Red, White and Blue Artists: The History of American Art

Some of the oldest cave paintings are in France. The Renaissance blossomed in Florence and Paris was the art center of the Modern art styles. In 1913, some of the styles were introduced to American at the artist-organized Armory Show. Shortly after, America was the hot bed for the new and avante garde in the art world: Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, Minimalism. How did these styles begin? What came before them? Why was American tagging behind and then how did we jet ahead of the rest of the world in our visual arts innovation? And where do we stand now? This course will examine artists, styles and artworks that are unique to America and students will become familiar with American trends in art history.