In art, the 20th century has been referred to as "The American Century." Artists in the USA have a tradition of creating new visual languages, of using new ideas and technologies, and of representing the vanguard. Where did these ideas originate, and how has the USA determined our notions of what art is? This survey course focuses on modern American artists, on the evolution and growth of modern visual culture, and on how technologies and societies impact on artistic taste. The course will address the ways that artists imagine the particularities of the regional environment and the presence of the U.S. in the context of displacement, migration and globalization. Of specific interest will be the questions of identity, place, economies of the image, techniques of vision and styles of observation.
In art, the 20th century has been referred to as "The American Century." Artists in the USA have a tradition of creating new visual languages, of using new ideas and technologies, and of representing the vanguard. Where did these ideas originate, and how has the USA determined our notions of what art is? This survey course focuses on modern American artists, on the evolution and growth of modern visual culture, and on how technologies and societies impact on artistic taste. The course will address the ways that artists imagine the particularities of the regional environment and the presence of the U.S. in the context of displacement, migration and globalization. Of specific interest will be the questions of identity, place, economies of the image, techniques of vision and styles of observation.
