FINE 332History of Art Academies

This course examines the history of the institutionalization of the teaching of art. The course is organized as a series of case studies dealing with various formal academies of art and less formal gatherings of artists from the Renaissance to the 20th century. The aims of the course are to analyze why these institutions were formed, how they were organized, what were their mandates, and what was their status in their contemporary worlds. Some of the themes that will be investigated throughout the course include: art in the service of power and politics, the status of the artist, the ideal human form, the classical and medieval traditions, the impact of the avant-garde, the conflict with authority, and the academy as community.