NI Ming-Tsuey
(PhD. Art History, University of Louisville, USA)
Assistant Professor, Art and Design Department
Research area: 19th and 20th European Art History, History of architecture, Art Theory and Criticism, Feminist Art History
(PhD. Art History, University of Louisville, USA)
Assistant Professor, Art and Design Department
Research area: 19th and 20th European Art History, History of architecture, Art Theory and Criticism, Feminist Art History
Course Objectives:
This course investigates the foundations of the discipline of art history, examines the basis and prejudices of western art historical traditions, explores a variety of methodological approaches employed by art historians, and assesses current critical and theoretical issues which are redefining the field. The subjects of readings include formalism, iconology, semiotics, Marxism, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, deconstruction, post-colonialism, etc. This is a seminar course and the emphasis will be on class discussion of the readings.
Course Outline:
Week 1
Introduction to the course
Week 2
Formalism
1.Clement Greenberg, “Modernist Painting,” in Harrison, Art in Theory 1900-1990, 754-760.
Iconography and Iconology
1. Svetlana Alpers, “Interpretation without Representation, or, The Viewing of Las Meninas,” in Fernie, 281-290.
Week 3
Marxism and the Social History of Art
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Marxism and the social history of art,” in Art History, 120-142.
2. Paul Wood, “Commodity,” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 382-406.
Week 4
3.Howard Becker, “Art as Collective Action,” in Tanner, 85-95.
4. Susan Sontag, “Against Interpretation,” in Art History and Its Methods, ed. Fernie, 214-222.
Week 5
Feminism
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Feminism,” in Art History, 145-173.
2. Nanette Salomon, “The Art Historical Canon: Sins of Omission,” in Preziosi, 344-355
Week 6
3. Amelia Jones, “Postfeminism, Feminist Pleasures, and Embodied Theories of Art,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 383-395.
Week 7
4. Craig Owens, “The Discourse of Others: Feminists and Postmodernism,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 335-351.
Week 8
Gay and Lesbian Studies
1. Whitney Davis, “Gender” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 330-344.
2. Richard Meyer, “Identity,” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 345-357.
Week 9
3. Judith Butler, “Gender is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion,” in Thornham, Feminist Film Theory, a Reader, 381-395.
Week 10
Intertextuality and the death of the author
Week 11
Semiotics
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Semiotics,” in Art History, 200-221.
2. Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson, “Semiotics and Art History : A Discussion of Context and Senders,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 242-256.
Week 12
Deconstruction and Postmodernism
1. David Phillips, “Photo-Logos, Photography and Deconstruction,” in The Subjects of Art History, 155-177.
Week 13
2. Craig Owens, “The Allegorical Impulse: Toward a Theory of Postmodernism,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 315-328.
Psychoanalysis
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Psychoanalysis,” in Art History, 174-198.
Week 14
2. Griselda Pollock, “The Image in Psychoanalysis and the Archaeological Metaphor,” in Psychoanalysis and the Image, 1-29.
Week 15
3. Steven A. Levine, ‘Between Art History and Psychoanalysis,I/Eye-ing Monet with Freud and Lacan,” in The Subjects of Art History, 197-212.
4.Margaret Olin, “Gaze,” in Critical Terms for Art History, 318-329.
Week 16
Postcolonialism and Multiculturalism
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Postcolonialism,” in Art History, 223-239.
2. Homi K. Bhabha, “Postmodernism/Postcolonialism,” in Nelson and Shiff, in Critical Terms for Art History, 435-451.
Week 17
3. Timothy Mitchell, “Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 409-423.
4. Annie E. Coombes, “Inventing the ‘Postcolonial’: Hybridity and Constituency in Contemporary Curating,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 486-497.
Implementation method:
The class sessions will be devoted to discussion. Students are expected to come to class having completed reading assignments and ready to participate in class discussion.
Grading Policy:
Weekly reading and participation (20%)
Three presentations (One 15-20-minute presentation to introduce the assigned texts to the class.) (40%)
Critical comments of readings (20%)
Research paper (20%)
References:
Cheetham, Mark A., Michael Ann Holly and Keith Moxey, eds. The Subject of Art History: Historical Objects in Contemporary Perspectives. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Fernie, Eric, ed. Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology. Phaidon, 1996.
Hatt, Michael and Charlotte Klonk. Art History: A Critical Introduction to its Methods. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 2006.
Nelson, Robert and Richard Shiff, eds. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Pollock, Griselda, ed. Psychoanalysis and the Image. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Preziosi, Donald. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Tanner, Jeremy, ed. The Sociology of Art: A Reader. London: Routledge, 2003.
Thornham, S. ed. Feminist Film Theory, a Reader. Edingurgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999.
