very different angles, Kandinsky – from Impressionist painterly style and Fauvist interest in color and freedom of expression, Malevich – from Cubistic fragmentation of form and geometrization. Then, we will view European responses to Malevich’s Suprematism in the works of a group of Dutch Modernists who formed the De Stijl group in 1917.
Unit 3 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 3.1: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 3.2: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 3.3: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 3.4: 4 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: The Art Story’s “Futurism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Futurism. Make sure under “Beginnings” to click on “More” to read the entire text. Then click on each of the images under “Major Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Umberto Boccioni on the right side of the page and read about this artist associated with Futurism. Make sure under “Artist Biography” to click on “More” and read the entire text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Three Futurists:Balla, Severini and Boccioni” (HTML)
Instructions: Please watch this video that discusses Giacoma Balla’s Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, Gino Severini’s Dynamic Hieroglyph of the Bal Tabarin, and Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, in its entirety (11:25 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Wassily Kandinsky” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the entire page as an introduction to the life and works of Wassily Kandinsky. Then click on each of the images under “Major Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Kandinsky’s Composition VII” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video, which discusses Wassily Kandinsky’s Composition VII, in its entirety (11:20 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Suprematism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Suprematism. Then click on each of the images under “Artworks” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Kazimir Malevich on the right side of the page and read in its entirety the text about this Russian artist who invented Suprematism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Suprematism: Malevich's White on White” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video, which discusses Kazimir Malevich’s White on White,in its entirety (8:30 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Link: Wikipedia: “De Stijl” (PDF)
Instructions: Read this essay as a summary of De Stijl’s creative work.
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).
Link: Smarthistory’s “De Stijl: Mondrian's Composition No. II, with Red and Blue” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video, which discusses Piet Mondrian’s Composition No. II, with Red and Blue, in its entirety (6:02 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 3 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 3 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
In this unit, we will explore the major developments between 1917 and 1930. First, we will discuss the art of Dadaists, a group of likely minded artists and intellectuals who expressed their protest against atrocities of WWI through their nihilist approach. Dada art is not a style but is rather an “anti-art” philosophy. Then, we will take a look at Russian Constructivism, another movement of rejection of traditional art, an attempt to fuse art with life. Finally, we will discuss Surrealism, its sources and main contributors.
Unit 4 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 4.1: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 4.2: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 4.3: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 4.4: 4 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: The Art Story’s “Dada” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Dada. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Marcel Duchamp” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the entire page as an introduction to the life and works of Marcel Duchamp. Under “Artist’s Biography” make sure to click on “More” to read the entire text. Then click on each of the images under “Major Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Dada Duchamp and the Ready-Mades” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video, which discusses Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), Bicycle Wheel, In Advance of a Broken Arm, and Fountain,in its entirety (10:12 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Constructivism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Constructivism. Then click on each of the images under “Art Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenkoon the right side of the page and read about these two Constructivist artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Philadelphia Museum of Art: El Lissitzky’s “Proun 2” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Press the Start button “Audio Stop 412” to hear a short discussion of Lissitzky’s work. Also, read the text on the webpage for more information on the work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: YouTube: Copernicussun’s “Alexander Rodchenko and the Russian Avant-Garde” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch the film on Alexander Rodchenko, one of the main contributors to Constructivist art, in its entirety (8:34 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Surrealism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Surrealism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under André Breton, Rene Magritte, and Salvador Dalí on the right side of the page and read about three Surrealist artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Magritte’s The Treachery of Images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe)” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch this video, which discusses Henri Magritte’s The Treachery of Images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe), in its entirety (3:41 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Dali’s Metamorphosis of Narcissus” (Flash Video)
Instructions: First read the short text on this page and then watch this video, which discusses Salvador Dalí’s Metamorphosis of Narcissus, in its entirety (4:08 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 4 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 4 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
Architecture went through a major transformation in the beginning of the twentieth century. Modernist architects preached rejection of ornamentation and historicism. In this unit, we will explore the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, the most pivotal figure in American architecture. Then, we will discuss European modernists Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius, and Mies van der Rohe. We will take a look at Bauhaus, Germany’s innovative architectural and design school.
