Art History: The Global 19th Century

Selected aspects of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of Europe and North America during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Material and emphasis vary with instructor. Representative topics: The Global Avant Garde; African-American Art; History of Photography. May be repeated for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisite: ARTH 1018, ARTH 1420, FTS 1420, or FTS 1430.

Prereqs enforced by the system: ARTH 1018 or 1420 or FTS 1420 or FTS 1430 PACE students by permission and override

This course examines the visual cultures of the 19th century from a global perspective, challenging Eurocentric narratives of artistic modernity. As industrialization, imperial expansion, and political revolutions reshaped societies, artists responded by negotiating tradition, innovation, and cross-cultural exchange. We will explore painting, photography, sculpture, architecture, and decorative arts from regions including Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, considering how artistic production was shaped by colonialism, resistance, and shifting notions of national and cultural identity. Topics include Orientalism and its critiques, Indigenous responses to colonial visuality, the role of photography in empire, and transoceanic artistic networks. Through primary sources, critical texts, and case studies, students will develop an understanding of the 19th century as a dynamic period of artistic transformation that continues to inform contemporary debates about globalization and cultural heritage.