AMST 462 - Art of California: "Sunshine or Noir"

Institution:

Williams College

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

California has long been considered a land of "sunshine and noir," unique in the national and international imagination as a land of physical recreation and destruction, a land of opportunity and social unrest. In this course, we will study the visual arts and culture of California from the 1960s to the present. Although we will focus on southern California, particularly Los Angeles, we will also consider movements in San Diego and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area. The course will approach California pop, conceptual, funk, performance, installation, public, and media arts to pursue questions of influence and interpretation concerning the relations between space, place, identity, and style in the visual arts and popular culture. Alongside analyzing California's visual culture, we will examine the region's cultural geography through historical and theoretical readings. Particular attention will be given to the region's special relations to Hollywood, the automobile, beach-surf culture, and the great diversity that characterizes the state.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

ArtH 101-102

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Seminar

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.williams.edu

Phone Number:

(413) 597-3131

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Four-one-four plan

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