An examination of the major trends in French art: Rococo, Moralism, Neoclassicism in the
18th century; Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism in the 19th century; and the relationship of art to the ideas of the time.
Prerequisites:
Good knowledge of French
Method of presentation:
Two 90-minute class sessions per week, including lecture and discussion. Historical and theoretical background information is provided by the instructor using slides whenever possible to illustrate content and generate further discussion and analysis.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: French
Required work and form of assessment:
1. Regular attendance and participation (25%)
2. Mid-term exam: Written analysis of slides of paintings (25%)
3. Final exam: Written analysis of slides or a research paper based on application of theory to concrete examples of works of art (50%)
content:
The legacy inherited from the 17th century includes the hierarchy of genres, or classification of paintings according to specific themes, "historical painting” being the dominant genre, and the importance of drawing, called into question at the end of the century with the "querelle du coloris" which pitted Rubens’ aesthetics against Poussin’s. These two trends, emphasized in the course introduction, serve as the main reference point throughout the chronological study of the two centuries. Continually contested and revived, these two trends eventually disappeared in late 19th century.
Eighteenth century painting is said to originate with Watteau. Yet, it is his blurred figures and ambiguous themes which struck his contemporaries when his "Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère" was first displayed at the Académie. The term "fêtes galantes," applied to this painting and the series which followed, evokes the pleasure - occasionally tinged with melancholy - and the new representation of nature evident during this period. Similar themes recur in Lancret’s work, in the decorative and “modernized” mythological themes of Boucher and Natoire, and in Fragonard’s masterpieces. These artists catered to an aristocratic clientele whereas the bourgeoisie preferred the paintings of Greuze and still lifes by Chardin. The latter, considered a representative "bourgeois" painter, stripped the still life of its symbolic quality ("Allegory of the Five Senses" and "Vanities") and gave the genre an emotional quality never before seen. Did the fall of the “ancien régime”, the cult of Reason, and the advent of Neoclassicism herald a change in the Académie's doctrine? The primacy of drawing is evident, at least in the school of David. Additional topics include the works of Ingres versus those of Delacroix, often contrasted and described as a new "querelle du coloris," and the princpal characteristics of romantic painting.
As for the notion of genres, the Realist painters’ (Courbet, Millet and Duamier) opposition to “noble themes” is examined, as are new themes resulting from a combination of landscape art and historical painting- Corot, the Barbizon school, Impressionism - and the gradual rise of painting sur le motif.
Finally, Impressionism is discussed, particularly the works of Monet and Manet. The impact and influence of the Impressionists and Cezanne's work are the starting point for the follow-up course.
The choice of artistic works studied will be made on the basis of those paintings either on permanent exhibit in Paris, e.g., at the Louvre, or as part of a special exhibit. Group field trips can be arranged depending upon student interest. All students are expected to visit museums on their own throughout the semester and build on their background knowledge.
Required readings:
The main course goal being art appreciation through direct and close contact with works of art, required reading is minimal. Rather, the following list of libraries with available reproductions is given to students.
GENERAL LIBRARIES
Bibliothèque Publique d'Information. Centre Georges Pompidou, 12-22h sauf mardi
Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de la Sorbonne. 9h-22h. Bibliothèque
Interuniversitaire Ste Geneviève, 8 place du Panthéon.
Bibliothèque de l'Université de Paris IV au Grand Palais Perron. Alexandre III, Cours la Reine Bibliothèque du Centre Universitaire de Clignancourt, rue Francis de Croisset (pour ces deux dernières, consulter le livret de l'étudiant Paris IV)
La Bibliothèque Nationale is not accessible to undergraduate students.
LIBRARIES SPECIALIZING IN ART HISTORY
Bibliothèque Forney, Hotel de Sens, 3 rue du Figuier.
Bibliothèque des Arts Decoratifs, rue de Rivoli.
Bibliothèque d'Histoire de l'Art (Paris I, Paris IV) Institut d'Art, 3, rue Michelet 2nd floor.
Bibliothèque de la Galerie du Grand Palais: only for catalogs of recent exhibits.
Les Bibliothèques de l'Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs (rue d'Ulm) et de l'Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts
(rue Bonaparte, quai Malaquais) should be accessible with a student I.D. card.
