Judith Rodenbeck Heimbold 304B jrodenbe@slc.edu, x2622 Contemporary Art lectures: Monday & Thursday 2:00-3:25 Heimbold 202 conferences: Tuesday 12-1, Heimbold 210; Wednesday 2-3, Heimbold 211 This course reviews the critical and aesthetic problems that have dominated advanced artistic practice in the West since World War II. The emphasis will be on covering a broad spectrum of issues raised by artworks and art ideas from the late 1950s to the present, including appropriations of earlier aesthetic strategies of the historical avant-garde by recent practitioners. Textbooks All reading is either in the required or the recommended texts or online. Copies of all reading will also be available on reserve. Required texts are available in the bookstore. Reading marked with an (*) will be distributed in class. Required text: Hopkins, David. After Modern Art, 1945-2000 (Oxford, 2000). Stiles, Kristine & Selz, Peter (eds). Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art (Berkeley, 1996) (TD). Recommended texts: Frascina, Francis & Harris, Jonathan (eds). Art In Modern Culture: An Anthology of Critical Texts (Phaidon, 1994) (AMC). Harrison, Charles & Wood, Paul (eds). Art in Theory, 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (Blackwell, 2002) (AT). Stangos, Nikos (ed). Concepts of Modern Art, rev. ed. (Thames & Hudson, 1994) (CMA). Unit 1: The 1950s 1/20 Introduction: Modernism and the Contemporary 1/24 & 1/27 Abstract Expressionism, Informel & the New Man Charles Harrison, Abstract Expressionism, (CMA) 169-211 David Hopkins, Chapter 1, The Politics of Modernism, 5-36 Clement Greenberg, Modernist Painting, (AMC) 1/31 & 2/3 After Abstract-Expressionism: Dada Siegt! quiz 1 David Hopkins, Chapters 2 & 3, Duchamp s Legacy & The Artist in Crisis, 37-66 & 67-94 Branden Joseph, White on White, Critical Inquiry 27:1 (Fall 2000): 90-121 (EBSCO) Allan Kaprow, The Legacy of Jackson Pollock, Art News 57:6 (August 1958): 24-26ff*
Unit 2: Production and Consumption 2/7 & 2/10 Material Culture and Everyday Life: Pop & Intermedia David Hopkins, Chapter 4, Blurring Boundaries, 95-130 Edward Lucie-Smith, Pop Art, (CMA) 225-38 Edward T. Kelly, Neo-Dada: A Critique of Pop, Art Journal 23:3 (Spring 1964): 192-201 (JSTOR) Owen Smith, Avant-gardism and the Fluxus Project: A Failed Utopia or the Success of Invisibility? Performance Research 7:3 (Sept 2002): 3-12* 2/14 & 2/17 Minimalism & Post-minimalism quiz 2 Suzi Gablik, Minimalism, (CMA) 244-55 David Hopkins, Chapter 5, Modernism in Retreat, 131-60 Isabelle Graw, Just Being Doesn't Amount to Anything (Some Themes in Bruce Nauman's Work), October 74 (Autumn 1995): 133-138. (JSTOR) Ann Wagner, Another Hesse, October 69 (Summer 1994): 49-84 (JSTOR) Unit 3: The Expanded Field 2/21 & 2/24 The Expanded Field David Hopkins, Chapter 6, The Death of the Object, 161-196 Rosalind Krauss, Sculpture in the Expanded Field, October 8 (Spring 1979): 30-44 (JSTOR) Alexander Alberro, The Turn of the Screw: Daniel Buren, Dan Flavin, and the Sixth Guggenheim International Exhibition, October 80 (Spring 1997): 57-84 (JSTOR) 2/28 & 3/3 Photographs and Paragraphs Roberta Smith, Conceptual Art, (CMA) 256-70 Benjamin Buchloh, From the Aesthetics of Administration to the Critique of Institutions, October 55 (Winter 1990): 105-143 (JSTOR) Jeff Wall, "'Marks of Indifference': Aspects of Photography in, or as, Conceptual Art," in Ann Goldstein & Anne Rorimer, eds., Reconsidering the Object of Art: 1965-1975 (MIT Press, 1995): 247-267* 3/7 & 3/10 The Body midterm Frazer Ward, Some Relations Between Conceptual and Performance Art, Art Journal 56:4 (Winter 1997): 36-40 (JSTOR) Amelia Jones, Presence in Absentia: Experiencing Performance as Documentation, Art Journal 56:4 (Winter 1997): 11-18 (JSTOR) Miwon Kwon, "One Place After Another. Notes on Site Specificity," in October 80 (Spring 1997): 85-110 (JSTOR)
