Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: MODERN ART AND MONSTROSITY

Department: Art History

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: Why is it that in the modern era, beginning around the middle of the eighteenth century, artists begin to see various forms of monstrosity in aesthetic terms, as something beautiful? What is it about the modern period that accounts for this shift in how monstrosity is represented and understood and how does it differ from earlier historical images of the monster. This class will examine the modernist fascination with monstrosity, asking not only why it became a topic of such particular and widespread interest to artists, writers, and filmmakers during this time, but also what it can tell us about modernist aesthetics more broadly. Examining a range of representations from the 18th century on, we will look at a variety of visual artists, filmmakers, and novelists who depict various forms of monsters, be they human (Jack the Ripper) or non-human (the Golem). From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the myth of the vampire, to Picasso’s monstrous images of 1920s, to the distinctly modern phenomenon of serial killing, this course will chart the dark monstrous underside to modern art. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: HART 517. Mutually Exclusive: Credit cannot be earned for HART 317 and HART 517. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: HART 517. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 317 if student has credit for HART 517.