Professor Rebecca Tucker
Blocks 7and 8, 2005
AH112 is a survey of Western Art from ancient times to modern. This course provides fundamental training in art history (including formal analysis, contemporary methodologies, and comparative and contextual study) along with an introduction to the artistic tradition of Western European art. All significant periods in Western art are covered, including Antiquity, Byzantine, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century art. Primary emphasis during the course is on placing the art within a rich social, historical and cultural context. The textbook provides wide coverage and chronological sequence, while lectures focus on specific objects in given time periods. In addition, readings and presentations will highlight issues in interpretation. Students are expected to utilize visual, verbal, and written skills throughout the class. Required course work includes examinations, papers and research projects, and in-class presentations, in addition to daily reading, image study, and discussion. The class aims to give students the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and engage with art, wherever they find it.

Goals include:
1. Acquiring an understanding of selected monuments from the history of art, their chronology, and their cultural circumstances.
2. Mastering the skills of visual observation and analysis, and the critical writing skills necessary to art history.
3. Understanding of the methodologies of today's art history.