3/12-3/27 Spring Break Unit 4: Communicating Vessels 3/28 & 3/31 Activism and Identity Christopher Reed, Postmodernism and the Art of Identity, (CMA) 271-94 Linda Nochlin, Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? Art News 69:9 (Jan 1971): 20-39ff; repr. Women, Art, and Power (Harper & Row, 1988): pp. 145-178.* bell hooks, marginality as site of resistance, in Russell Ferguson et al, eds., Out There: Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures (MIT Press, 1990), 341-343* Dick Hebdige, Postmodernism and the Politics of Style (AMC) 4/4 & 4/7 Video, Technology, Cyborg Culture Barbara London, Video: A Selected Chronology 1963-1983, Art Journal 45:3 (Autumn 1985) 249-262 (JSTOR) Martha Rosler, Video: Shedding the Utopian Moment, 461-473 (TD) Edward A. Shanken, Telematics, Telerobotics, and the Art of Meaning, Art Journal 59:2 (Summer 2000): 64-77 (JSTOR) 4/11 & 4/14 The Abject, the Formless, & New Figuration quiz 3 David Hopkins, Chapter 7, Postmodernism, 197-232 Yve-Alain Bois, Painting: The Task of Mourning (AMC) Douglas Crimp, Pictures, October 8 (Spring 1979): 75-88 (JSTOR) Unit 5: Global Groove 4/18 & 4/21 Contemporaneity as Idea & Problem David Hopkins, Chapter 8, Into the 90s, 233-245 Jonathan Crary, Capital Effects, October 56 (Spring 1991): 121-131 (JSTOR) Rosalind Krauss, The Cultural Logic of the Late Capitalist Museum, October 54 (Autumn 1990): 3-17 (JSTOR) Reiko Tomii, Historicizing "Contemporary Art": Some Discursive Practices in Gendai Bijutsu in Japan, positions: east asia cultures critique 12: 3 (Winter 2004): 611-641 (MUSE) 4/25 & 4/28 Relational Aesthetics & the Post-Medium Condition Reading Nicolas Bourriaud, Relational Aesthetics Glossary (www.gairspace.org.uk/htm/bourr.htm) Nicolas Bourriaud, Today s Art Practise (http://www.sanalmuze.org/etkinliklereng/nicolasbourriaod.htm) Nicolas Bourriaud & Bennett Simpson, Public Relations: an interview with Nicolas Bourriaud, Artforum 39:8 (April 2001): 47-48*
5/2 & 5/5 The Medium is the Market: Festival Culture & the International Style Reading Iain Chambers, Unrealized Democracy and a Posthumanist Art, in Democracy Unrealized. Documenta 11 - Platform 1 (Kassel: documenta/ Museum Friedericianum-Veranstaltungs GmbH/Hatje Cantz, 2002), 169-176* Angela Dimitrakaki, Art and Politics Continued: Avant-garde, Resistance and the Multitude in Documenta 11, Historical Materialism 11:3 (2003): 153-176 (EBSCO) Anthony Downey, The Spectacular Difference of Documenta XI, Third Text 17:1 (2003): 85-92 (EBSCO) 5/9 & 5/12 final Course Requirements Assigned reading for each week must be completed in advance of the class session. Suggested reading provides relevant source material; this material supplements each week s discussion and may be read alongside the required reading each week. Attendance: This is an actively visual and discursive course. It is not based on a textbook, but rather on your interaction with the words and work of contemporary artists and with the broader field of ideas from which they emerge and through which they have been understood. Attendance of both lectures and conferences is obligatory; you will not be able to catch up on missed sessions by cramming the reading. Discussion: Each student is expected to be an active and productive participant in class discussion, and will give several presentations in group conference. Evaluation: Your evaluation will be based on a) the quality of your written work, b) the quality of your participation in class, and c) your overall assimilation of the course materials.
