College Undergraduate Courses in Art History

Greek art is one of the foundations of art history.

Art history is one of the richest and most rewarding subjects you can study in college. College undergraduate courses in art history range from the art of Oceania to Egypt, and from the art of the Incas to work being done right now. Given that, depending on your college, you can certainly find a range of courses to take that will interest you if you have a passion for art. There are several courses that are standard fare at universities. You might find they have different titles or slightly different ways of presenting the material, but they cover the main artworks and movements that have influenced our Western culture.

Art History Survey 1

Art History I or a similar beginning survey of Western art history will begin with around the time of ancient Egypt and trace artistic developments up until about the Renaissance. This will include ancient Greek art, the art of the Roman Empire, Carolignian, Romanesque and Gothic art. It might also touch on African masterpieces from Mali, Chinese Tang dynasty art and others outside the Western tradition.

Art History Survey 2

Because the material is so voluminous, the basic art history survey is frequently broken into two separate semester-long classes. The second half of an art history general survey would pick up where the previous semester left off. Renaissance art of Italy, and the rest of Europe are covered. Next up are Mannerism and the Baroque. Also included would be the ornate Rococo movement, Neoclassicism and the Romantic movement spurred by Gericault and Delacriox in France.

Renaissance Art

The Renaissance merits its own course, given the breadth of the works accomplished and their influence. After the Gothic period, the works of Masaccio, Fra Angelico, Brunelleschi and others would be covered. The class would then move to the High Renaissance of da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, and perhaps touch on the transition from the High Renaissance to Mannerism to the Baroque, and finish with an examination of works by Caravaggio.

Modern Art

Modern or contemporary art might start as far back as Manet or Courbet, in France in the middle of the 19th century. From there, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism would follow. Cezanne, a Post-Impressionist, inspired Picasso and Braque with his fragmented brushwork and Cubism resulted. From there, many movements proliferated, and still do in the current day, with Conceptual art, Neo-expressionism and Relational Aesthetics as recent examples.

References

• "The History of Art"; Janson and Janson; 1991
• Skidmore College: Art History