Picasso

Professor Darius Spieth School of Art

This class will give students an opportunity to explore in-depth the life and work of Pablo Picasso, arguably the most important visual artist of the twentieth century. We will study Picasso in the broader framework of the evolution of modern art, and relate key events in his artistic career to currents in twentieth-century history, politics, social developments and intellectual discussions. Attention will be given to the influences of non-Western cultures on Picasso, particularly African art and its colonial context, and the controversies about “primitive art” they spawned. Guest lectures and museum visits will supplement and enrich class discussions. As capstone projects, students will curate a hypothetical exhibition on the subject of “Picasso and Otherness,” as well as write and present a research project.