Chair, Professor Michael Marlais

Professors Harriett Matthews, David Simon, and Marlais; Associate Professor Scott Reed; Assistant Professors Bevin Engman, Vèronique Plesch, and Ankeney Weitz; Visiting Assistant Professors Dee Peppe, Garry Mitchell, Gail Spaien, and Thaddeus Tuleja; Adjunct Instructors Samuel Atmore, Jere DeWaters, and Nancy Meader; Mark Iwinski

The Art Department includes practicing artists and art historians. With special studios for drawing, photography, printmaking, and sculpture, the department offers a curriculum that allows students not only to explore the intrinsic nature of materials and techniques but also to develop their own expressive abilities. Art history offerings are designed with the recognition that artistic products of any period are related to the social, political, and cultural concerns of that period. Students at Colby are able to approach art from both a practical and historical perspective and thus are better able to understand the total experience of art.

Requirements for the Major in Art
Any two of the following three courses: Art 111, 112, 173. Art 131 and one course in any three of the following four groups:
(1) Art 311, 312, 313, 314
(2) Art 331, 332, 333, 334
(3) Art 351, 352, 353
(4) Art 273, 274, 376
and three additional graded art courses, which may be art history or studio courses in any proportion, making a total of nine courses.

The point scale for retention of the major applies to courses taken in the department. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory.

Students planning to continue the study of art or art history in graduate school should confer with their advisors to be sure that they have planned a substantial and adequate course of study. Art history graduate programs generally require reading proficiency in two foreign languages.

Attention is called to the interdisciplinary major in American studies.

Requirements for the Concentration in Studio Art
For students who are fulfilling the major in art, the studio concentration is offered to provide a broadly founded studio sequence that will assist in the development of skills and strengthen portfolios for any anticipated graduate studio work. Additional requirements are: Art 221 and 222, or equivalent. The studio concentration must include at least a four-course sequence in either painting, printmaking, or sculpture among the requirements for the major, for a total of 12 courses. Students should make every effort to complete the drawing requirement as early as possible, thus allowing their advanced studio work to build upon that experience.

Requirements for the Concentration in Art History
For students who are fulfilling the major in art, the art history concentration is offered to prepare the student for graduate work in the field. In addition to the standard requirements for the major, art history concentrators must take each of the survey courses (Art 111, 112, 173) and two additional art history courses, making sure to have at least one in each of the four distribution areas listed under requirements for the major. Art history concentrators are required to take an art history seminar at the 300 level or above, for a total of 12 courses.

Requirements for the Minor in Art
An art minor is available and should be constructed according to the student's interests and on the advice of an Art Department faculty member. The art minor requires at least seven art courses, including Art 131 (or 161 and 162), two of the following: 111, 112, 173; and four additional courses at the 200 level or above.

COURSE OFFERINGS

111f    Survey of Western Art    A survey of the history of painting, sculpture, and architecture: Egyptian pyramids through Gothic cathedrals. Four credit hours.  A.    MARLAIS, PLESCH, SIMON

112s    Survey of Western Art    A survey of the history of painting, sculpture, and architecture: Renaissance Italy through contemporary America. Four credit hours.  A.    MARLAIS, PLESCH, SIMON

113j    Photography    An exploration of photography as a creative medium, providing students with the basic information needed to produce black and white photographs. Topics include camera functions, lens functions, film processing, printmaking, and aesthetics. Considerable out-of-class time required. Evaluation will be based on effort and proficiency. Students must have a 35mm camera. Nongraded. Estimated cost for materials: $85. Two credit hours.    DEWATERS

114j    Pottery    An introduction to forming clay by pinching, making slabs and coils, and wheel throwing; decorating and glazing; and firing in an electric kiln. Historical and theoretical issues will be discussed. Nongraded. Estimated cost for materials: $35. Two credit hours.    MEADER

115j    Advanced Photography    An exploration of the more advanced technical controls available to the black and white photographer: the Zone System, applied photographic chemistry, parametric testing, etc. Students unfamiliar with the terms need not be intimidated. Daily shooting assignments, group and individual critiques, and discussions of aesthetic questions designed to expand students' personal photographic vision. Class meetings, additional assignments, and darkroom work. Required: a working knowledge of basic black and white development and printing techniques and an adjustable 35mm or larger format camera, one with shutter speed and aperture that can be set manually and with either a built-in or hand-held light meter. Nongraded. Estimated cost of materials and membership in the Colby Photographers for darkroom access: $165. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Two credit hours.    ATMORE

