History of Art 272.001 Twentieth Century Art: Modernism, the Avant Garde, the Aftermath

In this course we explore the work of major 20th-century European and American artists, examining the changes that took place in the idea of a modern art from the avant-garde initiatives of the early part of the century, through the various forms of modernism and realism of the mid-century, to the postmodernism of the latter part of the century. Two issues dominate the survey: first, the ways in which modern and avant-garde artists have interrogated the nature of signification itself (i.e., how form produces meaning) and, second, how their commitment to radical artistic change relates to ideas of political transformation and revolutionary politics. This course is designed to assist you in developing the vocabulary, and the analytical and visual tools, that are essential in order to come to grips with the great diversity of works and critical debates that constitute the history of 20th-century art. (Haywood)