History Of French Art: 18Th And 19Th Centuries
An examination of the major trends in French art: Rococo, Moralism, Neoclassicism in the
18th century; Romanticism, Realism and Impressionism in the 19th century; and the relationship of art to the ideas of the time.
Good knowledge of French
Two 90-minute class sessions per week, including lecture and discussion. Historical and theoretical background information is provided by the instructor using slides whenever possible to illustrate content and generate further discussion and analysis.
LANGUAGE OF PRESENTATION: French
1. Regular attendance and participation (25%)
2. Mid-term exam: Written analysis of slides of paintings (25%)
3. Final exam: Written analysis of slides or a research paper based on application of theory to concrete examples of works of art (50%)
The legacy inherited from the 17th century includes the hierarchy of genres, or classification of paintings according to specific themes, "historical painting” being the dominant genre, and the importance of drawing, called into question at the end of the century with the "querelle du coloris" which pitted Rubens’ aesthetics against Poussin’s. These two trends, emphasized in the course introduction, serve as the main reference point throughout the chronological study of the two centuries. Continually contested and revived, these two trends eventually disappeared in late 19th century.
Eighteenth century painting is said to originate with Watteau. Yet, it is his blurred figures and ambiguous themes which struck his contemporaries when his "Pèlerinage à l'île de Cythère" was first displayed at the Académie. The term "fêtes galantes," applied to this painting and the series which followed, evokes the pleasure - occasionally tinged with melancholy - and the new representation of nature evident during this period. Similar themes recur in Lancret’s work, in the decorative and “modernized” mythological themes of Boucher and Natoire, and in Fragonard’s masterpieces. These artists catered to an aristocratic clientele whereas the bourgeoisie preferred the paintings of Greuze and still lifes by Chardin. The latter, considered a representative "bourgeois" painter, stripped the still life of its symbolic quality ("Allegory of the Five Senses" and "Vanities") and gave the genre an emotional quality never before seen. Did the fall of the “ancien régime”, the cult of Reason, and the advent of Neoclassicism herald a change in the Académie's doctrine? The primacy of drawing is evident, at least in the school of David. Additional topics include the works of Ingres versus those of Delacroix, often contrasted and described as a new "querelle du coloris," and the princpal characteristics of romantic painting.
As for the notion of genres, the Realist painters’ (Courbet, Millet and Duamier) opposition to “noble themes” is examined, as are new themes resulting from a combination of landscape art and historical painting- Corot, the Barbizon school, Impressionism - and the gradual rise of painting sur le motif.
Finally, Impressionism is discussed, particularly the works of Monet and Manet. The impact and influence of the Impressionists and Cezanne's work are the starting point for the follow-up course.
The choice of artistic works studied will be made on the basis of those paintings either on permanent exhibit in Paris, e.g., at the Louvre, or as part of a special exhibit. Group field trips can be arranged depending upon student interest. All students are expected to visit museums on their own throughout the semester and build on their background knowledge.
The main course goal being art appreciation through direct and close contact with works of art, required reading is minimal. Rather, the following list of libraries with available reproductions is given to students.
GENERAL LIBRARIES
Bibliothèque Publique d'Information. Centre Georges Pompidou, 12-22h sauf mardi
Bibliothèque Interuniversitaire de la Sorbonne. 9h-22h. Bibliothèque
Interuniversitaire Ste Geneviève, 8 place du Panthéon.
Bibliothèque de l'Université de Paris IV au Grand Palais Perron. Alexandre III, Cours la Reine Bibliothèque du Centre Universitaire de Clignancourt, rue Francis de Croisset (pour ces deux dernières, consulter le livret de l'étudiant Paris IV)
La Bibliothèque Nationale is not accessible to undergraduate students.
LIBRARIES SPECIALIZING IN ART HISTORY
Bibliothèque Forney, Hotel de Sens, 3 rue du Figuier.
Bibliothèque des Arts Decoratifs, rue de Rivoli.
Bibliothèque d'Histoire de l'Art (Paris I, Paris IV) Institut d'Art, 3, rue Michelet 2nd floor.
Bibliothèque de la Galerie du Grand Palais: only for catalogs of recent exhibits.
Les Bibliothèques de l'Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs (rue d'Ulm) et de l'Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts
(rue Bonaparte, quai Malaquais) should be accessible with a student I.D. card.