ARTH 251 - Special Topics in Art Histroy

Spring 2025 Topic: Floating World: Ukiyoe Prints:Design and Material Culture of Ukiyo-e

This class will introduce students to major developments in Japanese art during the Edo period (1600-1868),with special focus on how the culture of mass consumption and media production informed popular design. Using the collections at the Worcester Art Museum as a point of reference, the course will allow students the opportunity to see the art they are studying up close and make more informed observations about its material qualities. There will be a particular focus on the material culture of premodern Japan, and students will learn what the physical attributes of prints, including its material composition, tell us about their history. Students will be asked to give presentations on assigned topics, as well as complete a research project for the course. The course content will also engage with the practice of collecting and curating Japanese prints in the West, and how that informs scholarship on the topic.

 

Anticipated Terms Offered: periodically