Course Description
Developments within visual culture from 1985 to the present. Key artists, themes, and movements will be considered, and special attention will be paid to the pervasive concept of “afterness” as it informs the production, reception, and criticism of contemporary art.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be expected to produce an extensive
research paper on specific works or issues related to the field
and will be required to make use of appropriately sophisticated
methodologies. This paper will be a detailed, in-depth
consideration of the student's chosen topic requiring advanced
research skills and the ability to think creatively about
complex contemporary art works.
Athena Title
ART AFTER POSTMOD
Prerequisite
Two 3000-level ARHI courses
Undergraduate Pre or Corequisite
ARHI 4580/6580
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course is designed to familiarize students with recent developments in the field of contemporary art, while also introducing them to ideas that are central to contemporary art’s production and reception. Through class discussion and independent research, students will also refine their oral and written expression and hone their skills as interpreters of contemporary art and visual culture.
Topical Outline
1. Introductory thoughts on Postmodernism, Belatedness, and “the Contemporary” II. Key Lineages and Ideas A. From Mixed Media to New Media and The Post-Medium Condition B. From the Readymade to Hand Made to Postproduction C. From Appropriation to Sampling D. From North America and Europe to Globalism III. Key Movements and Moments A. 1989: Demonstrations in Tiananmen Square 1989: The Fall of the Berlin Wall / The Rise of a New Art Capital 1989: The Mapplethorpe Scandal B. 1997: Sensation, The Rise of Saatchi and the YBAs C. 1998: Relational Aesthetics and the advent of Google! D. 2001: The Millennium, 9/11 and the Collapse of the Twin Towers E. 2007: iPhone launch IV. Key Themes A. Bodies, Identity, and the Posthuman B. Time, Place, and Instantaneity C. Exile, Travel, Borders