Art History 258 AMERICAN ART: Painting and Sculpture until 1918 Spring 2000 Maurie D. McInnis

Campbell 160 MWF 10:00-10:50AM Office: 203 Peyton Annex Office Telephone number: 243-8651 Office hours: Mon. 2:00-3:00P & Wed. 2:00-4:00P (or by appointment) e-mail: McInnis@virginia.edu

The final will consist of 3 types of questions: objective identification, slide pairs and a comprehensive essay.

Objective identification: In this section you will be given a series of terms or questions that you will be expected to identify and explain (examples: "explain the significance of 291" or "What is genre painting?") Number to be determined, but there will be some choice involved (example: choose 3 of 4).

Slide pairs: You will next be shown a series of slide pairs (probably three or four). You will be expected to identify these images by artist, title, and approximate date (+/- 10 years). You are responsible for those images that were discussed in class that are also included in your textbook or on the class website. While identification counts, what you write in your answer is of greater importance. The slide pairs will each be accompanied by a question that should focus your discussion. The images shown will help you in your discussion, but you should also feel free to refer to other paintings in your answer. You will have about 15 minutes for each question, so come prepared to write quickly and efficiently. Your answer is expected to be in the form of an essay: i.e., complete sentences, paragraphs, some sense of an introduction and a conclusion. As you study you should concentrate on substantive matters such as themes, ideas, and connections between works of art, such as those suggested below.

Be sure you consider the following:

• Genre painting - stereotyping and class - the relationship between art for the elites and art for the masses
• Representations of women in Neoclassical sculpture
• America vs. Europe - with the tensions between "American themes" and art based on European precedent - consider especially: Homer/Eakins vs. Whistler, Cassatt, and Sargent
• Various movements and schools - such as The Eight, the Ashcan School, Realism, Impressionism, the Steiglitz Circle
• Changing subject matter in the early 20th century — the tensions between the realist, representational mode and abstraction and modernism — urban vs. rural subject matter

Do not forget your readings. Chapters 6-9, 11-13, & 15 in Reading American Art.

Comprehensive Essay. The last hour+ of the exam will consist of an in-class essay. In your essay you will be expected to draw on material from the entire semester. Below, I list three questions, two of which will appear on final; you will have to select one. You are advised prepare ideas for at two of these questions, then you are guaranteed to be prepared for at least one. In your essay you will expected to be specific in the works of art you discuss (that is, you will need to list artist, title, and date). The best essays will address the question posed, draw from material spanning the entire semester, incorporate material from the readings, and be well organized, thematic, and comprehensive.

1. In an article on Mary Cassatt, Susan Fillen Yeh writes,

An important activity of feminist art history is the analysis of works of art which challenge inauthentic or stereotypic images of women...The radical sensibility of Cassatt's oeuvre is her belief that, as she said, 'women should be someone, not something.'

Drawing examples from the colonial period through the early part of the 20th century, discuss the images created of women by both male and female artists and the ways in which they either fit into or challenge the stereotypic images of women.

2. Clearly one of the most divisive political issues facing America today is the subject of race — last year President Clinton launched an "initiative on race," Affirmative Action programs are being attacked, and the Cavalier Daily continues to address issues of bias and segregation at the University. The roots of America's racial divide were laid when slavery became a race-based institution during the colonial period. In the history of American art, many artists have commented on race in America. Some have done this from the perspective of white culture upholding racial stereotypes, while others have challenged racial stereotypes. Drawing examples from the colonial period through the early part of the 20th century, discuss images that comment on race in American society.

3. Near the end of his career, when asked about the future of American art, Thomas Eakins commented:

If America is to produce great painters and if young art students wish to assume a place in the history of the art of their country, their first desire should be to remain in America to peer deeper into the heart of American life, rather than spend their time abroad obtaining a superficial view of the art of the Old World.... It would be far better for American art students and painters to study their own country and portray its life and types. To do that they must remain free from any foreign superficialities.

The history of American art has been marked by this tension between European precedent and a distinctly American style or subject matter. Drawing examples from the colonial period through the early 20th century, discuss examples of European influence and American divergence. That is, discuss examples of works that clearly relate to European conventions and works that state a clearly American point of view. At some point express your own opinion on Eakins's statement. In order to be an "American" artist, is it necessary to remain free of foreign influence?

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