Course Objectives:
This course investigates the foundations of the discipline of art history, examines the basis and prejudices of western art historical traditions, explores a variety of methodological approaches employed by art historians, and assesses current critical and theoretical issues which are redefining the field. The subjects of readings include formalism, iconology, semiotics, Marxism, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, psychoanalysis, post-structuralism, deconstruction, post-colonialism, etc. This is a seminar course and the emphasis will be on class discussion of the readings.
Course Outline:
Week 1
Introduction to the course
Week 2
Formalism
1.Clement Greenberg, “Modernist Painting,” in Harrison, Art in Theory 1900-1990, 754-760.
Iconography and Iconology
1. Svetlana Alpers, “Interpretation without Representation, or, The Viewing of Las Meninas,” in Fernie, 281-290.
Week 3
Marxism and the Social History of Art
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Marxism and the social history of art,” in Art History, 120-142.
2. Paul Wood, “Commodity,” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 382-406.
Week 4
3.Howard Becker, “Art as Collective Action,” in Tanner, 85-95.
4. Susan Sontag, “Against Interpretation,” in Art History and Its Methods, ed. Fernie, 214-222.
Week 5
Feminism
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Feminism,” in Art History, 145-173.
2. Nanette Salomon, “The Art Historical Canon: Sins of Omission,” in Preziosi, 344-355
Week 6
3. Amelia Jones, “Postfeminism, Feminist Pleasures, and Embodied Theories of Art,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 383-395.
Week 7
4. Craig Owens, “The Discourse of Others: Feminists and Postmodernism,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 335-351.
Week 8
Gay and Lesbian Studies
1. Whitney Davis, “Gender” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 330-344.
2. Richard Meyer, “Identity,” in Nelson and Shiff, Critical Terms for Art History, 345-357.
Week 9
3. Judith Butler, “Gender is Burning: Questions of Appropriation and Subversion,” in Thornham, Feminist Film Theory, a Reader, 381-395.
Week 10
Intertextuality and the death of the author
- Roland Barthes, “From Work to Text,” in Art in Theory, 965-970.
- Pierre Bourdieu, “But Who Created the ‘Creators’? ” in The Sociology of Art: A Reader, ed. Tanner, 96-104.
- Natalie Heinich, “The Van Gogh Effect,” in Tanner, 122-131.
Week 11
Semiotics
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Semiotics,” in Art History, 200-221.
2. Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson, “Semiotics and Art History : A Discussion of Context and Senders,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 242-256.
Week 12
Deconstruction and Postmodernism
1. David Phillips, “Photo-Logos, Photography and Deconstruction,” in The Subjects of Art History, 155-177.
Week 13
2. Craig Owens, “The Allegorical Impulse: Toward a Theory of Postmodernism,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 315-328.
Psychoanalysis
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Psychoanalysis,” in Art History, 174-198.
Week 14
2. Griselda Pollock, “The Image in Psychoanalysis and the Archaeological Metaphor,” in Psychoanalysis and the Image, 1-29.
Week 15
3. Steven A. Levine, ‘Between Art History and Psychoanalysis,I/Eye-ing Monet with Freud and Lacan,” in The Subjects of Art History, 197-212.
4.Margaret Olin, “Gaze,” in Critical Terms for Art History, 318-329.
Week 16
Postcolonialism and Multiculturalism
1. Hatt and Klonk, “Postcolonialism,” in Art History, 223-239.
2. Homi K. Bhabha, “Postmodernism/Postcolonialism,” in Nelson and Shiff, in Critical Terms for Art History, 435-451.
Week 17
3. Timothy Mitchell, “Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Order,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 409-423.
4. Annie E. Coombes, “Inventing the ‘Postcolonial’: Hybridity and Constituency in Contemporary Curating,” in Preziosi, The Art of Art History, 486-497.
Implementation method:
The class sessions will be devoted to discussion. Students are expected to come to class having completed reading assignments and ready to participate in class discussion.
Grading Policy:
Weekly reading and participation (20%)
Three presentations (One 15-20-minute presentation to introduce the assigned texts to the class.) (40%)
Critical comments of readings (20%)
Research paper (20%)
References:
Cheetham, Mark A., Michael Ann Holly and Keith Moxey, eds. The Subject of Art History: Historical Objects in Contemporary Perspectives. Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Fernie, Eric, ed. Art History and its Methods: A Critical Anthology. Phaidon, 1996.
Hatt, Michael and Charlotte Klonk. Art History: A Critical Introduction to its Methods. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 2006.
Nelson, Robert and Richard Shiff, eds. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Pollock, Griselda, ed. Psychoanalysis and the Image. Blackwell Publishing, 2006.
Preziosi, Donald. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Tanner, Jeremy, ed. The Sociology of Art: A Reader. London: Routledge, 2003.
Thornham, S. ed. Feminist Film Theory, a Reader. Edingurgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1999.