Art and Culture in Fin-De-Siecle Europe

3 units

This course presents an examination of painting, photography, and the decorative arts in France during the period between the two World's Fairs of 1889 and 1900. Artistic movements include Symbolism (Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Redon), later Impressionism (Monet and Morisot), Neo-Impressionism (Seurat and Signac), and Art Nouveau. Thematics include urban leisure and cafe culture, the agrarian ideal, the promises and threats of science and technology, the lure of the primitive, and the impact of nationalism and feminism on the arts. Prerequisites: L01 215 and any 300-level course in 19th-century art, literature, or history; or permission of instructor.