The New School -- Spring 2005
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The End of Art: Postwar Culture and Criticism in the U.S.
  

Timothy R. Quigley

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Course Description

In the mid-1980s, the American philosopher and critic Arthur Danto and the renowned German art historian Hans Belting -- unaware of one another's activities -- declared the end of art and asked whether the history of art had reached a similar fate. Others jumped on the bandwagon declaring the death of painting, modernism, narrative, and even history itself. In the wake of an unprecedented, dramatic, and influential wave of artistic production and criticism in the U.S. after the Second World War, which included the work of New York School painters such as Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko, and the writings of Clement Greenberg, Harold Rosenberg, and Thomas Hess, the age of the epilogue was born. In this course, we critically re-examine post-war visual culture with particular emphasis on "late modernist" art and criticism. Through careful study of the images and essays that shaped the culture of the '40s, '50s, and '60s, we assess the meaning and implications of the claim that art is exhausted and consider the prospects for constructing new ways of understanding and experiencing visual culture "after the end of art".

Requirements for Credit Students

There will be weekly reading assignments, response papers [25% of the grade], discussions [25%] and two papers -- a midterm and a final [25% each].

Response Papers: Each week credit students will post to the course weblog a very brief (1-2 page) response to the assigned reading for the week. These papers will not be given a letter grade but will contribute to the grade for participation, as indicated above.

Since class meetings are relatively short, careful preparation for discussion is essential. Responding in writing to the issues discussed in the text is the best way to formulate an understanding and to clarify and refine your own views. (This, obviously, applies to all of us -- credit and non-credit, teachers and students.) During class lectures and discussions, every attempt will be made to clarify the material and to situate our readings in a philosophical context.

> Statement on Academic Honesty

> Resources for Writing and Research

TBA

Course Packet [CP]

Schedule of Readings and Discussion Topics -- TBA on or before Jan 05.

Revised 21 Jul 04


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