Modernism: From Realism to Modern Art

Additional course fees apply to this course. Please reach out to your Prague Program Manager for additional information about these fees.

Course Description
This course traces the beginning of Modernism to Realism of the second half of the 19th century and presents the hi/story of Modern art to the post World War II point when New York replaced Paris as the world’s art center –the point when the modernist agenda of re-thinking all traditional values and radically redefining and extending their meanings was fulfilled literally and thus had reached its own limit. We will study and discuss painting, sculpture, and architecture and gain understanding of major twentieth-century stylistic movements, situating them within the historical, philosophical, social, and political contexts in which they arose. The classroom lectures will be combined with excursions to museums, art galleries, and historical sites relevant to the topics covered in the class

Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Define the term “modernism,” and explain what makes particular works of art “modernist”.
• Describe the general characteristics of the most important modern art movements.
• Associate works of modern art with specific modern art movements based on the style and subject of the works.
• Know the principal artists from each movement, and be able identify their most important works.