Modern Painting and Sculpture 1900-45
Syllabus
Art History 2642.001
Fall 2013
Location: Tyler School of Art, B082
Time: MW, 4:00–5:20 pm
Instructor: Hannah Algee
Office: Tyler School of Art, B091C
Office Hours: MW, 5:30–6:30 pm or by appointment
Email: tuc65011@temple.edu
Course Description:
This course examines major developments in European and American painting and sculpture from the 1900
to the 1945, including: Fauvism, German Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, The Russian Avant-Garde, Dada,
de Stijl, The Bauhaus, Surrealism and American Modernism before World War II. This course explores sociopolitical and cultural influences, formal trends, and comparative relationships among key artists and
movements by using various analytical perspectives in order to understand Modern Art's significant role as
the foundation for twentieth century art. An emphasis is placed on developing analytical and critical thinking
skills through lectures, field trips, class discussions, and readings of artists’ written accounts, group
manifestos and academic publications.
Course Objectives:
Students will learn to:
 identify, interpret and analyze major movements, artists and works of art from 1900-45
 discuss the relationship between form and symbolic meaning as it pertains to Modern Art
 understand the relationship between Modern Art and Modern culture (e.g. politics, warfare, gender)
 become familiar with and critically apply a range of terms and methodologies used in art historical
research specific to Modern Art
Required Readings and Other Materials:
 all required readings will be posted on BLACKBOARD. Please use your Temple e-mail account and
password to access the Blackboard site through TUPortal or sign in directly to Blackboard
(http://blackboard.temple.edu).
 images will be accessible through a link posted on Blackboard.
 it is advisable to print out the slideshows in advance in order to follow the lectures.
Recommended Textbook:
 Arnason, H. H. and Elizabeth Mansfield. History of Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture,
Photography. 7th ed. New York: Pearson, 2012. ISBN: 0205259472
GRADING AND ASSESSMENTS:
Grading
Attendance and Participation
Reading Discussion
Writing Assignment 1
Writing Assignment 2
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
15%
20%
15%
15%
15%
20%
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Percentages are equivalent to Letter Grades according to the following scale:
A
94-100
A90-93
B+
87-89
B
84-86
B80-83
C+
77-79
C
74-76
C70-73
D+
67-69
D
64-66
D60-63
F
0-59
(half points are rounded up at the instructor’s discretion)
Attendance and Participation (15%)
It is expected that you will attend all classes AND field trips, that you will prepare for classes ahead of time by
reading the required material, and that you will participate actively in discussions. At the beginning of each
class, you must submit one question prepared in advance to help facilitate class discussion for the assigned
reading. The question should be typed, thoughtful and prove that you have not only read and understood the
reading but more importantly have reflected on the author’s argument. With each submission, please include
your name and the reading.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session. Absences and persistent lateness will be duly
noted, will negatively affect your final grade and may affect your enrollment in this course. More than TWO
unexcused absences will result in a half a letter grade deduction.
Please help to maintain an atmosphere conducive to academic discourse and learning. Refrain from private
conversations or other activities that may distract your fellow students. No cell phone usage or text
messaging is permitted.
Reading Discussion (20%)
In groups of two, you will facilitate part of a session (20-30 minutes) where you will encourage discussion by
presenting an assigned reading. You will not only be responsible for providing a concise summary of the
author’s methodology but you must provide a critical evaluation of the author’s argument (e.g. examine the
strengths and weaknesses of author’s thesis, arguments, approach, examples, etc.). To enrich your session
you may want to relate (compare/contrast) your reading to lectures, other class discussions and/or readings.
Please remember, you are leading a class discussion, not giving a lecture. The success of your session is
dependent upon the involvement of your classmates. Encourage critical thinking and communication by using
visual aids (e.g. a PowerPoint presentation of relevant works) and asking thoughtful questions. This should be
informal; however, organization and preparation are paramount to a successful session and will be reflected
in your grade. You must be submit a concise critique of the reading (2-3 pages, double-spaced) in
written form at the end of your session AND an electronic version via SafeAssign on Blackboard
before class.
Select your reading from a sign-up sheet provided in class and posted outside of B091. If you have not chosen
a reading by Friday, August 30th, you will be assigned a reading by the instructor.
Museum Field Trips and Associated Writing Assignments (30%)
There will be two mandatory class field trips, one here in Philadelphia and one in New York City. Attendance
on the field trips is required, so mark your calendars well in advance! There will be one the all-day trip to
The Museum of Modern Art in November. We will take a chartered bus to New York City as a class. There will
be one trip to The Philadelphia Museum of Art. You will be responsible for getting to the PMA on your own.
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Associated with each trip will be a writing assignment:
1) The first written assignment will be a 3-4 page double-spaced critical analysis. The main purpose of the
paper is to utilize the concepts, principles, and vocabulary you have learned in class and demonstrate that
you can produce a critical analysis of Modern artwork. Visit the Picasso, Duchamp and Brancusi galleries in
the Modern Art wing of the PMA. Select one artwork by each artist and examine their works within the
context of early twentieth century art. How do these works exhibit the formal and symbolic preoccupations of
Modern Art, while remaining true to the aims of their specific movements and styles? You may want to begin
with a visual analysis of the formal/stylistic, material, and technical properties of the images or objects,
highlighting their similarities and differences, and then consider their meaning and function within Modern
Art. Due Monday, October 26th.
2) The second writing assignment will be a 3-4 page double-spaced exhibition review of “American Modern:
Hopper to O'Keeffe” at the MOMA. Select a few key works, both painting and sculpture, that best exhibit the
methodologies of early American Modernism. How does this exhibition consider the rapidly changing
American society in the first half of the 20th century? How does this exhibition capture the socio-political,
cultural influences and stylistic trends that frame the American Modern? How do these works relate to the
themes/concepts discussed in our classes on Modern Art? This paper will allow you to expand upon what you
have learned from your first paper and apply those techniques within a broader context. Since this is an
exhibition review, be careful to not only describe what you see but also to evaluate the visual material
presented in the show. In other words, you should not only use the content of the exhibition as means to
support your argument, but also address how the curatorship has impacted your experience and
interpretation of the works on display. What are the goals of the exhibition? Using specific examples,
determine whether the curators have successfully realized those goals. How are the works displayed in
relation to other works around them? How is the gallery space constructed? What role does the MOMA play
in our understanding of the exhibition (e.g. the architecture of the building, the current collection, past
exhibitions)? Due Monday, December 2nd.
Please note: Temple students receive free admission to the PMA. You must attach your ticket to your
paper to verify your attendance. For each assignment, be sure to include images and identifying
information of the works discussed in your paper. You must turn in a hard copy of each paper in class
AND submit an electronic version via SafeAssign on Blackboard before class. These are short
assignments so it is important to be concise. Make every word count!
Helpful resources for your writing:
Remember, in addition to speaking with me at any point in the process of your writing, Temple offers other
resources that you will find helpful:
1) Jill Luedke, Art History Librarian: jluedke@temple.edu
2) The Writing Center! The Writing Center is located in the Tuttleman Center, suite 201 (tel: 215-2040704); their website: http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/
3) Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010 or an
earlier edition). Chaps. 3 & 4 on “Analytic Thinking” and “Formal Analysis and Style” are especially
helpful, as is the chapter on bibliography and proper citations
4) www.writingaboutart.com
Exams (35% total)
There will be two exams: one midterm and a final exam. Each exam will include an assessment of vocabulary,
image identification, discussion, and comparison essays. A short list of images will be posted a week in
advance of the exam. The mid-term is scheduled for Monday, October 14th during class time.
The final exam is partially cumulative, in that you may be asked to recall concepts covered in class for the
previous exam. You will not, however, be asked to identify works of art that were included on the previous
exam, unless only exceptionally and stated otherwise in advance.
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The final exam is worth the most, because it will be longer in duration and will include an additional essay
dealing with a large theme(s) encompassing the entire semester. The final exam will take place during the
exam period on Friday, December 13th, 1:00-3:00 pm.
Extensions, make-ups, missed assignments and incompletes:
No extensions or make-up exams!
Incompletes are permitted only in the instance of extreme and documented medical emergency and only with
the permission of the instructor, when given in advance, and with a signed contract which specifies the date
by which the student will complete all required work for the course.
A missed test or missing paper will receive a 0 for the assignment. All assignments and exams must be
completed in order to pass this course!
Plagiarism:
Any student who cheats, plagiarizes, or fails to acknowledge his or her sources in a paper will be
reported to the appropriate authorities, will automatically fail the assignment, and risks failing the
entire course. Plagiarism includes handing in a work that is not yours, or quoting and copying another
person’s words or ideas without proper citation. You must, in any material submitted for a grade (i.e. papers),
acknowledge any sources used and properly identify any ideas that you have taken from another person. To
this end, you must footnote, endnote, or cite-in-text your sources and include a bibliography of any sources
used. Likewise, purchasing a paper over the internet or hiring an internet service to research a paper or
provide an outline and subsequently submitting any of these materials as your own work will be considered
plagiarism and dealt with in the same manner.
Students with Disabilities:
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Tyler’s
Academic Advisor Laurie Duffy at 215-777-9185 privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible.
Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable
accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students must present the appropriate
paperwork in order to receive special accommodations. Accommodations are limited to those documented by
the office of Disability Resources and Services and presented in an official letter to the faculty member.
Academic Freedom:
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has a
policy on Student and Faculty Academic Right and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02) which can be accessed
at the following internet address: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02
Student Responsibilities:
Every registered student agrees to abide by an overall set of values, principles and regulations mandated by
the university. In order for a student to remain in good standing, it is imperative that each student assumes
responsibilities throughout his/her enrollment. Students also have a number of rights, which protect their
interests. Access these rights and responsibilities, including Academic Honesty and Attendance at:
http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilitiesrights/responsibilities/responsibilities.shtm
Information on cancellation of classes to due inclement weather: The University participates with the
City of Philadelphia and local radio stations such as KYW (1060-AM), WDAS (1480-AM, 105,3-FM), WIOQ
(102.1-FM), WUSL (98.9-FM) and WPEN (950-AM), which broadcast code numbers indicating when classes
are closed because of snow or other inclement weather.
