Forgotten after the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer’s work was slowly rediscovered in France in the 1860s. Within years, some of his distinctive characteristics, including his taste for intimate, psychologically charged interiors and a sensitivity to light and color, found reflections in works by artists such as Whistler, Degas, and Vuillard—and later, Edward Hopper. Art historian Aneta Georgievska Shine examines the facets of the "Vermeer effect" among French painters, those in other parts of Europe, and in the United States. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
As soon as television began in the late 1940s, advertising was a vital part of the picture. Media historian Brian Rose examines how advertising evolved during television’s first two decades and the important role it played in convincing viewers that the key to happiness was to buy their way into the American dream.
In 1839, five young women in Boston formed a conversation society “to answer the great questions” of special importance to women: "What are we born to do? How shall we do it?" Scholar and author Randall Fuller examines how these women—all remarkable thinkers and artists who played pathbreaking but often-overlooked roles in the transcendentalist movement—helped form the foundations of American feminism.
During India’s colonial period (1757–1947), the British imperial system sought out Indian resources for exploitation and had a dramatic impact on the traditional arts and crafts of the subcontinent. Art historian Robert DeCaroli traces the rising influence of European powers in South Asia. Topics include the late art of the Mughal Empire, Company painting, Orientalism, photography, traditional crafts for domestic and foreign markets, Indo-Saracenic architecture, and colonial museums. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
At its peak, the Roman empire extended from Britain to the Sahara Desert, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Euphrates River. Yet in 476, the last western Roman emperor was deposed. In a 4-part series, historian David Gwynn analyzes the dramatic events which shaped the decline and fall of the Roman empire in the west, exploring the transformation from the ancient to the medieval world that laid the foundations for modern Europe. This session focuses on the fourth-century Roman empire.
What can tiny bits of burned seeds, bones, and even invisible residues on cups and plates tell us about the food and cooking of the past? Archaeologists combine paleontology, geochemistry, medicine, art history, and dozens of experiments to understand what our ancestors ate by their campfires, in their kitchens, and at their banquet tables. Archaeologist Katherine Moore serves up the latest insights on nutritional anthropology.
Working amid the vibrant creativity of 15th-century Florence, the sculptor Donatello emerged as one of the most innovative and influential artists of the Renaissance. A true master of technique, he revolutionized sculpture by breaking new ground in both the methods he employed and the forms he developed. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo delves into the life and artistry of Donatello, who explored the human experience with a boldness and depth that still resonates, leaving behind a legacy of works that seem remarkably modern in their emotional complexity and technical execution. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
For approximately five centuries during the second millennium B.C.E., the Egyptian city of Thebes served as the backdrop for the construction of a bewildering array of religious temples, memorial complexes, and royal tombs. Historian Justin M. Jacobs introduces the chief cultural, religious, and political themes of the monuments of ancient Thebes: the Karnak and Luxor temples of the East Bank, the memorial temples of the West Bank, and the necropolis in the Valley of the Kings.
