Professor Michelli
	Final Exam: Wednesday, May 9th, 2001; 1.00-3.00 pm

Required set book:

Robert Hughes, American Visions, The Epic History of Art in America, Alfred A Knopf, New York, 1997

BRING THIS BOOK TO CLASS

Introduction

In the west, as the centuries have passed, art's function as a commentator on life has become increasingly apparent. This commentary has been presented through subject matter, certainly, but it has also invoked the intellect, senses and emotions with increasing power through style, technique, challenge, paradox. This is made possible through Europe's long cultural history that embraced Classicism before Christianity, that retained Catholicism alongside Protestantism, and that incorporated the Industrial Revolution into an aristocratic society. Artists served the Church, the (aristocratic) State, and also the new leisured Bourgeoisie - of which they were an integral part. They expressed the issues of all these social groups, which included themselves.

Contrast this with America, which was formed by Protestant Christians, disenfranchised exiles, and businessmen just as Romanticism was at its height. This context produces a very particular attitude towards art. Romanticism privileges the experience, feelings and natural intuition of the individual at the expense of elaborate intellect and symbolism which have to be learned from an elite education system. But (Puritan) Protestantism has only a limited approval for these values, and this shows in its profound mistrust of art: not only is it forbidden by the 2nd Commandment, but its appeal to the senses can subvert morality, and its appeal to the mind can subvert social rectitude. In effect, then, artists must make every effort to ensure that their products are easily understood and also avoid being unChristian, depraved, or anarchic. Business, on the other hand, has no moral or social problem with art - but it has no use for it either, except (significantly) as a speculative financial investment. The only justification art has consistently had in America is narrative. It can "tell" us what people and things look like, but it can only do this by minimizing style, intellectual complexity and visual experiment. But American artists must work, and this is how they have been consistently "used". Most of the earlier 20th century artists began as newspaper and magazine illustrators along with (equally straightforward) photographers, and thereafter most of them taught. Thus American artists were denied much of the artistic freedom European artists took for granted, and those who bucked this system suffered for it.

But artists have a historic purpose to express those things we need to be reminded of, pleasant or unpleasant. They will do this on behalf of whoever forms the avante garde - whether that is themselves, their patrons or their manipulators. The issue for the course therefore is this: who or what shaped the artistic avante garde in America? And then, what caused the crisis in the 1970s, and what happens next? The set book for this course, Robert Hughes' American Visions, is beautifully written and very opinionated. You will agree with much of it, and be outraged by some, but in order to respond validly to it you must also consider whether the author has taken this context adequately into account. Mr. Hughes is an outsider operating from assumptions that are closer to Europe than America - where do those assumptions trip him up? This brings us to the beginning of the course, a brief tour of the paradigms that have formed western culture and that will allow us to "locate" Mr. Hughes, the artists, and ourselves.

There will be a single developing paper assignment for this course. It is 1500-2000 words long and you are required to go through each stage.

1.

Choose and register your topic:
Choose an artist that you think should be included in a representative survey of 20th-century American art. At the class of February 31st register your artist with me (that gives you two weeks to choose).

2.

The assignment:
Using three or four works, explain why this artist should be included in the survey and what points should be made about him/her. Try to explain why Hughes did (or did not) include your artist in his survey (use your artist's name as the title, and quote this paragraph at the top of page 1 of your assignment).

3.

Introduction, Thesis Statement, Annotated Bibliography
The introduction should be about 400-500 words long, and the thesis statement should be part of that introduction and picked out in bold. Read the web page on Paper Writing to tell you what sort of things go into introductions and thesis statements. Start your annotated bibliography. Read the web page on Annotated Bibliographies to find out what form that should take. Make an appointment to submit and discuss your introduction and bibliography with me between March 25th and March 29th (you have 3-4 weeks for this stage).

4.

Draft the full paper:
Write a draft of your paper, remembering to use and refer to examples of your artist's work. Attach xeroxes of those works if they are not in Hughes' book. Submit that draft on April 2nd. I will look it over, make suggestions for improvement and return it to you with a notional "place-keeping" grade on it. (3 weeks for this stage, plus Spring Recess)

5.

Make final version of the full paper:
Finally, taking note of my comments, write a final copy of the paper and bibliography, and submit it for grading on May 2nd (I'll try to give you at least 2 weeks for this tidy-up stage.)

Note: the grade you get at this stage is the one that will count. You can improve at every stage without penalty. You can also go down by skipping a stage in the assignment or by failing to address my comments. So if I ask you to deal with something, make it clear that you have tried to do so!

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