ART141 - 01 - Introduction to Art History: Egypt to the Renaissance

Explores the idea of art as a visual language, why people make art, what purpose art serves, and how art reflects values and idea in disparate cultures. Discusses painting, sculpture, and architecture ranging from the Pre-historic caves to Islamic calligraphy to Renaissance Italy. Students develop their ability to recognize and analyze art from a wide range of cultures, and to understand the variety of contexts in which art was made. They study firsthand and write about the collections at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.