ARTH 388 Narration and Art

• Wednesdays, 2:45 - 5:30 pm
• Instructor: Dr. Vanessa Parent

Narration is the process or action of telling a story. In literary criticism, narratology examines the the function and structure of narratives, and the way they are perceived by their audience. The visual arts have long been used as a device to represent and even construct narratives whether for didactic reasons, knowledge transmission, or visual pleasure. Taking on a global approach and resisting traditional art historical periodization, this course will investigate the relationship between storytelling and the visual arts. Through close examination of artworks and analysis of their cultural contexts, and with the support of key texts in art history and literary theory, this course will examine the formal strategies employed by artists to tell stories in visual form including devices to convey point of view, temporal progression, and symbolic meaning. It will tease out the ‘why’s’' and ‘how’s’ of narrative in visual art while considering medium and modes of viewing to unpack the broader social and political stakes of the works examined. Themes and topics discussed will include mythmaking, propaganda and power; counter-narratives and subversion; identity and traditional knowledge transmission; and world-building. Finally, with an emphasis on creative approaches to writing about art, students can also expect to develop innovative frameworks for the discussion and analysis of artworks.