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Member of the Division of Humanities
Bobbie McKibbin, Chair, Jenny Anger, Timothy Chasson, Matthew Kluber, William Pergl,
Jill Schrift, Susan Strauber, Lesley Wright
The Department of Art provides curricular opportunities for the development
of technical skills, aesthetic judgment, and historical understanding.
Participation in both studio and art history courses stimulates critical thinking and
refines creative potential in the visual arts. The Grinnell College Art Collection of
approximately 5,000 original
works of art and the changing exhibitions of the Faulconer Gallery and the Print and Drawing Study
Room supplement formal course study.
Students who major in art may elect a studio or an art history
concentration, with opportunities for advanced work in Art 336-342, Art 400, and Art 499.
Students with strong backgrounds in visual art may submit a portfolio
of their best work to the department for review for possibly qualifying out of
a 100-level studio course. Students who receive a 5 on the Advanced Placement exam
in Art History will be exempted from Art 103. Students with a score of 4 may, upon
consultation with the department, be exempted from Art 103. Students electing an art history concentration
must consult with the department about appropriate foreign language study. Majors
are expected to enrich their concentration through selected courses offered by
other departments. For example, appropriate courses in history, literature,
philosophy, and religious studies, or syntheses of these materials in humanities
courses contribute to the art history concentration.
Furthermore, anthropology, economics, and the sciences, especially
chemistry, promote possibilities for careers in art conservation and arts management, in addition
to teaching and research.
Students are encouraged to consider the advantages of a semester abroad in
an approved program. Off-campus programs in this country also are available
to majors with adequate preparation for advanced study. There are
opportunities for academic internships at the Faulconer Gallery on campus and at the Des Moines Art
Center. Competitive summer internships at national museums and institutions are
open to qualifying students with considerable preparation in art history. A competitive scholarship
in studio art allows for a ninth semester of portfolio preparation.
Finally, students interested in preparing for a career in architecture should bear in
mind the cooperative program between Grinnell and Washington University in
St. Louis (see Cooperative Preprofessional Programs).
The Major:
A minimum of 32 credits. Required for the studio concentration are
Art 234, two others of series 200, two of series
300 or above, one other studio art course, Art 103, and one other art history course.
For the art history concentration, required are 28 credits in art history,
which must include Art 103 and Art 400 and may include Art 499, and four credits in studio art. Art history concentrators are required to take
one course from each of the following groups: Art 214 or 227 or 230; Art 221 or 222; Art 231 or 232.
With permission, up to
eight credits in the art history concentration may be taken in related
studies outside the department. At least 20 credits of coursework must be
taken with the Department of Art at Grinnell. No more than 16 credits within
a single medium or art history area may count toward the major
unless approved in advance by the department. Beginning in Fall 2006, both senior
projects in studio art and senior theses in art history will be considered Art 499 and must
follow the College's procedures for Mentored Advanced Projects (MAPs) as well as
departmental procedures. Only one Art 499 (four credits) may count toward the major. Pre-architecture students
must include one semester each of laboratory physics and calculus and are
advised to fulfill the studio concentration, though other majors are possible.
To be considered for honors in art, graduating
seniors, in addition to meeting the College's general requirements for honors,
must demonstrate, by departmental consensus, superior performance in
coursework combined with superior breadth or depth of curriculum.
History and Theory
103 Introduction to Art and Art History (Fall and Spring) 4 credits
A thematic and cross-cultural study of art and architecture as expressions
of diverse social, intellectual, religious, and aesthetic values, primarily
in Western societies since antiquity, with reference to certain East Asian
and African traditions. Emphasis on developing critical skills. Use of
Grinnell College Art Collection. Prerequisites: none. STAFF.
210 Women, Art, and History* 4 credits+
An introduction to the history of women's involvement in the visual
arts. Concerned with ways of analyzing changing relationships among
gender, culture, and creativity. The focus is on a historical study of women
as producers of art, with emphasis on the various ways women have
responded to social conditions determining the production of art, and on defining
the issues and methods of investigations, based on feminist critiques of
conventional art historical approaches. Prerequisite: Art 103, or Gender and
Women's Studies 111, or permission of instructor. STRAUBER.
