Art history is distinctive in its direct engagement with art
objects through visual analysis and historical study. We use
art objects to understand history and culture, and history
and culture to understand art objects. Students earning a
bachelor of arts in art history explore the varied roles of
artists, their art, and their patrons across diverse cultural
and historical contexts. In addition, they experience the
creative process of making art. Students gain a breadth of
knowledge spanning both Western and non-Western subfields
of the discipline. Art history majors develop skills in analyzing
images and texts that are applicable to a wide range of personal,
civic, and professional endeavors; they may also go on to
graduate work in art history and professional work in art-related
fields.
THE ART HISTORY MAJOR: Each student major is required to take
a minimum of ten courses according to the following guidelines.
1. Foundation (threetwo courses)
a. AH101
and 102AH100 Survey of Western Art
b. One studio art course of your choice
(note prerequisites where necessary)
2. Breadth (fourfive art history courses) Choose one course from each of the five areas:
Either take
AH221
and choose one course from four of the following five areas, or choose one course
from each of the five areas:
a. Ancient and Medieval Art in the
West: AH222,
223,
232,
233,
330
b.Renaissance and Baroque Art in the West:
15th- to 18th-Century Art in the West:
AH241,
252,
254,
264,
268**,
342,
347,
348
c. Modern and Contemporary Art in
the West: AH217,
256,
261,
264**,
265,
268,
315***,
321,
322,
353,
354,
364
d. Arts of Africa and the Americas:
AH103,
203,
207,
309,
310,
315***
e. Asian Art: AH104,
AH105,
106,
200,
204,
209,
210,
211,
311,
312,
314.
3. Exploration (at least three courses): Besides the foundation
and breadth courses, each student must take a minimum of three
additional art history courses including at least one seminar
but not including the senior thesis. (The senior thesis is
an option students may take beyond the ten courses required
for the art history major.)
4. Self-Assessment Portfolio: All second-semester senior majors
will be required to compile a portfolio of their work in art
history and write a brief assessment of their progress through
the major. The portfolio consists of a list of classes taken
in art history, studio art, and any related fields that have
enriched the student's understanding of art history; examples
of the student's work in art history at all levels; materials
that evidence any special projects, study-abroad work, or
internship experiences; and a two-page written self-assessment
addressing the ways in which the student did or did not meet
the goals of the art history major, including comments on
growth within the major.
4. AH380 Capstone (or Self-Assessment Portfolio): All second-semester
senior majors are required to take either AH380 or compile a portfolio
of their work in art history and write a brief assessment of their
progress through the major. Students are strongly encouraged to
fulfill this requirement by taking AH380. For students who choose to
complete the portfolio, it must contain: a list of classes taken in
art history, studio art, and any related fields that have enriched the
student's understanding of art history; examples of the student's work
in art history at all levels; materials that evidence any special
projects, study-abroad work, or internship experiences; and a two-page
written self-assessment addressing the ways in which the student did
or did not meet the goals of the art history major, including comments
on growth within the major.
Because advanced research in any aspect of art history requires
foreign languages (generally French or Italian and/or German,
plus any language appropriate to your area, e.g., Chinese),
we recommend language study. We also recommend additional
art history courses (including independent studies, museum/gallery
internships, and the senior thesis) and/or courses in related
fields, such as literature, history, philosophy, anthropology,
religion, and studio art.
HONORS: In addition to meeting the College grade point average for the
major, students wishing to qualify for honors in the program must
successfully complete an independent project that the art history
faculty judge to be outstanding. The project nominated by a member of
the art history faculty, must go beyond the work required in our regular
art history classes. Examples of types of projects that could qualify
are Senior Theses and Independent Study or Internship projects, whether
written, in the form of an exhibition, or computer-based.
ART HISTORY MINOR: Students electing to minor in art history
are required to take a minimum of five art history courses
totaling not fewer than seventeen hours. Of those five
courses, at least one must be at the 300 level. Students should
consult the director of the Art History Program for approval.
(Please note: a total of six studio art and two art history
courses constitutes a minor in studio art.)
