20th Century Art 1 (360-1-1)

Topic

European Modernisms, 1900-1945

Instructors

Adrienn Kacsor

Gabrielle Christiansen

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G30: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

This lecture course examines modern art and culture in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century, a period marked not only by ongoing European imperialism and colonialism, but also by the end of major empires (such as the Austro-Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman empires) and the birth of new nation states within Europe. How did artists in Europe engage with the experience and legacy of colonialism? How did they respond to the rupture of old political regimes and the consequent rise of extreme political ideologies both on the left and the right? We will study the key modernist movements, including Primitivism, Cubism, Futurism, Suprematism, Activism, Bauhaus, international and Soviet Constructivism, Dada, Surrealism, socialist realism, and Zenitism. Focusing on both the major European centers of the avant-garde and the less canonical, "other" Europes, we will explore how artistic practices related to new technologies, changing gender structures, revolutions, mass-scale wars, and a new type of mass commodity culture.

Class Materials (Required)

All readings will be available on Canvas.

Class Notes

Please use the following link for Art History waitlist information: https://arthistory.northwestern.edu/courses/2023-2024/registration_waitlist.html

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Global Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity