An investigation of the different definitions and issues of minimal art including seriality, materials, process, objecthood, chance, installation, reception, relations to music and film, and the influence of structuralism.

An introduction to the major artists, movements, and debates in photography in Europe and North America, from its prehistory to the turn of the century. Issues considered include the relationship of social class to aesthetics, the role of illusion, the rise of mass reproduction.

Examination of the historical development of the cultures of exhibition in Nineteenth-Century Europe, and the diversity of venues displaying works of art and nature. Historical and theoretical overview is complemented by case studies which include investigations of private cabinets of curiosity, encyclopedic museums, commercial galleries, side-shows, and world's fairs.

An examination of the visual arts in Canada from the 1960’s to the present. A large and diverse range of media, practices, artists, and theoretical contexts will be examined. Emphasis is placed on work that can be seen in the original.

Ecological art is a focus in contemporary global art. We examine ecoart’s antecedents in the landscape genre and Earth Art and the diverse theoretical and disciplinary perspectives that inform our understanding of these movements. Artists include Burtynsky, Eliasson, Long, Mendieta, Netco, Smithson, Turrell. Readings include Deleuze, Heidegger, Latour.

This course surveys late imperial Chinese decorative arts from the Song (960-1127) through Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. It focuses on ceramics/porcelain, textiles, and furniture, attending especially to works in Toronto collections. Students will read primary and secondary sources to learn how decorative arts shaped daily life in imperial China.

East Asian images differ from Western ones in material support, format, and technologies of image-making. This course probes how East Asian images -- painting on objects, handscrolls, prints, optical media, film, and new media – work.

An overview of the visual culture (monuments to films) of South Asia form the Indus Valley Civilization (3500 BCE) to the contemporary. Focus on visual literacy, stylistic evolution, major concepts and the first-hand study of objects.

Architecture and architectural theory ca. 1400 – ca. 1600.

Architecture studied through its various building types and in its urban context. Themes include architecture and power under Absolutism, and the rise of the modern city.

In-depth examination of the modern movement in architecture, with particular focus on European avant-gardes of the early twentieth century. Emphasis on close reading of buildings, architectural research methods, and writing skills.

The study of various aesthetic, cultural, social, political, and theoretical aspects of art and photography across the centuries.

This course investigates the changing definition of Jewish art and the status of Jewish artists. Other issues explored include Jewish-Christian visual polemics, the construction of individual and communal Jewish identity through art, architecture, and texts, and the conceptual transformation of Jewish craft and ritual objects into art.

Study and practice in the variety of writing genres and styles associated with art history and contemporary criticism. Students will develop skills in writing for museum exhibitions and publications, reviews and criticism, academic analysis, and writing for popular print and media. Regular and frequent writing assignments. Recommended for FAH majors and specialists.

Investigates the development of art and architectural history as an academic discipline and method of analysis including discussion of varied approaches such as formalism, connoisseurship, post-colonialism, feminism, queer studies, psychoanalysis, and material studies. The course explores the relationship of art history to other disciplines including archaeology, literary criticism, film studies, and anthropology. Suggested for all Specialists and students considering graduate study in art history.

Through site visits and local resources, this course looks at the history of Spanish art and architecture, including the various work created by the diverse religious and political groups of the Iberian peninsula. The specific focus of the course may vary from year to year.

Studies Abroad in Ancient Art and Architecture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Studies Abroad in Medieval Art and Architecture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Studies Abroad in Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Studies Abroad in Modern and Contemporary Art and Architecture.

Studies Abroad in Canadian Art and Architecture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Studies Abroad in Asian Art and Architecture. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Studies Abroad in Architectural History. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

An instructor-supervised group project in an off-campus setting. Details at https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/academics/research-opportunities…. Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Investigation of the wall-paintings of the Minoan, Cycladic and Mycenaean worlds in the second millennium BC: context, associations, viewing and historical interpretations.

Around 2000 BC, the island of Crete sees the emergence of what are arguably the earliest towns and states in European prehistory. At the heart of this new social order are the so-called ‘palaces’, massive architectural complexes usually interpreted as seats of administrative and political authority. However, fresh discoveries over the past two decades, coupled recently with radical new interpretations, require a fundamental rethinking of the nature of the palaces and their role in Minoan society. This course will provide students with an active opportunity to learn about the latest developments in Minoan art, architecture, and archaeology.

The Greek god Dionysos presents a multifaceted entry point into exploring Ancient Greek art, culture, religion and history. This course is a comprehensive exploration of the figure of Dionysos, from his obscure pre-historic beginnings of foreign origin, to his transformation into other post-classical entities, spanning Christianity to Buddhism. A substantial part of the course deals with his representations in Greek art, and the god's relationship to the Greeks as the governing figure of many important facets of their lives: drinking practices, sexuality, the performative arts, and the transition into the afterlife through the notion of eternal bliss. The course reading draws on art historical literature, as well as primary sources, and theoretical texts regarding religion and cultural practices.