Unit 5 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 5.1: 5 hours
☐ Subunit 5.2: 5 hours
☐ Subunit 5.3: 5 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: The Department of American Decorative Arts’ “Frank Lloyd Wright” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article on Frank Lloyd Wright. Click on the thumbnails at the top of the webpage, and read the description for each of Wright’s works.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Frank Lloyd Wright” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article to familiarize with the architect’s works.
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).
Link: Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation: “Wright’s Life + Work” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article to familiarize with the architect’s life and work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: YouTube: Excerpts from CBS’s documentary “Frank Lloyd Wright” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch the footage (about 6 minutes) in which Frank Lloyd Wright explains his vision of architecture, the concept of organic architecture, and the concept of natural architecture.
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.
Link: MOMA: Bauhaus Workshops for Modernity: “Explore Bauhaus” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Explore Bauhaus by reviewing the designs created at three locations of the school. Click on the Weimar, Dessau, and Berlin links to see examples of graphic design, architectural sketches, furniture design, utilitarian objects created by Bauhaus members. Also, click on “Kandinsky Questionnaire” on the menu bar, and then click on “Begin Questionnaire” for a fun way to learn about Kandinsky’s thoughts on the relationship between color and shape.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: www.mariabuszek.com: Walter Gropius’s “The Theory and Organization of Bauhaus” (PDF)
Instructions: Click on the link “GropiusBau.pdf,” and read the document in its entirety.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Link: Wikipedia: “Le Corbusier” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the Wiki article to familiarize with the architect’s works.
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).
Link: YouTube: “Le Corbusier’s Villa Savyoe” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch the footage on Villa Savoye’s interiors and exterior in its entirety (4:16 minutes). Built in 1928, the villa is considered the finest manifestation of Le Corbusier’s ideas on Modernist architecture.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: www.mariabuszek.com: Excerpts from Le Corbusier’s “Towards a New Architecture” (PDF)
Instructions: Click on the link “LeCorbuNewArch.pdf” hyperlink, and read the document.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on this webpage.
Link: Wikipedia: “Mies van der Rohe” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article to familiarize with the architect’s works.
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).
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 5 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 5 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
In this unit, we will explore the emergence of Modernism in the United States. Americans were introduced to Modernism only in 1913, when The Armory Show in New York presented a collection of European modernist artists’ work. The political turmoil in Western Europe of 1930s forced many of the leading modernist artists to find refuge in the United States shifting the center of modernism to this country.
Unit 6 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 6.1: 6 hours
☐ Subunit 6.2: 2 hours
☐ Subunit 6.3: 6 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: University of Virginia: Shelly Staples’ “The Armory Show” (HTML)
Instructions: Click on the poster image to enter the main site, read the introduction and click on the images at the bottom of the page.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 40: Painting 6: Art in New York” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button, and listen to the entire podcast (15:50 minutes). This podcast presents the developments in the art landscape in United States, discusses the developments in the United States since the arrival of European modernists to the establishment of Abstract Expressionism after World War II, and explains Clement Greenberg’s role in the artistic evolution in New York City. Dr. Willette also discusses gesture artists and color field artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Abstract Expressionism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Abstract Expressionism. Make sure under “Beginnings” to click on “More” to read the entire text. Then click on each of the images under “Major Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Jackson Pollack, Willem De Kooning, Mark Rothko, and Franz Kline on the right side of the page and read about these Abstract Expressionist artists.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on these webpages above.
Links: Smarthistory’s “Abstract Expressionism Pollock's One: Number 31, 1950,” Mark “Rothko’s No. 3/No. 13,” “Newman’s Onement I,” and “de Kooning’s Woman I” (Flash Videos)
Instructions: Please watch these videos, which discuss Jackson Pollock’s One: Number 31, 1950, Mark Rothko’s No.3/No. 13, Barnett Newman’s Onement I, and Willem de Kooning’s Women I, in their entirety (Pollock: 7:35 minutes; Rothko: 4:23 minutes; Newman: 4:53 minutes; and de Koonig: 3:40 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on these webpages above.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 6 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 6 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
In this unit, we will discuss the art movements and trends that appeared a reaction against the nonfigurative and abstract art. First, we will explore Pop Art with its imagery of return to the object, philosophy of commercialization of art, and praise of consumerism. Then, we will focus on Land Art and installations. At the end of the unit, we will explore Conceptual art and some examples of Photorealism.
