Intro to South Asian Art

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course offers a survey of South Asian art and architecture from prehistory to the contemporary moment. Students will examine both canonical and lesser-known works of art including examples of early Buddhist stupas and sculpture, Hindu cave temples, monumental architecture and miniature painting of the Mughal era, “Company” painting, art and architecture under the British Raj, modernism, and contemporary art. Special attention will be given to intersections between art and religion (Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and Islam), art and conquest, gender and sexuality, transcultural exchange and hybridity, the impacts of colonialism and postcolonialism, and South Asian art in museums. Through a combination of close looking, critical reading, and class discussion, students will gain an understanding of the religious ideas, political events, and socio-cultural forces that have shaped the visual culture of South Asia across time. Finally, the course is designed to prepare students for more advanced courses in the department. Students will become familiar with the discipline of art history and its knowledge-making techniques including formal analysis, comparative analysis, and critical contextualisation.