101
Day Class Cancellation
2101
Evening Class Cancellation
The most accurate and up-to-date information on class cancellations can be obtained by calling the
University’s hotline at 215 -204 -1975, and by listening to Temple’s radio station, WRTI 90.1-FM or referring
to Temple’s website at: http://www.temple.edu.
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Course Schedule and Readings: (subject to change)
Note: Readings should be completed before class on the day listed below. Any changes to the reading
schedule will be listed on the course Blackboard site. Please consult the site in advance of class to
check for changes, announcements, and handouts.
Week 1: What is Modern Art?
08/26: Course Syllabus and Requirements; Introduction to Modern Art
08/28: Modernity, Modernism and Modern Art
Discussion Reading #1: Paul Wood, “Introduction: The Avant-Garde and Modernism”
Week 2: Experimentation in Color and Form, Part 1
09/02: Labor Day Holiday (No Class)
09/04: Fauvism: Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck
Discussion Reading #2: Altshuler, “Wild Beasts Caged”
Week 3: Experimentation in Color and Form, Part II
09/09: Fauvism; Modern Sculpture: Brancusi
Discussion Reading #3: Matisse, “Notes of a Painter”
09/11: German Expressionism: Die Brücke
Discussion Reading #4: Lloyd, “The Brücke Studios”
Week 4: The Avant-Garde
09/16: German Expressionism: Der Blaue Riter
Discussion Reading #5: Kandinsky, from “Concerning the Spiritual in Art”
09/18: Cubism and Painting: Les Demoiselles D’Avignon
Discussion Reading #6: Chave, “New Encounters with Les Demoiselles D’Avignon”
Week 5: Constructed Spaces
09/23: Cubist Collage and Sculpture: Picasso, Braque, Archipenko, Lipchitz
09/25: Cubism and Purism: Léger
Discussion Reading #7: Léger: The Machine Aesthetic”
Week 6: Art and Politics
09/30: Futurism and Painting: Balla, Severini, Carrà
10/02: Futurist Painting and Futurist Sculpture: Boccioni
Discussion Readings #8: Marinetti, “The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism 1909” and Boccioni, “Futurist
Painting: Technical Manifesto”
Week 7: The Russian Avant-Garde
10/07: Cubo-Futurism, Suprematism and Constructivism
Discussion Readings #9: Malevich, “From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism” and “Suprematism”
10/09: Review
Week 8: Art as Social Commentary
10/14: Midterm Exam
10/16: The birth of Dada: Zurich, Berlin, USA
Discussion Readings #10: Tzara, “Dada Manifesto 1918” and Duchamp, “The Creative Act”
Week 9: The Readymade
10/21: Dada sculpture: Duchamp’s early career
Discussion Reading #11: Camfield, “Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain”
10/23: Dada sculpture cont.: Duchamp’s later career
Discussion Reading #12: Molesworth, “Work Avoidance”
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Week 10: Geometric Abstraction and Teaching Modernism
10/26: Neoplasticism and de Stijl: Mondrian, Van Doesburg, Rietveld (Assignment 1 due)
Discussion Reading #13: Mondrian, “Plastic Art and Pure Plastic Art”
10/28: The Bauhaus Curriculum: Kandinsky, Albers, Klee
Week 11: Craft and Industry
11/04: Assignment 2 Preparation
11/06: Textiles and Furniture at the Bauhaus: Stölzl, Bruer and Bayer
Discussion Readings #14: Gropius, “Bauhaus Program”, “Speech to Bauhaus Students”, “The Theory and
Organization of the Bauhaus”
Week 12: Enigmatic Landscapes
11/11: Surrealist Painting: Dali, Miro, Ernst, Masson
Discussion #15: Breton, “from the First Surrealist Manifesto” and Freud, “On Dreams”
11/13: Surrealist Sculpture: Arp, Giacometti
Discussion #16: Finkelstein, “The Incarnation of Desire: Dali and the Surrealist Object”
Week 13: Sexuality and Surrealism; Modernism in the USA, Part I
11/18: Women and Surrealist Art: Oppenheim, Cahun, Tanning, Carrington, Kahlo
Discussion #17: Chadwick, “The Muse as Artist”
11/20: American Modernism: The Cosmopolitan City
Discussion #18: Chave, “O’Keeffe’s Body of Art”
Week 14: Modernism in the USA, Part II
11/25: American Modernism: Social Realism
11/27: Calendar Adjustment Day (No Class)
Week 15: Course Conclusion and Review
12/02: Museum Trip Discussion (Assignment 2 due)
12/04: Review
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