Unit 7 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 36 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 7.1: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.2: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.3: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 7.4: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 7.5: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.6: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.7: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.8: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.9: 3 hours
☐ Subunit 7.10: 4 hours
☐ Subunit 7.11: 3 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: The Art Story’s “Pop Art” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Pop Art. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol on the right side of the page and read about these Pop artists. For Andy Warhol, under “Artist Biography,” make sure to click on “More” to read the entire text. This reading also covers materials for subunits 7.2 and 7.3
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 43 Painting 9: Pop Art” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button, and listen to the entire podcast (10:30 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 7.1. Please focus on the page about Andy Warhol that appears after you have clicked on “Detail View” beneath the artist’s name.
Link: arthistoryunstuffed.com: Dr. Jeanne S. M. Willette’s “Podcast 44 Painting 10: Andy Warhol” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Click on the red play button, and listen to the entire podcast (14:30 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Philadelphia Museum of Art: Andy Warhol’s “Camouflage Self-Portrait” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Press the Start button “Audio Stop 435” to hear a short discussion of Warhol’s work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath subunit 7.1. Please focus on the page about Roy Lichtenstein that appears after you have clicked on “Detail View” beneath the artist’s name.
Link: YouTube: DukeLibDigitalColl’s “Inside New York’s Art World: Lichtenstein and Castelli” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch the interview (about 41 minutes) with Roy Lichtenstein, where he explains his technique of Ben Day dots and answers questions about his life, career, and work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Museum of Modern Art: Barbara Haskell’s “Claes Oldenburg” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article as a summary of Oldenburg’s life and creative work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “George Segal” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article as a summary of George Segal’s life and creative work.
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).
Link: Miami Art Museum: “George Segal” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article about George Segal’s sculpture acquired by the museum.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Minimalism” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Minimalism. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Donald Judd, Frank Stella, and Carl Andre on the right side of the page and read about these Minimalist artists. For Carl Andre, under “Artist Biography,” make sure to click on “More” to read the entire text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
pect the copyright and terms of use displayed on these webpages above.
Link: Smarthistory’s “Donald Judd’s Untitled” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Watch this video about Donald Judd’s Untitled in its entirety (4:47 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Joseph Beuys” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page about the life and works of Joseph Bueys. Under “Artist Biography,” make sure to click on “More” to read the entire text. Then click on each of the images under “Major Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: YouTube: “Joseph Beuys with Coyote” (YouTube)
Instructions: In 1974, Beuys performed one of his most famous action sculptures “I Like America and America Likes Me” in New York. Watch this short 3-minute film on that performance.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Installation Art” (PDF)
Instructions: Read this Wiki article as a summary of Installation art.
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).
Link: Goethe Institute: Nicole Fritz: "Dossier: Site-specific Installations in Germany" (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this entire article. In the article, the author tries to explain the meaning of installation art.
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Link: Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage: “Preservation and Presentation of Installation Art” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the introduction after “Welcome,” and then click on “artists” and “artworks” from the menu at the top of the webpage for a list of artists and artworks. Browse each section by clicking on individual artists’ or artworks’ names to see examples of installation art. Each installation is accompanied by a photo and a brief annotation.
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Link: Wikipedia: “Land Art” (PDF)
Instructions: Read this Wiki article as a summary of Land art.
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).
Link: DaringDesigns.com’s “Monumental Land Art” (HTML)
Instructions: The page contains information about the major land art works with a brief description and link to the satellite image as well as links to official sites. Read the introductory information on the webpage, then read the descriptions for each work, and click on the “Satellite Image” hyperlink to gain an understanding of the scale of these sites.
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Link: The Art Newspaper: Helen Stoilas’s “Land Art: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow?” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article about the issues associated with land art projects, problems of their preservation.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: YouTube: LXTV’s “The Artists behind The Gates in New York” (YouTube)
Instructions: Watch the interview (about 15 minutes) with the artists, where they explain the path they took to arrive at the idea of wrapping buildings, changing the appearance of cities and natural sites. Two artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed a unique approach to shaping the environment.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Art Story’s “Conceptual Art” (HTML)
Instructions: First read over the entire page as an introduction to Conceptual Art. Then click on each of the images under “Groundbreaking Works” at the top of the page and read the accompanying text. Finally, click on “Detail View” under Sol LeWitt on the right side of the page and read about this artist who played a leading role in the Conceptual movement. Make sure under “Artist Biography” to click on “More” to read the entire text.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Photorealism” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article as a summary of Photorealism.
