French Avant-Garde Artists from 1905 to 1960: From Fauvism to New Realism
AHIS 3001 PCFS
In English
Wednesday 15.30 to 18.30
Prof. Nicolas Baudouin
e-mail : [email protected]
Course description :
This course will introduce the students with the Parisian art scene of the first part of the 20th
century. From Fauvism to New Realism, covering major movements such as Cubism,
Abstraction, Dada, Surrealism, etc… students will be exposed to different methods of art
historical research: formal analysis of selected works, iconography and its shifts in time and
meaning, biography of the artists as a mean of interpretation.
Another equally important objective of the course is to enjoy these major pieces of art using
the resources of Paris through museum visits.
Original, creative and independent thinking is encouraged.
Learning objectives: The students will be able to identify the major French avant-garde
movements of modern art and their main representative artists as well as their masterpieces.
They will get the references to produce an analysis of a specific art piece from the French
modern art scene.
They will get an appropriate background in order to better appreciate/understand
contemporary art.
Course prerequisites: None.
Course Requirements: See below.
Methods of Instruction: The class time at the center will be structured as lecture-seminar with
slides. Discussion and questions are anticipated from every student. A consistent amount of
course time will involve museum visits.
Texts:
A course pack will be given to the students at the beginning of the semester.
It is recommended that students refer to the following books to familiarize themselves with
broad currents of art history:
A History of Art by H. W. Janson
Modern art, Impressionism to Post-Modernism, Edited by David Britt, Thames & Hudson
The Story of Modern Art, Norbert Lynton, Phaidon
Assessment and Final Grade:
- Mid-term exam (25%) will cover slides lectures, museum visits and assigned readings.
Students will be expected to identify works of art they have seen with titles, and dates,
name styles and discuss them in relation to course content.
-
An individual 7 pages research paper (25%). The paper, which should incorporate
illustrations and endnotes or footnotes, should have a clear thesis and critical references.
-
Oral presentation (25%): A 15 mn. oral presentation on the subject covered by the
research paper in order to communicate to the others students of the group the interest and
the conclusion of such research.
-
Final exam (25%). There will be a slide quiz and a three to five pages paper with a clear
argument on a general subject covering the whole program.
Attendance is mandatory and will be documented. More than two absences will be
detrimental to your grade. Eating and using a cell phone is forbidden during classes.
Instructor availability : Individual meeting with the instructor is encouraged in order to
discuss the subject and the thesis chosen for the presentation/essay. Feel free to contact me to
arrange an appointment.
Dates : : March 12 : midterm exam
April 23, 30 and May 7 : Students oral presentations
May 7 : final paper due
May 14 : final exam
- Week 1 : Jan 29
Introduction to course scope.
Post-Impressionism.
Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne., Seurat.
- Week 2 : Feb 5
Visit to the Musée d’Orsay at 3.00 pm. Résa n° O288650
- Week 3: Feb 12
Fauvism and the work of Henri Matisse
Readings :
Modern art, David Britt, “Fauvism and Expressionism”, p 109 to 158.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Henri Matisse: notes of a Painter”, p 69 to 75.
Modern art : Key art works, Christophe Domino, « Henri Matisse, Colour as architect », p. 27
to 31
- Week 4: Feb 19
Cubism and the work of Picasso
Readings :
Modern art, David Britt, “Cubism, Futurism and Constructivism”, p 159 to 201.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Guillaume Apollinaire: The Cubists, and On
the subject in Modern painting p 185 to 187.
Modern art : Key art works, Christophe Domino, « Pablo Picasso : Form exploded », p. 49 to
53.
- Week 5 : March 5
The pioneers of abstraction (1)
Kandinsky, Mondrian
Visit of the Musée national de la ville de Paris at 3.30 pm.
- Week 6: March 12
Midterm
- Week 7: March 19
The pioneers of abstraction (2)
Malevich
Readings :
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Piet Mondrian: Dialogue on the New Plastic
and Neo-Plasticism : The General Principle of Plastic Equivalence”, p 284 to 289
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Alfred H Barr Jr from Cubism and Abstract
Art p 381 to 383
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, ”Kasimir Malevich : From Cubism and
Futurism to Suprematism : The New Realism in Painting”.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Wassily Kandinsky from Concerning the
Spiritual in Art”, p 82 to 89
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Wassily Kandinsky : The Cologne Lecture”, p
89 to 93.
Modern art : Key art works, Christophe Domino, « Kandinsky, inner colour » p 33 to 37.
Modern art : Key art works, Christophe Domino, « Mondrian, pure form » p 61 to 65.
- Week 8: March 26
Dada
Readings :
Modern art, David Britt, “Dada and Surrealism” p 203 to 251
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, ”Marcel Duchamp, The Richard Mutt Case, p
252.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Tristan Tzara, Dada Manifesto 1918, p 252 to
257.
Modern art : Key art works, Christophe Domino, « Francis Picabia, the picture with no
painting » p 71 to 75.
- Week 9: April 2
Surrealism
Readings :
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “André Breton, from the first Manifesto of
Surrealism, p 447 to 453.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “André Breton, Surrealism and Painting, p 457
to 463.
- Week 10: April 9
Abstraction after 1940 : Fautrier, Dubuffet, Mathieu, Soulages, de Staël…
Readings :
Modern art, David Britt, “Abstract Expressionism : Europe”, p 285 to 303.
Art in theory, Charles Harrison & Paul Wood, “Jean Dubuffet, Notes for the Well-Lettered
and Crude Art Preferred to Cultural Art”, p 603 to 608.
-
Week 11: April 23
New Realism : Yves Klein, Arman, Martial Raysse, Cesar, Hains, Spoerri etc…
Students oral presentations
Readings :
Modern art, David Britt, “Pop : Europe”, p 350 to 357.
- Week 12: April 30
Students oral presentations
Visit of the Centre Pompidou at 4.00 pm résa n°
- Week 13 : May 7
Students oral presentations
Final paper due
- Week 14 : May 14
Final exam