Major artistic and architectural monuments of Europe from the Carolingian renaissance to the renaissance of the twelfth century, considered in relation to geographical context, to monasticism and pilgrimage, to artistic developments of the contemporary Mediterranean world, and to the art and architecture of the later Roman Empire, Byzantium and Armenia, Islam and the art of the invasion period.

Current scholarship is expanding and challenging how we decide "what is Gothic?" We will examine a variety of artworks, considering artistic culture, social, cultural, and physical contexts as well. Style, techniques, patronage, location in time and space, and importance of decoration (sculpture, stained glass, painting, tapestry) will be among topics discussed.

Special topics in twentieth-century painting and sculpture. The subject will change from time to time. After introductory sessions outlining the subject and ways of getting information about it, seminar members will research and present topics of their choice.

The class will read selected recent cultural theory and art theory and consider its implications for a variety of works of art, and will investigate selected exhibition critiques and the critical discourse surrounding the oeuvres of individual artists.

This course uses a focus on material history and visual culture to explore Ethiopia from the fourth through the nineteenth century, with particular emphasis on the Christian Church, the monarchy, links with both the Mediterranean world and the Indian subcontinent, and the relationship of individuals to their social, economic, artistic and geographic environments.
Same as AFSC52H3 and HISC52H3

The Silk Routes were a lacing of highways connecting Central, South and East Asia and Europe. Utilizing the Royal Ontario Museum's collections, classes held at the Museum and U of T Scarborough will focus on the art produced along the Silk Routes in 7th to 9th century Afghanistan, India, China and the Taklamakhan regions.
Same as GASC53H3

Art criticism as a complex set of practices performed not only by critics, art historians, curators and the like, but also by artists (and collectors). The traditional role of art critics in the shaping of an art world, and the parallel roles played by other forms of writing about art and culture (from anthropology, sociology, film studies).

This seminar-format course will offer students the opportunity to investigate critical theories and methodologies of the early modern period (roughly 1400-1700). Focusing on such topics as a single artist, artwork or theme, students will become immersed in an interdisciplinary study that draws on impressive local materials from public museum and library collections.

This course looks at the global city as a hub for the creation of visual, performing arts and architecture. How have cyberspace and increased transnational flows of art and artists changed the dynamic surrounding urban arts? What are the differences between the arts within the modern and global contemporary city?

Art and the settings in which it is seen in cities today. Some mandatory classes to be held in Toronto museums and galleries, giving direct insight into current exhibition practices and their effects on viewer's experiences of art; students must be prepared to attend these classes.
Same as CRTC72H3

The interplay among visual, performing and literary arts and experience of exile, diaspora, displacement and placemaking: how the nomadic, transitional nature of today's world influences contemporary artists' practices. Readings from art history, visual anthropology, cultural studies, ethnic studies and literary criticism. Considerations of memory, autobiography, community and liminality in relation to experiences of local Canadian artists.

An introduction to Chinese contemporary art focusing on three cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Increasing globalization and China's persistent self-renovation has brought radical changes to cities, a subject of fascination for contemporary artists. The art works will be analyzed in relation to critical issues such as globalization and urban change.
Same as GASC74H3

This course focuses on the ideas, career and œuvre of a single artist. Exploration and comparison of works across and within the context of the artist’s output provides substantial opportunities for deeper levels of interpretation, understanding and assessment. Students will utilize and develop research skills and critical methodologies appropriate to biographical investigation.

A course offering the opportunity for advanced investigation of an area of interest; for students who are nearing completion of art history programs and who have already acquired independent research skills. Students must locate a willing supervisor and topics must be identified and approved by the end of the previous term.

What is art history and visual culture? What do we know, and need to know, about how we study the visual world? This capstone course for senior students will examine the ambiguities, challenges, methods and theories of the discipline. Students will practice methodological and theoretical tenets, and follow independent research agendas.

An introduction to the importance of content and context in the making of contemporary art.

This introductory seminar examines the key themes, concepts, and questions that affect the practice of contemporary art. We will look at specific cases in the development of art and culture since 1900 to understand why and how contemporary art can exist as such a wide-ranging set of forms, media and approaches.

The figure of the artist is distorted in the popular imagination by stereotypes around individualism, heroism, genius, mastery, suffering, and poverty. This lecture course will examine these gendered, colonial mythologies and offer a more complex picture of the artist as a craftsperson, professional, entrepreneur, researcher, public intellectual and dissident. We will consider diverse artistic models such as artist collectives and anonymous practitioners that challenge the idea of the individual male genius and examine artists’ complex relationship with elitism, the art market, arts institutions, and gentrification. This course will be supplemented by visiting artist lectures that will offer students insight into the day-to-day reality of the practicing artist.

How should artists make pictures in a world inundated with a relentless flow of digital images? Can pictures shape our understanding of the social world and influence mainstream culture? Through the perspective of contemporary artmaking, this lecture course will explore ways that artists decentre and decolonize the image and concepts of authorship, representation, truth, and the gaze. The course will also examine the role of visual technologies (cameras, screens, microscopes), distribution formats (the photographic print, mobile devices, the Internet), and picture making (ubiquitous capture, synthetic media, artificial intelligence) to consider how artists respond to changing ideas about the visible world.

This hands-on, project-based class will investigate fundamental digital concepts common to photography, animation, and digital publishing practices. Students will learn general image processing, composing, colour management, chromakey, and typograpic tools for both on-line and print-based projects. These will be taught through Adobe Creative Suite software on Apple computers.

An introduction to the basic principles of video shooting and editing as well as an investigation into different conceptual strategies of video art. The course will also provide an introduction to the history of video art.

This course introduces students to the use of three-dimensional materials and processes for creating sculptural objects. Traditional and non-traditional sculptural methodologies and concepts will be explored.

An investigation of the basic elements and concepts of painting through experimentation in scale and content.

A continuation of Painting I with an emphasis on images and concepts developed by individual students.

An introduction to fundamental photographic concepts including depth, focus, stopped time, lighting and photographic composition in contrast to similar fundamental concerns in drawing and painting. A practical and historical discourse on the primary conceptual streams in photography including various documentary traditions, staged photographs and aesthetic approaches from photographic modernism to postmodernism.

An investigation of the various approaches to drawing, including working from the figure and working with ideas.

Artist multiples are small, limited edition artworks that include sculptures, artist books, mass-produced ephemera such as posters, postcards and small objects. Students will explore the production and history of 2D and 3D works using a variety of media and approaches. This course is about both making and concepts.

This course is designed to offer students direct encounters with artists and curators through studio and gallery visits. Field encounters, written assignments, readings and research focus on contemporary art and curatorial practices. The course will provide skills in composing critical views, artist statements, and writing proposals for art projects.

A continuation of VPSB70H3 with an increased emphasis on the student's ability to expand her/his personal understanding of the meaning of drawing.

A Studio Art course in digital photography as it relates to the critical investigation of contemporary photo-based art.