Contemporary Art History: Art Since 1945
Dr. Susan Maxwell
Class Meets:
Office Hours:
Contact:
ART 322-101 C
Summer Session I
Sage Hall, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 1:00 - 4:30 p.m.
A&C - 510, Tuesdays, 11:00-12:00 a.m.
Other times may be scheduled by appointment
e-mail: maxwells@uwosh.edu
telephone: 424-7064
Course Description:
Art Since 1945 begins with the New York School of post-war America, moves on to look at
the rise of pop and minimal art in the early 1960s, followed by studies of movements such as
earthworks and environmental art, conceptual art, and performance art. Challenges to
modernism and traditional painting and sculpture appear in the 60’s and 70’s, making the
question of postmodernism a central question of the course, both chronologically and
thematically. The second half of the course looks such issues as the return to representation,
technologies of reproduction and communication, concerns for audience and public art, the
role of museum and art market, and the work of artists from outside the mainstream.
Textbooks:
Cynthia Freeland. But is it art? An Introduction to Art Theory. Oxford University Press, 2002.
Required.
Jonathan Fineberg. Art Since 1940: Strategies of Being, 3rd Ed. Prentice Hall, 2010.
Required.
Sylvan Barnet. A Short Guide to Writing About Art, 9th Ed. Prentice Hall, 2008/2009.
Recommended.
Requirements:
Attendance: The success of this course depends on students being active participants!
Attendance is expected and required. Because our time together is so condensed, missing
even one class will put you behind. Arriving late or leaving early will be counted as an
absence. Any absence could affect your final grade.
Field Trips: Art has to be seen to be experienced. Watching a slide lecture or looking at
something on-line is preparation only and can never be a subsitute for experiencing the real
thing. Our museum field trips are an integral and culmative part of this course. See the
schedule below for the times and dates. The trips to the Milwaukee Art Museum (June 18)
and Chicago (June 27) are subsidized by the art department, but students will have to pay
for entry to museums (Museum of Contemporary Art - $7.00 and Art Institute of Chicago $12.00, both with student i.d.).
Reading and Participation: Reading assignments and lecture topics are listed below by
date due. Quizzes and exams will cover materials from lectures and readings. It is the
responsibility of the student to take note of which images are shown in class. If you must be
absent, you should contact a classmate with requests for notes. I will not provide any image
lists or lecture notes to students.
Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings by the due date and be
prepared to participate in discussions. I strongly suggest taking notes while you read; this
will help you retain the information for reference during discussions and will be very useful
when studying for exams. It goes without saying that attendance affects participation!
D2L: Grades will be available on D2L after the assignment in question has been returned.
You should check your university e-mail and D2L on a regular basis.
Disability Accommodation and Notification: Students seeking reasonable
accommodations for disabilities must self-identify with the appropriate Dean of Students so
that arrangements can be made. Students should inform me of any special needs and present
relevant documentation by the end of the first week of class. The contact information is
given below for your convenience:
Contact for Disability Services: Debbie Gray Patton, Assistant Dean of Students
Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, 125 Dempsey Hall
Email: graypatt@uwosh.edu
Website: http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/disabilities
Phone: 920-424-3100
/TDD: 920-424-1319
Fax: 920-424-2405
Academic Integrity at UW-Oshkosh: By studying at this university you are entering into a
community of scholars where honesty is vital to maintaining an atmosphere of mutual trust
and respect. The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is committed to a standard of academic
integrity for all students. Students are subject to disciplinary action for academic
misconduct, which is defined in UWS 14.03, Wisconsin Administrative Code.
It is the individual student's responsibility to familiarize themselves with the standards of
academic honesty. The student discipline code can be viewed on the web at:
http://www.uwosh.edu/dean/studentdisciplinecode.html
In this course, violations of academic integrity will result in a grade of zero for the
assignment in question. Violations include, but are not limited to:
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giving or receiving assistance from another classmate on any quiz or exam
using books or notes for quizzes or exams unless explicitly requested by me to do so
misrepresenting attendance in class by signing the roll for another student, or having
another student sign the roll for you
plagiarism, including improper citation of sources
Electronic Etiquette: All electronic devices should be turned off and stored in a bag or
backpack before class begins. Cell-phone conversations, texting, twittering, etc., will not be
tolerated during class time. Laptop computers and other electronic devices may not be used
in class.
Grades:
Grading is based on a standard ten-point scale. Your grade is determined as follows:
Museum Paper:
Response papers:
Discussion:
20%
10%
10%
Quizzes:
Test I:
Test II:
10%
25%
25%
Museum Paper: One 3-5-page paper based on a comparison of two works of art chosen
from the museums we visit. This paper requires museum attendance and direct observation
of works of art in the museums. Anyone unable to participate in the field trip, will be given
an alternative assignment of a 12-15-page research paper. See due dates below. Late papers
will be graded down.
Quizzes: There will be several short, objective quizzes. Quiz dates and content will be
announced in class.
Response Papers: Students will write a short response paper for each chapter of Freeland’s
But Is It Art? The paper should briefly summarize and then provide a critical response to
the content of the chapter. There will also be a short response paper due after our trip to the
Milwaukee Art Museum.
Discussion: Each class will have a significant portion devoted to a seminar style discussion
of issues raised in readings, in lectures and during museum visits. Students are expected to
be pro-active in raising issues and questions for discussion. Do not expect to get better than
a passing grade (C) for just showing up.
Test I: Covers material from the lectures and readings. It will consist of slide i.d.'s, short
answers, and essays. See the schedule for the date.
Test II: The format will be similar to the Test I, but also will include a cumulative essay
that will draw from broad issues covering the entire course.
**NOTE: All quizzes and exams are required and NO MAKE-UP EXAMS will be
given. There are no extra credit assignments. Failure to take a test or exam on the
scheduled date will result in a grade of “0” for that component. Students with a
documented medical or family emergency should contact the Dean of Students so
that all of their instructors can be notified and appropriate accommodations made.
Lecture Schedule and Reading Assignments:
WEEK I
From Abstract Expressionism to Post-Painterly Abstraction
June 11
Prologue – Defining Modernism from Manet to Malevich
Fineberg, Chapters 1 & 2; Freeland, Introduction
June 12
Abstract Expressionism: Hoffman, Pollock and de Kooning
Fineberg, selections from Chapters 2, 3 & 4
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 1
June 13
Post Painterly Abstraction: Newman, Rothko and Smith
Fineberg, selections from Chapters 4, 5, & 6
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 2
WEEK II
The Sixties and early Seventies
June 18
Milwaukee Museum Trip
June 19
The Beat Generation and Pop Art
Fineberg, Chapters 7 & 9
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 3
June 20
Minimalism and Site Specific Art
Fineberg, Chapter 10
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 4
TEST I
WEEK III
Performance, Concept, and the Return to Painting
June 25
Return to Painting: Neo-Abstraction and the European Response
Fineberg, Chapter 8 & 13
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 5
June 26
View from the Outside: Feminism and Identity
Fineberg, Chapters 11 & 12
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 6
June 27
Field Trip Contemporary Art Museum & Chicago Art Institute*
*This is an all day trip: bus leaves at 7:00 a.m. & returns at
approximately 10:30 p.m
WEEK IV
Questions of Postmodernism and Identity
July 2
New Media and Institutional Critique
Fineberg, Chapters 14,15 & Epilogue
For discussion: Freeland, Chapter 7 and Epilogue
July 3
TEST II
July 4
Legal Holiday – No Class
Paper due