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).
Link: ArtLex: Art Dictionary: “Photo-Realism” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article and study the examples included in the article. Click on the title of individual artworks to see brief information about the artist and work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Louis K. Meisei Gallery: “The Photorealists” (HTML)
Instructions: Louis K’ Meisei Gallery in New York is the leading gallery in New York in Photorealist art. Click on the individual artists’ names to view examples of their work.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 7 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 7 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
After WWII, a number of architectural styles emerged. We will first discuss Brutalism, the last modernist trend in the twentieth-century architecture. In 1955, Le Corbusier saw completion of one of his most innovative design ideas – the Norte Dame du Haut church in Ronchamp, France. The building is considered the icon of Brutalism, a style that found responses in the United States as well. Brutalism is characterized by the use of textured concrete surfaces. Then, we will explore Post-Modern architecture, which became a reaction against Modernist minimalism and rejection of historicism. At the end, we will study Deconstructivism, a style which displays distorted geometrical shapes, bold use of color, non-traditional building materials, curvilinear displaced forms, and dynamic facades.
Unit 8 Time AdvisoryThis unit will take approximately 15 hours to complete.
☐ Subunit 8.1: 5 hours
☐ Subunit 8.2: 5 hours
☐ Subunit 8.3: 5 hours
Upon successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to:
Link: Wikipedia: “Brutalist Architecture” (PDF)
Instructions: Read this Wiki article as an introduction to Brutalist architecture.
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).
Link: The Independent: Jay Merrick’s “Battle to Save Britain’s Brutalist Buildings from the Bulldozer” (HTML)
Instructions: Read The Independent’s architecture correspondent’s article about present-day issues associated with Brutalist architecture.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Georgetown University: Martin Irvine’s “Postmodernity vs. the Postmodern vs. Postmodernism” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read this page as an introduction to Postmodernism.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Victoria and Albert Museum’s “Postmodernism at the V&A” (Flash Video)
Instructions: Please watch the video about Postmodernism in its entirety (12:17 minutes).
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Architecture Week: Brian Libby’s “Reevaluating Postmodernism” (HTML)
Instructions: Read the article about Michael Graves’s Portland Public Services Building, one of the icons of postmodern architecture. Make sure to click on “Continue” at the bottom of the first webpage to read both pages of the article.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Piazza d’Italia” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article as an introduction to one of the finest examples of Postmodern architecture. Piazza d’Italia is considered the epitome of postmodern architecture. The architect (Charles Moore with collaboration with Perez Architects) uses references to classical architecture, color, symbols, and signs.
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).
Link: Wikipedia: “Deconstructivism” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article as a summary of Deconstructivist architecture.
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).
Link: Cruzine: Mykola Stepanyuk’s “Deconstructivism in Architecture – Metamorphosis of Reality” (HTML)
Instructions: Study the examples posted to the webpage. The webpage contains photos of some of the finest Deconstructivist structures.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Wikipedia: “Frank Gehry” (PDF)
Instructions: Read the article to familiarize with Frank Gehry’s finest designs, such as the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, or the Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic.
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).
Link: Arc Space: Christopher Knight’s essay "Full of Generosity" (HTML)
Instructions: Click on the hyperlink titled “Essay” in the table of contents on the left side of the webpage. Read the article about Frank Gehry’s architectural principles.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: Arc Space: Robert Ivy’s “Architectural Record Interview with Frank Gehry” (HTML)
Instructions: Click on the hyperlink titled “Architectural Record Interview” from the table of contents on the left side of the webpage. Then, read the article about Frank Gehry’s views on architecture.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 8 Quiz” (PDF)
Instructions: Please complete the linked quiz. When you are done, check your work against The Saylor Foundation’s “ARTH209 Unit 8 Quiz: Answer Key.” (PDF)
Link: The Saylor Foundation's ARTH209 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.