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CS92PROD
Eccentricity, Gender, and Occidentalism in Edo-Period Art (1615-1868)
ARHA 276
Spring 2025
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: CEAS 246

The course will explore the history and artistic production of Japan's Edo period (1615-1868). This was a time of unprecedented peace, a time of social, economic, and political change that brought new modes and manners of visual expression and a sharpened focus on the individual artist. New trends in artistic identity emerged during this period, particularly those related to eccentricity, gender, and Sinophilia (love of Chinese culture). We will study the major artists and artistic movements of the Edo period, considering how these new trends found expression in the works of art produced during this time. Formal examination of the material and expressive qualities of works of art will be followed by a consideration of how other factors such as location, social background, education, and the religious faith of the artist are visible in the works they produced. The interplay between historical and artistic movements will be examined through discussion of issues such as materiality and medium, patronage and individuality, and traditionalism and poetic expression. Students will become familiar with the various media employed by Japanese artists, the techniques of painting and printing, and the sources and theories that inspired the innovative objects under investigation. More broadly, this course aims to teach students how to "read" Japanese art, how to look at a work of Japanese art and understand what it is they are seeing.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ART
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Graded
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Requirement for: (ARHA-MN)(ARHA)(ARST)(CEAS-MN)(CEAS)(CEAS-Lit&Cult)
Past Enrollment Probability: 75% - 89%

Last Updated on NOV-24-2024
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