Note: Please refer to the Academic Information Guide
regarding double counting of courses between majors and minors.
Students may receive AP (Advanced Placement) credit in art
history. A score of 4 or 5 earns the student six college credits.
It is the department's policy that four of the six AP credits
can count as
AH101orAH102AH100
(determined following consultation with the director of the
Art History Program) and may be applied toward a major or
minor in art history. The remaining two credits may be treated
as general elective credit toward the Skidmore degree. An
exception to this policy must have approval from the director
of Art History in consultation with appropriate faculty. **Fulfills
breadth areas "b" or "c," NOT both ***Fulfills
breadth areas "c" or "d," NOT both AH 100. SURVEY
OF WESTERN ART 4
A survey of Western art from ancient times to the present that places
monuments of art in social, historical, and cultural contexts.
K. Hauser, M. Hellman, P. Jolly AH 101, 102. SURVEY
OF WESTERN ART 4, 4 Survey of Western art from ancient times to the present. AH101
is a prerequisite for 102. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) Art
History Faculty AH 103. THE ARTS
OF AFRICA, OCEANIA, AND THE AMERICAS 4
A survey of the arts of Africa (south of the Sahara), Oceania
(the South Sea Islands), and native North, Central and South
America. This course examines a variety of styles, techniques
and socioreligious functions of the arts and architecture
of these non-Western cultural areas. (Designated a non-Western
culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.)
L. Aronson AH 104. ASIAN ART 4
Survey of the arts of India, China, Korea, and Japan. These
arts will be examined with an emphasis on style as cultural
expression, the meaning of the arts in a religious context,
and the impact of the crosscultural exchange. (Designated
a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.)
R. Linrothe AH 105. SURVEY
OF ASIAN ART: SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN AND HIMALAYAN 4
An overview of the art and material
culture of India, Southeast Asia, and Tibet. Works of art
and culture will be examined with an emphasis on style as
cultural expression, the meaning of the arts in a religious
context, and the impact of cross-cultural exchange. (Designated
a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities requirement.) R.
Linrothe AH 106. SURVEY
OF ASIAN ART: EAST ASIA 4
Survey of the art and material culture of China, Korea, and
Japan. Works of art and culture will be examined with an emphasis
on style as cultural expression, the meaning of the arts in
a religious context, and the impact of the cross-cultural
exchange. (Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills
humanities requirement.) R. Linrothe
AH 111. INTRODUCTION
TO ART 3
A focus on a variety of monuments and traditions of art and
architecture, with the goal of exploring issues concerning
style, function, technique, and meaning. Attention will be
paid to topics such as creativity, the artist and society,
sacred and secular art, gender and art, crafts and popular
art vs. the fine arts, and the body in art. May not be counted
toward a major in art or art history. (Fulfills humanities
requirement.) Summer only. Art
History Faculty AH 200. HINDU ART 3
An introduction to the arts of
Indian Hinduism as expressions of religious ideas and experiences.
The course emphasizes the evolution of ritual practice, devotional
narratives, symbols and architecture of Hinduism, taking note
of the religious underpinnings of the tradition, its popular
manifestations and images of the goddess (Devi). The interdisciplinary
nature of the course will highlight the necessity to understand
the religious experience behind the works of art, and witness
the translation into visual expressions of abstract ideas
and religious emotions. (Designated a non-Western culture
course; fulfills humanities requirement.) R. Linrothe AH 203. NATIVE
AMERICAN ART 3
A study of the prehistoric, historic, and contemporary arts
of Native American peoples of North America. This course will
study the arts of mainly Southwest, Woodlands, Great Plains,
and Northwest Coast cultures with particular attention to
their historiography, style, technique, symbolic meaning,
and place in ritual. A wide range of media will be covered
including sculpture, painting, architecture, pottery, textile
arts, jewelry, and body decoration. Recommended:AH103
(Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities
requirement.) L. Aronson AH 204. JAPANESE
ART 3
A chronological survey of Japanese arts (painting, prints,
sculpture, ceramics, textiles, architecture, and gardens)
from the neolithic period to the present. The course emphasizes
historical, religious, and aesthetic contexts. Special attention
will be given to the stimulus of contacts with China and Korea
in the evolution of Japanese visual art, and to Buddhist art.
(Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities
requirement.) R. Linrothe AH 207. AFRICAN
ART 3
A survey of the arts of sub-Saharan Africa. Focusing on selected
groups from the sub-Saharan region, this course considers a wide range of media giving primary
attention to sculpture and masquerades but also including
ceramics, metallurgy, textiles, body arts and architecture.
These arts will be examined in terms of their styles, symbols, technologies, histories,
and socioreligious importance. (Designated a non-Western culture
course; fulfills humanities requirement.) L.
Aronson AH 209. ISLAMIC
ART 3
Survey of the history of visual arts in Islamic cultures.
The course will examine architecture, painting, ceramics,
and textiles in Arab, North African, Turkish, Persian and
Indian contexts. Special consideration will be given to the
interaction between local visual traditions and Islamic values.
(Designated a non-Western culture course; fulfills humanities
requirement.) R. Linrothe AH 210. CHINESE
PAINTING 3
Chronological survey of Chinese painting from fourth century
B.C. to eighteenth century A.D. Topics may include technical
issues, ornament and pictorialism, figure painting, landscape,
calligraphy, ink painting and its relationship with Chan (Zen),
social backgrounds of artists, painting and poetry, and Chinese
critical writings. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) R.
Linrothe AH 211. TIBETAN
ART 3
A survey of Tibetan Buddhist art, from its origins in the
eighth century to the present. Attention is given to Indian
Buddhist art which provided the foundation for Tibetan integration
of formal and ritual influences from a number of Asian cultures.
Painting and sculpture will be considered, both as markers
of cultural and period style, and as expressions of Buddhist
ideals. (Designated a non-Western culture course.) R.
Linrothe AH 217. AMERICAN
ART 3
A survey of art produced in the United States from the Colonial
period to the present. Recurring themes will include the roles
of artists in American society, the relationship of U.S. and
European cultures, the contrast and connection between popular
and elite artistic traditions, the building of an infrastructure
of art institutions, and government involvement in art patronage. Art History Faculty AH 222. GREEK ART
AND ARCHAEOLOGY 3
An exploration of the major developments in architecture,
sculpture, and painting from Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations
through the Hellenistic period. Attention is given to the
influences on Greek art from the East and to the influence
of Greek art on other cultures. (Fulfills humanities requirement.)
L. Mechem AH 223. ROMAN ART
AND ARCHAEOLOGY 3
An examination of architecture, sculpture, and painting beginning
with the Villanovan and Etruscan cultures and continuing through
the Republic and Empire (fourth century A.D.). Topics covered
include wall painting, narrative sculpture, and city planning.
(Fulfills humanities requirement.) L.
Mechem AH 232. LATE ANTIQUE,
EARLY MEDIEVAL, AND BYZANTINE ART 3
An examination of the origins of Christian art in the Late
Antique world and its subsequent development in the Byzantine
world and early Medieval Europe. Areas studied include the
Early Christian catacombs, Ravenna mosaics, the animal style
and Hiberno-Saxon manuscripts, Carolingian Europe, and Byzantine
mosaics, icons and decorative arts. Prerequisite:AH101AH100
or 111
or permission of instructor. P. Jolly
AH 233. ROMANESQUE
AND GOTHIC ART 3
European art from the tenth through the fourteenth centuries,
with a focus on painting, manuscript illumination, sculpture,
stained glass, and the decorative arts. Prerequisite:AH101AH100
or 111
or permission of instructor. P. Jolly
AH 241. RENAISSANCE
EUROPE 3
Renaissance art in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Italy,
Flanders, and Germany. Artists include Masaccio, Donatello,
Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Jan van Eyck,
Bosch, Dürer, and Bruegel.
(Fulfills humanities requirement.) P.
