American Art, 1865 to 1968: Philadelphia's Collections
This course covers the history of American art from the close of the Civil War to the social and political turmoil of 1968, with a focus on the rich collections of American art available in Philadelphia. Held at the Barnes Foundation, this course will offer students the opportunity to see the breadth of Philadelphia’s American collections in person. Each week, we will visit the Barnes collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. We will discuss many key Philadelphia artworks, including Thomas Eakins’ Portrait of Dr. Samuel D. Gross (The Gross Clinic) (1875, held by PAFA and the PMA), Henry Ossawa Tanner’s The Annunciation (1898, at the PMA), and the large volume of paintings by Charles Demuth held at the Barnes. We will also use lectures, readings, and discussions to examine how this art reflected and influenced key social, political, and cultural upheavals during this time period, including changes in race relations, the role of women, the status of immigrant populations, industrialization, and international relations. Broad themes will include the evolving definition of “American art,” the changing narrative of American art history, and related shifts in national identity. Assignments will give students the chance to develop their own art historical voices through visual analysis and research.