(Grades 9 – 12; no prerequisites; 2 periods/week; full year; 1/2 credit)
This course introduces the history of classical art through lectures and slides. For each of three major modes of artistic expression, sculpture, architecture, and painting (including ceramics), the course will cover the origins and history of Greek and Roman art, beginning in the bronze age and stretching through late antiquity. We will then examine how it resonates in later periods, whether in the rejection or the adoption of classical forms and aesthetics.
If schedules allow, there are at least two fields trips planned: one to the St. Louis Art Museum, and one to Washington University's Kemper Museum of Art, where we may be able to view some Greek vases that are not on view for the general public. Other field trips may include, depending on current exhibitions, visits to the Pulitzer Collection, and the Contemporary Art Museum, as well as a walking tour of the Central West End or Compton Heights, where the houses exhibit remarkable influence of classical architecture.