20th Century Art

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This art appreciation course is designed for students with no or little background in Art who would like to try a Humanities? subject for their general culture and to better appreciate museums and esthetics while in Paris. It can also serve for Art Minors who would like to learn more about specifically 19th century French Art. A quick survey of late 19th century French art and civilization provides the background for Europe and America?s renowned movements over the next century.
All class lectures and discussions are illustrated with slides of works of art. Four museum visits give direct access to great works allowing students to develop a critical eye and get the most out of the experience.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
It is hoped that the students will:
- Acquire a certain connoisseur's eye? able to notice beauty in all aspects of everyday life.
- Develop an awareness of the civilization reflected in works of art and of the particular ways each individual artist responded and created his/her own approach.
- Recognize and differentiate the style (palette and brushwork) of over 20 styles.
- See that many solutions are possible for the same problem and use one?s esthetic component (gut feeling) instead of always seeking a rational justification.
- Understand how to evaluate and appreciate quality directly especially in a realm where quantitative data has no bearing.
- Learn to enjoy museums and visit them in the future as a pleasant pass-time.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand and properly apply the artistic terminology acquired in the course,
- Exercise their capacity of visual memory to identify works.
- Change their concepts of time and participation, by slowing down their viewing so they can relish a single image instead of having to zap by several per second to satisfy a limited attention span.
- Compare and contrast any artworks in such a way that hidden connections and meanings come to light.
- Organize thoughts and opinions into well-written critiques.
- Cultivate ?sensibility and appreciation? which includes noticing design and beauty in everyday life
- Understand the notions of harmony, balance, order, pattern, creativity, etc. not only in esthetic objects but also, by extension, in any domain including management and economics