Jolly AH 251. SPECIAL TOPICS IN ART HISTORY 3
A topically organized course, with the specific topic varying according
to program. Course may be repeated for credit on a different topic. (AH251N is designated a non-Western culture
course.) Art History Faculty
AH 252. BAROQUE
AND ROCOCO ART 3
A survey of European art of the seventeenth to mid-eighteenth
centuries. Through an examination of artists such as Bernini,
Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Hogarth, the course aims to develop
an understanding of the historical and social conditions and
stylistic features that characterize the diverse artistic
manifestations of the period. Prerequisite:
AH101AH100
or 111
or permission of instructor. M. Hellman AH 256. NEOCLASSICISM
TO IMPRESSIONISM 3
A survey of European art, from the mid-eighteenth through
the nineteenth centuries. Through an examination of artists
such as David, Delacroix, Constable, Courbet, Monet, and Van
Gogh, this course will explore artistic responses to the social,
political, and economic changes of the period. We will discuss
such topics as neoclassical portraiture, romantic landscape
painting, art displays at world's fairs, and the origins of
the "avant-garde." Prerequisite:
AH101AH100
or 111
or permission of instructor. M. Hellman AH 261. TWENTIETH-CENTURY
ART 3
A survey of European and American modern and contemporary
art beginning in the late nineteenth century and concluding
with contemporary trends. We will consider a range of movements
including postimpressionism, cubism, surrealism, abstract
expressionism, minimalism, and conceptual art in their cultural
and art historical contexts. Prerequisite:
AH101AH100
or 111
or permission of instructor. K. Hauser
AH 264. HISTORY
OF PRINTMAKING 3
Historical consideration of the development and use of various
printmaking processes including woodcut, engraving, etching,
aquatint, lithography, and screen printing. The course concentrates
on European and American prints from the fifteenth century
to the present. Prerequisite:
AH101AH100
or 111
or a studio printmaking course or permission of instructor.
(Fulfills either Renaissance and Baroque or Modern and Contemporary
breadth requirement toward an art history major.) Art History Faculty AH 265. HISTORY
OF MODERN DESIGN 3
A history of modern design from 1750 to the present, with
an emphasis on design movements in the twentieth century.
We will focus on modern European and American design, surveying
objects made from a wide range of materials, including textiles,
metals, ceramics, and the print media. We will situate movements
such as Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Bauhaus in their
cultural and art-historical contexts. Recommended preparation:AH101
or 102AH100
or 111.
(Fulfills humanities requirement.) K.
Hauser AH 268. HISTORY
OF DRESS IN THE MODERN WEST 3
A survey of costume and fashion in Europe and America, 1750
to the present. This course examines men's and women's clothing
in the context of economic, political, and cultural change
in the modern period. We will consider dress as one aspect
of a rich visual culture that also includes the fine, popular,
and decorative arts with which art history students are familiar.
Our sustained thematic focus will be costume as a maker of
individual identity in terms of social class, political ideals,
gender, and sexuality. Prerequisite:AH101
or 102AH100
or permission of instructor. (Fulfills humanities requirement.) Art History Faculty AH 309. THE ARTS
OF MESOAMERICA AND SOUTH AMERICA 3
Architecture, sculpture, painting, and textiles from selected
cultures in Mesoamerica and the Andean region from the thirteenth
century B.C. up to the time of European intervention in the
sixteenth century A.D. Prerequisite:AH101
or 102AH100
or 103
or 111
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) L. Aronson AH 310. THE ARTS
OF NIGERIA 3
An in-depth study of the arts of Nigeria (West Africa) from
its earliest archaeological sites through the post-Colonial
period. The course considers the breadth and range of Nigeria's
artistic traditions from traditional masquerades, textiles,
ceramics, and body arts to contemporary urban trends in painting,
printmaking, and sculpture. Prerequisite: AH103
or 207
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) L. Aronson AH 311. BUDDHIST
ART OF EAST ASIA 3
Buddhist art (sculpture, painting, architecture, calligraphy,
graphic arts, and ritual implements) between the third and
fifteenth centuries in East Asia. The course examines the
religious and aesthetic principles underlying Buddhist art
