Art History Minor

Participants will consider the role of family, faith and artistic inspiration in the art of Van Gogh. They will consider the impact of literature on visual art production throughout his career. For instance, Van Gogh was profoundly influenced by literature and the illustration of stories. He was a life-long reader of Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo and others. Many of the central themes and ideas of his art were rooted in literary depictions and descriptions. Students will overview Van Gogh's formal and stylistic development and how it was a response to daily life issues and problems. He used his art to navigate through life in very practical ways. He was a deep thinker on the central problems in art and art theory and his practical wisdom was legendary as expressed in his existent 900 letters.

This one semester course is offered in conjunction with a one-time exhibition at LCAD of selected small-scale bronzes by one of the most celebrated sculptors in western history. Students will discuss the personal and cultural circumstances out of which Rodin's powerful aesthetic language emerged. They will relate this historical matter directly to the handmade sculptural object contained in LCAD'S exhibition gallery--- cementing idea and image into one.

In this seminar-style course, participants will read and respond to the journal of Delacroix on a weekly basis with written responses that will be shared with the entire class. Films and slide lectures will amplify the readings/responses and provide a historical and personal context for reflection and application to the students major. There will be lectures on the color theory and graphic focus of this leader in expressive 19th century art. Additionally, some of his musical influences such as Mozart, Chopin, etc., will be played and related to Delacroix's aesthetic views. The semester study will culminate with a term paper that will overview the essential ideas & insights found in this Delacroix seminar.

This course examines the evolution of entertainment as a human and cultural activity. It looks at all forms of human amusement and its various manifestations throughout history. It explores the multidisciplinary role of artists and designer in making of entertainment productions from a historical and contemporary perspective. In additional to traditional entertainment venues that include theatrical stage, theme park and other physical local expressions, the course will examine the evolution of entertainment technologies from the early days of film and television to the present. It will provide some perspective into the future trajectories of both traditional and technological processes involving entertainment, and those creatively involved in its making.

This course is an examination of the major artists and trends in the history of illustration. The course emphasizes the development and role of illustration as an art form. Major fields covered include posters, comics, animation, computer graphics, editorial and advertising illustration, and book and magazine illustration. Required for Illustration majors.

The course examines the development of animation from its inception through present-day manifestations in television, films, and the Internet. Major animators and key works are analyzed and discussed. Required for Animation majors.

An introductory examination of the arts of China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, and the Himalayas. This course uses the Asian collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Norton Simon Museum, and other public and private exhibition spaces for a close examination of the form and content of Asian artworks. The course will include lectures, guided readings, documentary resources, and required fieldwork.

This course seeks to trace the sources of the Western representational tradition from the nineteenth century to the present day. A key concern of the class will be to define the very nature of realism as an artistic perception. The demise of the so-called avant-garde has opened up an enormous diversity of artistic approaches, many of which are figurative. The course will examine some of these recent developments. This course is required for Fine Arts majors.

This course chronicles the history and evolution of game design while reflecting on its immediacy through the Internet and game culture trends. Students examine the social and artistic influences in computer-mediated communications, and consider game theory principles while examining the motive, strategy, competition, and psychology of the game.