131fs    Foundations in Studio Art    A rigorous introduction to the major materials and media of studio art through projects involving design, drawing, and painting. A range of aesthetic possibilities is presented, and the student is encouraged to explore a variety of approaches. Out-of-class work is essential. No prior experience is required. Students who consider continuing in studio art courses are strongly urged to complete Art 131 in their first year at Colby. Three credit hours.  A.    FACULTY

159j    Creativity and Communication    The nature of the book as a means of communication and as an art form. Students will learn several formats; each will design and create an original book incorporating both art and text. Nongraded. Studio fee of $40 will cover cost of necessary materials, which must be special-ordered. Two credit hours.    BISHOP

161f    Sculpture I    An introduction to basic sculpture concepts, techniques, and materials. Out-of-class work is essential. Three credit hours.  A.    IWINSKI

162s    Sculpture II    Further exploration of the materials, techniques, and concepts developed in Sculpture I, with the addition of carving in wood and stone. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 161. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

173f    Survey of Asian Art    An introduction to the history of sculpture, painting, and architecture of India, China, and Japan, with emphasis on the distinctive cultural contexts in which the art forms developed. Four credit hours.  A, D.    WEITZ

221f    Drawing I    Fundamentals of drawing and use of graphic materials. Concern for drawing as a means of developing visual and perceptual awareness. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 131. Three credit hours.    SPAIEN

222s    Drawing II    Continuation of Drawing I with special concern for drawing the figure. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 221. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

234fs    Printmaking I    Introduction to methods of generating images from printing surfaces. Concentration on relief printmaking. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 131. Three credit hours.    REED

235s    Printmaking II    Further exploration of the materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Printmaking I. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 234. Three credit hours.    REED

241f    Painting I    Oil painting from a variety of traditional and nontraditional sources. The aim is to develop breadth of vocabulary and formal understanding. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 131. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

242s    Painting II    Further exploration of the materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Painting I. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 241. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

[251]    From Saint Louis to the Sun King: Five Centuries of French Art    French art from the 13th century through the reign of Louis XIV. Painting, sculpture, and architecture studied, as well as such other pictorial media as manuscript illumination, prints, tapestry, and enamel. Links with literary and intellectual movements explored. Some reading in French required for French literature/French studies majors. Three credit hours.  A, D.    

261f    Sculpture III    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and concepts with the optional addition of welded steel as a medium. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 162. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

262s    Sculpture IV    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and concepts. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 261. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

271f    Modern European and American Architecture    The built environment, both architectural and urban, from the late 18th century to the 20th century. Themes include architectural design and aesthetics, the influence of technology on design, and the function of architecture in an industrial society. Three or four credit hours.  A.    FEELY, SIMON

[273]    The Arts of China    A historical introduction to the major art forms of China, from their beginnings in the Neolithic to the modern period. Three or four credit hours.  A, D.    

274s    The Arts of Japan    A historical introduction to the major art forms of Japan--painting, sculpture, ceramics, architecture, and prints--from their beginnings to the modern era. Four credit hours.  A, D.    CANCELLED

[275]    Classics of the Sound Cinema    Selected masterpieces of world cinema (1930-1960). Particular emphasis on developing skills for viewing films as a form of visual art. Four credit hours.  A.    

277s    American Visual Arts I    American art and culture from the Colonial period through the early 20th century. Three or four credit hours.  A.    MARLAIS

281fs    Photography I    An introduction to basic concepts, techniques, and materials of photography. Students must provide their own 35mm camera with manual control. Prerequisite: Art 131. Three credit hours.    PEPPE

311s    Art of the Aegean and Greece    Architecture, sculpture, and painting from the development of the Minoan civilization through the Hellenistic period. Prerequisite: Art 111. Three or four credit hours.    SIMON

[312]    Etruscan and Roman Art    Architecture, sculpture, and painting from the founding of Rome in the 8th century B.C. through its Christianization in the 4th century A.D. Prerequisite: Art 111. Three or four credit hours.    

[313]    Art of the Early Middle Ages    Painting, sculpture, and architecture from A.D. 315 to 1000, from the Christianization of Rome through the development of Byzantine civilization in the East and through the Ottonian Empire in the West. Prerequisite: Art 111. Three or four credit hours.    

[314]    Art of the High Middle Ages    Romanesque and Gothic painting, sculpture, and architecture in Western Europe, from the re-emergence of monumental stone sculpture through the exuberance of the Gothic cathedral. Influences of monastery, pilgrimage, and court on art from A.D. 1000 to 1400. Prerequisite: Art 111. Three or four credit hours.    

[331]    Art of the Renaissance in Northern Europe    The art of France, Germany, and the Lowlands in the 15th and 16th centuries, with emphasis on the major painters from Van Eyck to Brueghel. Prerequisite: Art 111 or 112. Three or four credit hours.    