214 Monastery and Cathedral in Medieval Europe (Spring) 4 credits+
Study of major developments in architecture and art from the Carolingian
through Gothic periods (9th-14th centuries). Primary focus on
architectural design and structure (as at Durham, Canterbury, Lincoln, Cluny,
Paris, Chartres, Amiens), including the roles of sculpture and manuscript painting
within their social, political, religious, and intellectual climates. Option of executing projects
in architectural design or doing reading in French, German, Italian, Latin, or Spanish.
Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of instructor. CHASSON.
221 19th-Century Painting: Romanticism and Realism (Fall) 4 credits+
Examination of 19th-century Romantic and Realist painting as
critical responses to the period's dramatic political, industrial, and cultural
transformations and as the foundation of artistic "modernity." Emphasis on issues
of high and mass culture; art and political voice; representations of
non-Europeans; relevance of the canon; tensions between the urban and
natural worlds; and creation of the avant-garde. Prerequisite: Art 103 or
permission of instructor. STRAUBER.
222 Impressionism and Post-Impressionism (Spring) 4 credits+
A study of major artists, works, and issues in European Impressionist
and Post-Impressionist painting and sculpture (c. 1865-1900). Specific
movements include Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Art
Nouveau. Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of instructor. STRAUBER.
227 Italian Renaissance Art* (Spring) 4 credits+
A study of Italian culture from the late 13th through the late 16th centuries
as expressed in painting, sculpture, architecture, and urban design. Emphasis
on political, social, religious, and intellectual factors shaping artistic theory
and expression in Florence, Siena, Rome, Venice, and the courts at Mantua
and Urbino. Option of doing some reading in French, German, Italian, or
Latin. Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of instructor. CHASSON.
230 Northern Renaissance Art* (Spring) 4 credits+
Primarily a study of Netherlandish and German painting and printmaking
of the 15th and 16th centuries (Van Eyck, Bosch, Gruenewald, Duerer,
Baldung Grien, Holbein, Bruegel). Emphasis on the functions and audiences
for religious and secular work in light of original sources
and recent criticism. Use of late medieval and Renaissance images and
prints in the College
Art Collection. Option of doing some reading in French, German, or
Latin. Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of instructor. CHASSON.
231 Modern Art in Europe, 1900-1940 (Fall) 4 credits+
An examination of major movements in European art from
1900-1940, including Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Dada,
Surrealism, Constructivism, and Socialist Realism. Focus upon the historical contexts
of art production and reception. Readings range from contemporary criticism
to historical analysis. Investigation of recurrent problems such as
primitivism, gender, authorship, and cultural politics. Prerequisite: Art 103 or
permission of instructor. ANGER.
232 Art Since 1945 (Spring) 4 credits+
An examination of developments primarily in American and European
art since 1945, from Abstract Expressionism to current trends such as
the globalized art market. Particular attention to art since 1960: Pop, Happenings, Black
Art, Minimalism, Conceptualism, Earth Works, Feminist Art, Video, and Installation. Readings range from contemporary criticism to historical
analysis from a variety of perspectives (e.g., formal, multicultural,
deconstructive). Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of instructor. ANGER.
233 American Art* 4 credits+
A survey of American art within its cultural, philosophical, and
social contexts. Topics include: Colonial portraiture; history painting, landscape,
and vernacular expressions in the 19th century; the sources and development
of modernism and postmodernism. Prerequisite:
Art 103 or permission of instructor. ANGER.
248 Greek Archaeology and Art* (Spring) 4 credits+
See Classics 248.
250 Roman Archaeology and Art* (Spring) 4 credits+
See Classics 250.
251 Architecture and Urban Planning in Papal and Fascist Rome* 4 credits+
Study of major buildings and concepts of
urban development from the late Imperial age of early Christianity (4th century) through
the height of papal power in the Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo periods (18th century). We
conclude with the vast urban reconstructions under
Mussolini and their legacy in the contemporary city. Use of historical maps in the
College art collection. Option of executing design projects or doing some reading in French, German, Italian, or
Latin. Prerequisites: None, although Art 250 or History 256 is helpful. CHASSON.
260 Museum Studies: The Art Museum* (Fall) 4 credits+
An examination of the history of museums, museum operations, funding, ethics, and the
philosophical and intellectual issues raised by the contemporary museum. The
course will focus on art museums, but many of the topics will pertain to
history, ethnographic, science, and other types of museums. Prerequisite: Art 103 or permission of
instructor. WRIGHT.
