ornamental motif  LISTSERV DISCUSSION ornamental motif
(revised 5/09)
The Listserv discussion is a substitute for the dialogue that would take place in the traditional classroom.  Weekly, one or more discussion questions pertaining to your chapter reading, the online 'lecture,' and other weekly tasks will be posted here to start the exchange.  Each student is required to contribute every week to the discussion by responding to the initial question posed and/or comments and questions made by the other students.  If the initial posted question has been answered by a classmate, add something new to the conversation and/or pose a new (but related) question to the class.  Each week's discussion will end by midnight on Saturday of the designated week, and the subsequent week's discussion will begin on Monday.  Please do not carry the last week's discussion over to the following week if you did not get your comments in on time. All discussions should be sent to the Listserv address at ART1304S@ACCDVM.ALAMO.EDU. (Note that since the Listserv discussion is equivalent to your class attendance, one point will be deducted from your final course grade for each weekly discussion missed.)
WEEK  1 (August 24-28)

Introduce yourself to the other members of the class by telling us your reason for taking the course and any art background you have had (other art/art history course you have taken, interest in making art, museum experience, etc.). 

Discussion question:  What are some of the factors that contributed to the emergence of the Renaissance in late fourteenth- and early fifteenth-century Europe, and how did those factors condition art production? (You need not name every factor, just begin by discussing one or two.)  (Chapter 19)
 
WEEK  2 (August 31-September 4)

Discussion question: Discuss how various fifteenth-century Flemish painters attempted to introduce the idea of the 'real' and everyday 'reality' into their works in terms of both form (figures, spatial compositon, etc.) and subject matter.   What new ideas and materials helped them achieve theses goals?   Do you think new sources of patronage influenced their move towards greater 'reality'? (Chapter 20)
 
WEEK  3 (September 7-11)

Discussion question: Discuss the concept of 'imitation' as it applies to the working procedure of early Renaissance artists and architects.  Give examples of how both invented upon works from the past.  (Chapter 21)


WEEK  4 (September 14-18)

Discussion question: Although Mannerists artists and architects departed from many of the standards of the High Renaissance, is there evidence to claim that some artists/architects traditionally considered as 'High Renaissance' really exhibited many 'mannerist' traits in their work?  Give examples.  (Chapter 22)
 
WEEK  5 (September 21-25)

Discussion question:  Compare and contrast the artistic personalities of Mattais Grünewald and Albrecht Dürer.  How does each draw from and invent upon earlier traditions? (Chapter 23)

 
WEEK  6 (September 28-October 2)

Discussion question:  Discuss the religious, cultural and aesthetic factors that contributed to Baroque art in Italy and Spain.  (Chapter 24)
 
WEEK  7 (October 5-9)

Discussion question:  Discuss the political, economic, scientific and/or religious factors that help transform the arts of 17th-century Northern Europe. (Chapter 25)
WEEK  8 (October 12-16)

Discuss the influence that Islamic expansion and British rule had on the arts of India after 1100.   Discuss the religious and artistic influences on the art and architecture of Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam.  How did these southeast Asian countries transform traditional sculpture and structures to suit their needs?  (Each of you need not answer all of these questions; just continue the discussion of these ideas where the last person left off.)   (Chapter 26)
   
WEEK 9 (October 19-23)

Discussion question:  How is the concept of 'harmony' expressed in Chinese painting, architecture, and city planning?  How does this approach compare to that exhibited in European culture in the 16th through 19th century?  (Chapter 27)

Discussion question:  Discuss the role of nature and natural materials in the art and architecture of Japan.  How do materials contribute to content?  (Chapter 28)
WEEK 10 (October 26-30)

Discussion questions:  What ideas and interests helped to revive the classical style in Neoclassical sculpture, painting, and architecture?  (Chapter 29)
What were some of the artistic and cultural influences from which Romanticism evolved.   Discuss the many ways Positivism manifested itself in late-nineteenth-century painting, sculpture, and architecture (think of concepts such as accuracy to nature and honesty to materials). (Chapter 30)
WEEK 11 (November 2-6)

Discussion question:  How did optical theories contribute to the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist styles?   What are some of the political, cultural, scientific and philosophical factors contributing to to modernism, and how did those factors help transform the art of the late 19th century?  (Chapter 31)
WEEK 12 (November 9-13)

Discussion question:  What were some of the artistic, political, and social issues that spurred Modernist trends in early 20th-century art and architecture?  Relate the influencing factors to specific modern movements and/or artworks.  (Chapter 35)
WEEK 13 (November 16-20)

Discussion question:   Discuss the increasingly important role that popular culture plays in contemporary art.  Where do you think contemporary art is headed next?  (Chapter 36)
WEEK 14 (November 23-27)

Discussion question:  The artifacts from the Aztec, Inca, and indigenous North American cultures, that we now claim as works of art, were originally functional objects for the people who made them.  Discuss the difference between European and indigenous cultures' perception of object making.  How do these perceptions influence the appearance of the objects produced by both cultures?  How do these differences affect our interpretation and understanding of the artifacts/artworks?  (Chapter 32)
 
WEEK 15 (November 30-December 4)

Discussion question: Discuss how art and life are fully integrated in the Pacific cultures examined in your book.  Thinking about rituals and the objects made for them, compare Pacific and African cultures.  What aspects of African and Oceanic art appealed  to European Modernists?  Why?  (Chapters 33 & 34)
 
FINAL WEEK (December 7-11)             NO DISCUSSION
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