How has the human body been represented in painting and sculpture at different times and places in world history? How do we make sense of paintings and other ways that the world is represented in two dimensions? How do art museums shape the meaning of the art they display? What are the limits and possibilities of the different materials and techniques of art making? How does art reveal the ways that people at different moments in history understand their world? These are the kinds of core questions explored in this introductory course, which gives students the tools they need to understand art and to effectively communicate what they see.

ARH 101 is an introduction to the study of visual culture, touching on regions and periods from the prehistoric to present. The emphasis is on form and context, helping students acquire an understanding of art materials and techniques. It includes the study of original works of art in the Birmingham Museum of Art and architecture in metropolitan Birmingham.

How has the human body been represented in painting and sculpture at different times and places in world history? How do we make sense of paintings and other ways that the world is represented in two dimensions? How do art museums shape the meaning of the art they display? What are the limits and possibilities of the different materials and techniques of art making? How does art reveal the ways that people at different moments in history understand their world? These are the kinds of core questions explored in this introductory course, which gives students the tools they need to understand art and to effectively communicate what they see.

ARH 101 is an introduction to the study of visual culture, touching on regions and periods from the prehistoric to present. The emphasis is on form and context, helping students acquire an understanding of art materials and techniques. It includes the study of original works of art in the Birmingham Museum of Art and architecture in metropolitan Birmingham.

The study of ancient art history begins with Prehistoric, Near Eastern and Egyptian art that attempts to make sense of the universe through paintings, carvings, and buildings. Prehistoric people grappled with life and death in a harsher environment than ours. Nonetheless they responded in a way perfectly familiar to modern people--to look at the heavens and wonder why. The stage was then set for the blossoming of artistic invention on the part of the Greeks and Romans. The greatness of public art, such as temples and theatres, is a central focus of Greco-Roman art history, with the private art of the period seen in the beautiful homes and bathhouses, ornamented with mosaics and frescoes. The last section of material is on the acceptance and growth of Christian art in the Byzantine church and the Medieval age through Gothic. Islamic art and architecture is also examined in this survey course.

This class explores canonical works of art from the Early Renaissance to the contemporary era with a focus towards the western perspective. By studying the style, creation, purpose, and meaning of art throughout history, this course aims to provide a more cohesive understanding of how art functions in society. Since art history is concerned with history as much as with art students will not only look a lot of art works, they will examine changes in style over time, consider how people responded to particular works of art in the past and the present, and come to understand what factors influenced those responses. Guiding themes for this class include the changing nature of patronage (who commissions the artwork and pays the artist to make it) and its effect on art; the role of gender in terms of who makes the art work, what it looks like, and who uses it; and the growth of national and/or regional issues and their reflection in art.

How did the image of the Buddha change and develop as Buddhism spread from India, to China, to Japan? How does a Hindu temple work? Why did Japanese artists have such a strong affinity for images of ghosts and demons? Why don’t Chinese brush painters employ scientific perspective in their landscapes? We’ll answer these and many other questions in this survey of the arts of South Asia (India, Pakistan, Afghanistan) and East Asia (China, Japan, Korea). By examining in depth a few characteristic works of art from each tradition, we will not only discuss the distinctive artistic styles, forms, and aesthetics of each region, but also will also explore the mutual influences that motivated the creation of these works of art. An implicit objective of the course is to call into question the Eurocentrism of "art" as a concept. No prior coursework or experience is necessary.