Art History & Architecture Courses
AR/ID 3150. Light, Vision, and Understanding.
Cat. II
By using material from the sciences and the humanities, this course examines the ways in which ideas of knowledge and of human nature have been fashioned. The specific topics include physical theories about light, biological and psychological theories of visual perception, and artistic theories and practices concerned with representation. The mixing of material from different academic disciplines is deliberate, and meant to counter the notion that human pursuits are "naturally" arranged in the neat packages found in the modern university. The course draws upon the physical and social sciences, and the humanities, to examine how those fields relate to one another, and how they produce knowledge and self-knowledge. Cultural as well as disciplinary factors are assessed in this process. Light, Vision and Understanding is conducted as a seminar. The diverse collection of reading materials includes a number of primary texts in different fields. In addition, the students keep a journal in which they record the results of numerous individual observations and experiments concerning light and visual perception. The course can fit into several Sufficiency areas as well as serve as a starting point for an IQP. There are no specific requirements for this course, although some knowledge of college-level physics, as well an acquaintance with the visual arts, is helpful.
This course will be offered in 2008-09 and in alternating years thereafter.
AR 3112. Modernism, Mass Culture, and the Avant-Garde.
Cat. I
What is the role of art to be in the modern world? Can art be a vehicle for social change, or should art be a self-critical discipline that pursues primarily aesthetic ends? What is the relationship between art and mass culture? Using primary sources, this course focuses on some of the theorists and artistic trends since the mid-nineteenth century that have sought to resolve this dilemma. These include: Ruskin, Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement; Art For Art's Sake; the German Werkbund and the Bauhaus; American industrial design.
AR 3000. The Art of Animation.
Cat. I
This course examines the fundamentals of computer generated 2D and 3D modeling and animation as they apply to creating believable characters and environments. Students will learn skeletal animation and traditional polygonal animation, giving weight and personality to characters through movement, environmental lighting, and changing mood and emotion. Students will be expected to master the tools of 3D modeling and skinning, and scripting of behaviors.
Recommended background: AR 1101.
AR 2111. Modern Art.
Cat. I
The successive phases of modern art, especially painting, are examined in light of the late-19th-century break with the 600-year old tradition of representation. Topics covered include: non-objective art and abstraction - theory and practice, primitivism in modern art, surrealism and the irrational, the impact of photography on modern painting, cubism and collage, regionalism and abstract expressionism as American art forms, Pop art and popular culture, and the problem of concept versus representation in art. (Formerly AR 2300.)
AR 1111. Introduction to Art History.
Cat. I
How do we understand a work of art? Through readings and the study of objects at the Worcester Art Museum, the student will survey the major developments in world art and be introduced to various critical perspectives in art history. Students will learn how art historians work with primary materials and formulate arguments. No previous knowledge of art is required. (Formerly HU 1014.)
AR 1101. Digital Imaging and Computer Art.
Cat. I
This course focuses on the methods, procedures and techniques of creating and manipulating images through electronic and digital means. Students will develop an understanding of image alteration. Topics may include color theory, displays, modeling, shading, and visual perception.
Recommended background: AR 1100.
AR 1100. Essentials of Art.
Cat. I
This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of two and threedimensional visual organization. The course focuses on graphic expression, idea development, and visual literacy. Students will be expected to master basic rendering skills, perspective drawing, concept art, and storyboarding through traditional and/or computer-based tools.
AR 2113. TOPICS IN 19TH- AND 20TH-CENTURY ARCHITECTURE.
Cat. I
This course considers the built environment in a non-technical way. It explores changes in architectural style as responses to the industrial transformation of Europe and America and to changing ideas about the purpose of art. The focus will vary from year to year and may concentrate on new uses of past styles, the architecture and planning of the industrial city, the careers of the great modern architects from Wright to Mies, or current topics in design. The central topic will remain the development of the Modern Movement in architecture. Students will use local buildings to learn the methods of architectural history and explore the aesthetic effects of architecture.