316 Architecture and Urbanism in Paris* (Fall) 4 credits
See French 316.
360 Exhibition Seminar* (Fall) 4 credits
An exploration of the materials and methods of primary art historical
research and museum practice through the organization and presentation of
an exhibition. Students work directly with art objects, using works in
the Grinnell College Art Collection and/or borrowed from lenders. Topic and
instructor vary; see current Schedule of Courses. Course may be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite: One 200-level art history course or permission of instructor.
STAFF.
400 Seminar in Art History (Spring) 4 credits
An intensive study of selected problems with emphasis on
research, methodology, and critical evaluation of a special area as announced in
the current Schedule of Courses. May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits
if different topics are taken each time.
Prerequisite: Senior standing in art history concentration or permission
of instructor. STAFF.
499 Mentored Advanced Project (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
Senior Thesis: The preparation, writing, and public presentation of a piece of
art-historical research in any area of history. Seniors must obtain prior approval of the
project by a primary and a secondary adviser (the former from within the department of art).
Prerequisites: Senior standing and departmental approval of official MAP proposal before
the end of the preceding semester. STAFF.
Studio
136 Introduction to Studio: Printing Processes (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
STAFF.
138 Introduction to Studio: Painting Processes (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
MCKIBBIN.
140 Introduction to Studio: Ceramic Processes (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
SCHRIFT.
142 Introduction to Studio: Sculpting Processes (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
PERGL.
148 Introduction to Studio: Digital Art (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
This introductory course provides a foundation for art-making methods, design
composition skills, and digital image creation. The course will focus on two-dimensional images, making use of both
raster and vector graphics software programs. This course will introduce students to the new
vitality of digital imaging and encourage reflection on the computer as a visual-thinking
tool. Prerequisites: none. KLUBER, PERGL.
Incorporated into each of the media-oriented problems of these
courses listed above are drawing and design components that insure each
student's recognition of the relationship among drawing, design, and the
designated medium. These courses develop important and useful skills in these areas.
234 Drawing (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
Studio assignments in color and black and white, designed to continue
the development of visual skills and concepts as they pertain to drawing.
Folios include figurative and nonfigurative work. The concept of drawing as
a complete and finished work explored and emphasized. Prerequisite: Art
136, or 138, or 140, or 142, or permission of instructor.
236 Printmaking (Spring) 4 credits
Prerequisite: Art 136, 138, or 148, or permission of instructor. KLUBER.
238 Painting (Spring) 4 credits
Prerequisite: Art 136, 138, or 148, or permission of instructor. McKIBBIN.
240 Ceramics (Fall or Spring) 4 credits
Prerequisite: Art 140, or 142, or permission of instructor. SCHRIFT.
242 Sculpture (Spring) 4 credits
Prerequisite: Art 140, or 142, or 148, or permission of instructor. PERGL.
The above studio courses build on skills introduced in the 100-level
studio courses and present new processes and challenges for the students in
these areas.
334 Advanced Drawing (Spring) 4 credits+
Using subject matter and media similar to those employed in Art 234,
this studio course presents advanced problems in drawing as an independent
art form. Prerequisite: Art 234 or permission of instructor. STAFF.
336 Advanced Printmaking (Spring) 4 credits+
Prerequisite: Art 236 or permission of instructor. KLUBER.
338 Advanced Painting (Spring) 4 credits+
Prerequisite: Art 238 or permission of instructor. McKIBBIN.
340 Advanced Ceramics* (Fall or Spring) 4 credits+
Prerequisite: Art 240 or permission of instructor. SCHRIFT.
342 Advanced Sculpture (Spring) 4 credits+
Prerequisite: Art 242 or permission of instructor. PERGL.
The above studio courses build on skills developed in the
200-level courses in these areas and present advanced problems in each.
499 Mentored Advanced Project (Fall or Spring) 4 credits+
Senior Project: A concentrated focus within a specific medium in which the student
has extensive experience. This course is aimed at the establishment of a
personal direction in content and personal expression while developing a
mature portfolio in preparation for an advanced degree. The project
includes preparation, creation, and public presentation of a body of artwork.
Seniors must obtain approval of a department member for the desired medium
as supervisor of the project. Prerequisites: 300-level studio course, senior standing, and
departmental approval of official MAP proposal before the end of the preceding semester. STAFF.
*Not offered every year.
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