332f    Art of the Renaissance in Italy    The art of the 14th, 15th, and early 16th centuries in Italy, with emphasis on the major architects, sculptors, and painters. Prerequisite: Art 111 or 112. Three or four credit hours.    PLESCH

333s    Mannerism and Baroque Art in Southern Europe    Painting, sculpture, and architecture from the late works of Michelangelo in the 16th century through the early 18th century in Italy and Spain. Prerequisite: Art 112. Three or four credit hours.    PLESCH

[334]    Baroque and Rococo Art in Northern Europe    Painting, sculpture, and architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries in France, Flanders, Holland, England, Germany, and Austria. Prerequisite: Art 112. Three or four credit hours.    

341f    Painting III    Further exploration of the materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Painting II. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 221 (may be taken concurrently) or 242. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

342fs    Painting IV    Further exploration of the materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Painting III. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 341. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

351f    European Art, 1780-1880    Emphasis on European art of the Neoclassic, Romantic, Realist, and Impressionist movements. Prerequisite: Art 112. Three or four credit hours.    MARLAIS

[352]    Modern Art, 1880-1914    History of avant-garde movements from Post-Impressionism through German Expressionism. Prerequisite: Art 112. Three or four credit hours.    

[353]    Contemporary Art, 1914 to the Present    History of art from Dada and Surrealism to our own time. Emphasis on issues of art criticism as well as on current practices. Prerequisite: Art 112. Three or four credit hours.    

361f    Sculpture V    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and concepts. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 262. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

362s    Sculpture VI    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and concepts. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 361. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

[376]    Chinese Painting    An introduction to the history of Chinese painting. Prerequisite: Art 273. Three or four credit hours.    

394s    Architecture    A seminar investigation into a variety of topics that is designed to question the nature of architecture, the role of the architect, and the analysis of specific buildings. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Four credit hours.  A.    FEELY, SIMON

397f    Seeing Red: Native Americans in the Visual Arts    The representation of Native Americans in painting, sculpture, photography, cartoons, and films. Why certain stereotypical images, and not others, have publicly defined the "Indian" over the past four centuries. Artists will include Theodore de Bry, George Catlin, Karl Bodmer, Edward Curtis, John Ford, and the Walt Disney studios. Indigenous images ranging from sand paintings to photography. Especially appropriate for students in the indigenous peoples of the Americas minor. Four credit hours.  A, D.    TULEJA

398s    Sites and Sights: American Tourism    How sites and sights are experienced and appropriated by visual (often photographic) means. Drawing both on tourists' own reports and on tourism scholarship, attention focuses on the host-guest relationship, the certification of canonical sights, and "staged authenticity." Students will examine their own tourist experiences and critically "unpack" a selected destination, such as the Mona Lisa, Machu Picchu, or Plymouth Rock. Four credit hours.    TULEJA

441fs    Painting V    Further exploration of materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Painting IV. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 342. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

442s    Painting VI    Further exploration of materials, techniques, and ideas developed in Painting V. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 441. Three credit hours.    ENGMAN

461f    Sculpture VII    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and ideas. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 362. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

462s    Sculpture VIII    Further exploration of sculptural techniques and ideas. Out-of-class work is essential. Prerequisite: Art 461. Three credit hours.    IWINSKI

[475]    Seminar in Devotional Art    In the late Middle Ages a revolution took place in art with the development of individual piety and the quest for a direct and personal relationship with God. The forms and functions of works of art meant as devotional tools. Works produced from 1300 to 1600 throughout Europe and in a variety of media--panel painting, sculpture, manuscript illumination, ivory--as well as their relationship with such devotional exercises as prayer and meditation. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Three or four credit hours.    

[476]    Seminar: Museum Exhibition    An opportunity for students to curate an art history exhibition for the Colby College Museum of Art. Students are responsible for selecting works of art from the museum's collection, researching individual objects, designing the exhibition, and writing the exhibition catalogue. Prerequisite: Some background in art history. Three or four credit hours.    

491f, 492s    Independent Study    Art History: Individual study of special problems in the history or theory of the visual arts. Studio: Individual upper-level work in studio areas, intended to build upon course work or to explore new areas in studio. Not meant to take the place of existing courses. Prerequisite: History: Permission of the instructor. Studio: A year of studio course work and permission of the instructor. One to four credit hours.    FACULTY

493f    Food in Art, Food As Art    Food in art, in addition to still-life painting, includes depictions in which figures eat, prepare, and serve food. Following background in the history of food, art from Roman times to the present will be examined for the aesthetics of feasts and banquets, the architecture of eating spaces, the symbolic functions ascribed to food, and how food presentation follows the artistic styles of the period. Four credit hours.    PLESCH