ARTH 365 Studies in 17th and 18th-Century Art and Architecture

• Tuesdays, 2:45 - 5:30 pm
• Instructor: Dr. Laurence Garneau

This course provides an overview of the main artistic and architectural developments in Europe from 1600 to 1790. The focus is on Italy, the Netherlands, France, Britain, Spain, and their American colonies. Topics include European politics, scientific revolutions, cultural practices, and artistic institutions, examined in relation to artistic styles such as Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical. Key figures such as Caravaggio, Gentileschi, Bernini, Velázquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Poussin, Le Brun, Mansart, Hogarth, or David will be discussed in light of fundamental texts in art history, alongside a critical perspective on linear and biographical approaches.

Through a combination of lectures, discussions, workshops, readings, a museum visit, and visual analyses, students will develop their critical thinking skills. They will explore the role of women in academia, the meaning of colonial architecture today, how economics influences art production, and the limits of historical periodization. At the end of the semester, they will have mastered technical vocabulary and will be able to explain relationships between artistic and historical events. They will also be able to analyze 17th-18th-century paintings, sculptures, and architectures, as well as other artistic mediums such as engravings and textiles.