of East Asia, and analyzes works of art as expressions of
Buddhist values interacting with local cultures. Special attention
is paid to the site of Dunhuang, and to three modes of Buddhist
art: Esoteric, Pure Land, and Zen Buddhist. Prerequisites:
AH105
or 106
or 210
or HI241
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) R. Linrothe
AH 312. ANCIENT
CHINESE ART 3 A focused study of a small number
of Chinese archaeological sites distributed between the Neolithic
(ca. 3000 BCE) and the end of the Han dynasty (220 CE). The
sites and the works of art found in the sites will be placed
within their aesthetic, social, and political contexts. These
sites are mainly newly discovered tombs, and special attention
will be paid to the evolving attitudes to the afterlife in
ancient China. Prerequisites: AH106
or 210,
HI241,
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) R. Linrothe AH 314. BUDDHIST
ART OF SOUTH ASIA 3
A study of the evolution of Buddhist art in its original context
of India. The course will survey the primary sites of Buddhist
art production, with an emphasis on sculpture within architectural
settings. Issues include aniconism, patronage, the impact
of ritual practice on artistic format, pilgrimage, narrative,
internationalism, and the relationship between texts and images.
Prerequisites: AH105
or 106
or 210
or HI241
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) R. Linrothe AH 315. CONTEMPORARY
AFRICAN ART 3
An in-depth study of African art since the early twentieth
century. Focused mainly on the sub-Saharan region, the course
begins by examining the impact that colonialism, with its
appropriation, exploitation, and reshaping of Africa, had
on the arts in Africa. It then analyzes a broad spectrum of
modern and contemporary African art forms (painting, printmaking,
sculpture, textiles, photography, performance, and film) and
related literary works from the 1950s to the present, with
an emphasis on such issues as patronage, the commodification
of art, urbanism, national consciousness, and the effects
of globalization. Prerequisite:AH102
or 103
or 207
or permission of instructor. (Designated a non-Western culture
course.) L. Aronson AH 321. HISTORY
OF PHOTOGRAPHY 34
An introduction to the history of the medium from its "invention"
in 1839 to the present. This course looks at such forms of
photography as pictorialism, straight-photography, montage,
documentary, and photojournalism, situating them in their
social, cultural, and art-historical contexts. A significant
theme of the course will be how, or even whether, photographs
depict reality. Prerequisite:AH102
or 111. K.
Hauser, M. Hellman AH 330. LATE GOTHIC
SCULPTURE AND PAINTING 3
Sculpture and painting in fourteenth-century Europe, with
special focus on the "Proto-Renaissance" painters
in Italy and manuscript illumination and sculpture in France
and Germany. Topics include the revolutionary art of Giotto,
the rise of late Medieval devotional art, Art and the Black
Death, and the Limbourg Brothers and International Gothic
art. Prerequisite:
AH101AH100
or 111
or 233. P.
Jolly AH 342. ART OF
EARLY RENAISSANCE ITALY 3
An exploration of the origins of Italian Renaissance art in
the fifteenth century, from Ghiberti, Masaccio and Donatello,
to Botticelli and the Bellini. Prerequisite:AH101AH100
or 111
or 241. P.
Jolly AH 347. NORTHERN
RENAISSANCE PAINTING 3
Painting in France, Flanders and Germany in the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries, with particular emphasis upon the
art of Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Dürer and
Bruegel. Prerequisite: AH101AH100
or 111
or 241. P.
Jolly AH 348. SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY
DUTCH PAINTING 3
A study of the images produced during the "golden age"
of Dutch painting and the social, economic, and cultural conditions
from which these images spring. In examining the lives and
works of artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals, and Ruisdael,
the course seeks to understand the relationship between Dutch
painting and Dutch society. Prerequisite: AH102
or 111
or 252
or permission of instructor. Art History Faculty AH 351. TOPICS IN ART HISTORY 3
A topically organized course that addresses problems and issues of
special interest at the advanced level. Course may be repeated for
credit if on a different topic. (AH351N is
designated a non-Western culture course.) Art History Faculty AH 353. ART AND
REVOLUTION 3 A study of the visual culture
of the revolutionary decades 1770-1820 in Europe and America.
