ARTH 450 Advanced Seminar in the History of Art and Architecture: Architecture and the 'Synthesis of the Arts', 19th-20th century

• Instructor: Dr. Nicola Pezolet

This undergraduate seminar provides a critical overview of various European movements that promoted the synthesis of art and architecture, beginning in the 19th century up until the middle decades of the 20th century (Richard Wagner’s theater and the “total work of art”, the Gothic Revival, the Arts and Crafts movement, the Werkbund, Art Nouveau, the Bauhaus, International Constructivism, Neo-Plasticism, Surrealism, etc.). We will analyze how the synthesis of the arts discourse, which defended the beneficial role of art forms such as painted murals and carved reliefs in domestic and public spaces, gained momentum in the European cultural press, and how its proponents embraced specific ideologies in order to secure forms of institutional, economic, and political support. Through active class discussions, we will attempt to identify different interdisciplinary issues and questions via the close examination of primary sources written by artists and architects themselves. How did artists and architects write on such topics as devotion, utility, ornamentation, gender, and national identity? How did they use their artistic practice to respond to important world events like the rise of revolutionary and counter-revolutionary movements, the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and decolonization? Projects under consideration will be both secular and religious: they include the decoration and interior design of permanent buildings and structures (such as churches, factories, train stations, ocean liners, offices, houses, and apartment complexes), temporary architectural installations in world fairs, outdoor art exhibitions, urban pageants, and polychrome architectural schemes.  The seminar will also consider the significant transatlantic exchanges between Western Europe and the Americas at mid-century. The objective of the seminar is to gain a better understanding of art and architecture in their socio-cultural contexts and specific historiographic and critical debates related to twentieth-century European cultural production.