The course surveys the history of Western painting from the late 18th century to the turn
of the 20th.  The styles and movements covered range from neo-classicism to romanticism,
realism, impressionism, and post-impressionism.  While most of the works examined are the
products of European cultures, some American painting is also included; French painting is most
heavily represented.  The course follows a roughly chronological track, but there is a strong
emphasis on themes, issues, and comparative methods of approaching, interpreting, and writing
about works of art and their makers.  The issues include considerations of social class, race, and
gender, along with the new economic and cultural conditions created by industrialism, capitalism,
and national expansion in the modern period.  The category of the "modern" itself is also under
review.  Along with the standard movements, we will be talking about the art market; images and
social relations of the artist; pictorial ideas of masculinity and femininity; the situation of women
as subjects and makers of art; Orientalism; representation of blacks and other socially
marginalized groups; representations of work; and the impact of new technologies and social
conditions on urban and rural landscapes and how they were painted.
There is one required text (S. Eisenman, Nineteenth-Century Art, and a selection of other
readings from a variety of sources.  Projected assignments include: two short papers, one museum
exercise, and two exams, plus in-class activities designed to offer practice in "reading" and
interpreting images.