History of Abstract Art

ART HIS 850.31

This course charts the development of abstraction, one of the dominant styles of 20th century art.

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What you can learn.

  • History of Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism and Fauvism
  • History of Cubism, Futurism, Russian Constructivism, De Stijl and Dada
  • History of Post-Painterly Abstraction, Neo-Expressionism, Abstraction in the Postmodern and digital eras
  • Field trips to The Broad and MOCA to see works in person

About this course:

In this course, we chart the development of abstraction, one of the dominant styles of 20th century art. We examine its origins in post-Impressionism, track its evolution through various early modernist movements to its frenzied apex in Abstract Expressionism, and survey present day variations. More than just a visual style, abstraction is explored as a philosophy, with often-spiritual overtones assigned it by its practitioners.

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Speak to a program representative. Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm.
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