This course provides an overview of the twentieth-century history and contemporary debates concerning art and ecology. It begins with the nuclear age in the postwar United States and the Pacific, on through the techno-utopian "hippie modernist," Land Art, and early ecological movements of the 1960s. We situate contemporary "eco art" within this longer historical context, as well as climate science and politics. This course takes a case study approach, with one "key" artwork each class period, around which we will build context and trace relevant connections. Students will be responsible for identifying key artworks and articulating their significance on the exams. We will also locate eco art discourse within our St. Louis context, undertaking a site-specific project during the course of the semester. Undergraduate prerequisites: one introductory Art History course or permission of the instructor.
Course Attributes: EN H; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM; BU Hum; AH MEA