This course seeks to explore such themes as the meaning and
role of political art, the emerging ideals of modern subjectivity
and the Romantic artist, the origins of political caricature,
and the differences in status and ambition between such "public"
artists as Jacques-Louis David and "private" artists
such as William Blake. Prerequisite: AH102
or 111
or 256
or permission of instructor. M. Hellman AH 354. NINETEENTH-CENTURY
ART: LONDON AND PARIS 3
A study of the artistic cultures of the two capitals of imperial
power in the nineteenth century, London and Paris. We will
focus on artistic developments that both supported and critiqued
this imperialist age, including the art competitions at the
world's fairs of 1855 and 1889, the fashion for orientalism,
the medieval nostalgia of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood,
and the self-conscious modernity of the Impressionists. Prerequisite:
AH102
or 256
or 261
or permission of instructor. M. Hellman AH 364. CONTEMPORARY
ART 3
Recent developments in American and European art from the
1960s to the 1990s. We will situate a range of contemporary
art movements and practices, including pop, earthworks, performance,
video, and the more traditional forms of painting, sculpture,
and photography, in their cultural and art historical contexts.
The course will explore such issues as the status of art institutions,
the connections between high art and popular culture, theoretical
readings of art works, and the new trend toward artists' self-conscious
expression of an identity politics. Prerequisite: AH102 or
111 or
217 or
261. K.
Hauser AH 369. WOMEN IN
THE VISUAL ARTS 3
A consideration of women as artists and as subjects in the
visual arts, mainly in the Western world but also in non-Western
cultures. Viewed from a sociohistorical perspective, the course
considers such issues as art vs. craft, art as a construction
of gender, female vs. male aesthetic, and why women artists
have traditionally been excluded from the art history canon.
Prerequisite: AH102
or 111
or permission of the instructor. (AH369N is designated a non-Western course.) Art
History Faculty AH 371, 372. INDEPENDENT
STUDY 3, 3
Guided by the instructor, the student does independent reading
and research in a specific area of art history. Permission
of the instructor required. Art
History Faculty
AH 375. SEMINAR 4
Advanced courses where students explore specialized topics in depth.
Seminars rely predominantly upon the discussion of challenging readings,
with students bearing primary responsibility for their own achievements
in the classroom. Typically, seminars include both oral and written
components; require individualized, substantial research projects; and
rely on extensive independent work. A.
Ancient B.
Medieval C.
Renaissance D.
Baroque E.
Modern F.
Africa, Oceania, and/or Americas G.
Asian H.
Special Topics in Art History Prerequisite: Open to
junior and senior majors or minors in studio art or art history.
All others by permission of instructor. Art
History Faculty AH 381. SENIOR
THESIS IN ART HISTORY 3
An advanced research and writing project for qualified senior
art history majors, on any topic of special interest within
the discipline of art history, supervised by a member of the
art history faculty and a second reader. The student will
further develop and refine a substantial research project
that he or she had previously begun in a 300-level art history
course. The final project should be a rigorous critical analysis,
incorporating original research and/or insights. Recommended
for those working toward graduate study in the field of art
history. Those students interested in pursuing a senior thesis
should obtain further information from the Art History office.
Prerequisite: Approval of the faculty sponsor and the
director of Art History. AH 399. PROFESSIONAL
INTERNSHIP IN ART HISTORY 3 or 6
Professional experience at an advanced level for juniors and
seniors with substantial experience in art history. With faculty
sponsorship and department approval, students may extend their
educational experience into such areas as museums, art galleries,
art auction houses, private art collections, arts administration,
art conservation, and architecture and historic preservation.
Unless prior permission is given by the department, only three
credits will count toward a major in art history. Prerequisite:AH101,
102AH100
plus adequate preparation for the proposed internship through
advanced course work in the history of art.
