Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: THE AESTHETICS OF REALISM: FROM COURBET TO THE WIRE

Department: Art History

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This seminar will consider both the historical roots and contemporary manifestations of an aesthetics of realism. As a form of art concerned with the world as it is, in all its imperfection, realism is often assumed to ignore ideas of beauty, and even to court harsh, rough or ugly appearances. But as we will see there is both theoretical basis for an aesthetics of realism and a long history of its visual development. Graduate students will read approximately 200-250 pages per week, which will be discussed in an additional hour-long session each week. Graduate students will write two 5-7 page short papers and one 18-20 page final term paper. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: HART 379. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 579 if student has credit for HART 379.