INTRODUCTION

Ever since the Avante Garde went into crisis in the late 1960s, there has been a bewildering proliferation of art forms that don't seem to lead anywhere and that often offend the public. Since the early 1980s there have been increasing calls for a new history of art that can unite these forms with the heritage of artistic endeavor that went before them, and which their creators often reject as irrelevant. This course suggests a way to achieve that reconciliation with the past by presenting a series of spiritual paradigms through which to examine the art and the sources of our ideas about it.

Thus far, I have isolated three paradigms, which I call the Classical, the Sensual, and the Quietist. The Classical paradigm is the oldest and most obvious to us - it is at least 2,500 years old, and because it was co-opted by the organized Church its methods and values are deeply ingrained in western consciousness. It is primarily intellectual, and emphasizes skill and beauty as criteria for the evaluation of art. The Sensual paradigm is much younger - about 500 years old. It too was exploited by the Church, and although it is primarily physical and emotional in orientation it harmonizes with Classicism in that skill and beauty are still the main ways to evaluate it. Thus the methods and values of Sensualism are also fairly well established in western consciousness, and validated by the much older Classicism. The Quietist paradigm is the youngest of all - about 140 years old only. This paradigm has not had time to become natural to us, and it has not been exploited by the Church, which has virtually withdrawn from art patronage. Further its values are in conflict with those of Classicism and Sensualism. Thus art produced under the influence of the Quietist paradigm can be difficult to evaluate for those reasons. This is compounded by the intuitive orientation of the paradigm, and by its modus operandi which usually takes the form of withdrawal or challenge.

Already, it should be clear that there are good reasons for the modern discontent with art and artists, for the confusion over how to evaluate their products and how to anticipate future directions. None of the paradigms goes away when it loses its leading edge. It merely becomes part of our subconscious assumptions and values, and these enrich or conflict with the currently leading paradigm. Today, then, we have at least these three paradigms to contend with, and it can't be done unless we make them conscious.

We will examine the paradigms through the art produced under their influence, and also through some of the written legacy of the people who helped to formulate them. Thus we will think about Plato's definition of art and beauty and their purpose, Castiglione's thoughts on style, Kant's and Schopenhauer's redefinition of art and beauty and their purpose, and Danto's and Belting's conviction that the history of art has ended. We will also look at the ways in which an image or building draws on our living experience in order to communicate to us: the effects of composition, color, completeness or non-completeness, and optical illusion. These areas are often dismissed as "art appreciation", with the assumption that we analyze them only in order to recognize "great" art (a program considered intrusive and invalid today). But they are more usefully understood as methods by which an artist makes aspects of thought and reality perceptible to us. As such, they are the indispensable tools of the art historian.

There will be seven short-answer quizzes during the semester. Note that the first five are immediate: there will be one on each of the first five classes. This will require some intensive work from you, as you get the terms and concepts under your belt and equip yourself to understand the course. Prepare for them by reading the specified Terms and Concepts material (link above), and practice on the anonymous self-tests also on the web page (look for "lightning tests"). Your five best grades will be averaged for 50% of your total course grade.

There will be two short paper assignments. The first is due on Wednesday 15th March. ASK for it on Monday 6th March. The second is your take-home final, which is due at the final exam itself. ASK for that assignment on Friday 5th May. These will be worth 25% of your course grade each. When preparing for these assignments, be sure to check out the link on requirements. Also check out the grading policy and you might find paper writing useful too - all my grading assumes the structure of paper explained in that link. You should find all the links you need for the course on the Art 151 page on the website.