Suggested in Stiles & Selz, Art in Theory (AT), and Art in Modern Culture (AMC) 1/24 & 1/27 Abstract Expressionism, Informel & the New Man Eva Cockcroft, Abstract Expressionism, Weapon of the Cold War (AMC) Jackson Pollock, Guggenheim Application, and Interview with William Wright, 22-24 Mark Rothko, I Paint Very Large Pictures, 26 Robert Motherwell, Beyond the Aesthetic, 26-8 Alfred Barr, The New American Painting, 42-3 Willem de Kooning, Content is a Glimpse, 197-99 Jean Dubuffet, Anticultural Positions, 192-7 Michel Tapié, An Unknown Art, Observations, 44 Wols, Aphorisms, 45 Henri Michaux, Movements, 46-7 Lucio Fontana, Manifesto blanco, 48-51 Antoni Tàpies, I Am a Catalan, Painting in a Void, 55-58 Harold Rosenberg, from The American Action Painters, (AT) 581-584 Clement Greenberg, Towards a Newer Laocoon, (AT) 554-560 1/31 & 2/3 After Abstract-Expressionism: Dada Siegt! Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled Statement, Note on Painting, Interview with Barbaralee Diamonstein, 321-323 Jasper Johns, Untitled Statement, Interview with G. R. Swenson, Notes, 324-326 Frank Stella, The Pratt Lecture, Questions to Stella and Judd, 113-114, 117-124 Ad Reinhardt, Twelve Rules for a New Academy, 25 Lines of Words on Art: Statement, The Black-Square Paintings, 86-91 Andy Warhol, Warhol in his own words: untitled statements, 340-346 Pierre Restany, The Nouveaux Réalistes Declaration of Intention, Forty Degrees Above Dada, 307-308 Gerhard Richter, Interviews, 314-318 Francis Bacon, Interviews with David Sylvester, 199-204 Karel Appel, My Paint is like a Rocket, 209-210 Piero Manzoni, For the Discovery of a Zone of Images, 79-80 Yves Klein, Ritual for Relinquishment of the Immaterial Pictorial Sensitivity Zones, 81 Clement Greenberg, from After Abstract Expressionism, (AT) 766-769 Michael Fried, from Three American Painters, (AT) 769-775 Leo Steinberg, from Other Criteria, (AT) 948-953 Unit 2: Production and Consumption 2/7 & 2/10 Material Culture and Everyday Life: Pop & Intermedia Guy Debord, Report on the Construction of Situations, 704-706 Situationist International, Definitions, 702-703 Richard Hamilton, Letter, Popular Culture and Personal Responsibility, Propositions, 296-300 Allan Kaprow, Untitled Guidelines for Happenings, 709-714, Claes Oldenburg, I am for an Art, 335-337 John Cage, Composition as Process Part II: Indeterminacy, 707-709 Wolf Vostell, Manifesto, dé-coll/age, 723-725 George Maciunas, Letter to Tomas Schmit, 726-728 Daniel Spoerri, Trap Pictures, Spoerri s Autotheater, 310-311 George Brecht, Project in Multiple Dimensions, 333-335 Yoko Ono, To the Wesleyan People, 736-738
Gustav Metzger, Auto-Destructive Art, etc., 401-404 2/14 & 2/17 Minimalism & Post-minimalism Michael Fried, Art and Objecthood, (AT) 822-834 Donald Judd, Specific Objects, 114-117 Robert Morris, Notes on Sculpture Part III: Notes and Nonsequiturs, 588-593 Dan Flavin, Some Remarks from a Spleenish Journal, 125-126 Bridget Riley, Untitled Statement, 112 Tony Smith, Talking with Tony Smith, 126-128 Agnes Martin, The Untroubled Mind, 128-138 Bruce Nauman, Notes and Projects, 604-606 Eva Hesse, Letter to Ethelyn Honig, Untitled Statements, 593-596 Richard Serra, Rigging, 600-603 Barry Le Va,...a continuous flow of fairly aimless movement, 609-614 Unit 3: The Expanded Field 2/21 & 2/24 The Expanded Field Walter de Maria, Meaningless Work, On the importance of Natural Disasters, The Lightning Field, 526-530 Robert Smithson, The Spiral Jetty, 530-534 Michael Heizer, Dennis Oppenheim, Robert Smithson, Discussion, 534-536 Nancy Holt, Sun Tunnels, 536-540 Gordon Matta-Clark, Remembrance by Susan Rothenberg, 557-558 Dan Graham, Three Projects for Architecture and Video/Notes, 833-837 Marcel Broodthaers, Ten Thousand Francs Reward, 868-871 Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Maintenance Art Manifesto, Sanitation Manifesto! 622-625 Hans Haacke, Untitled Statements, Museum, Managers of Consciousness, 872-881 Adrian Piper, Ideology, Confrontation and Political Self-Awareness, 787-791. Daniel Buren, Beware!, 140-148 2/28 & 3/3 Photographs and Paragraphs Ed Ruscha, Concerning Various Small Fires, 356-358 Sol Lewitt, Paragraphs on Conceptual Art, Sentences on Conceptual Art, 822-827 Joseph Kosuth, Untitled Statement, Art After Philosophy, 840-847 Lucy Lippard, Interview with Ursula Meyer, Postface, (AT) 893-896 Art & Language, Letter to Lucy R. Lippard and John Chandler, Introduction to Art- Language, 850-852 John Baldessari, What Thinks Me Now, Recalling Ideas, 390-393 Victor Burgin, Looking at Photographs, 853-857 Mary Kelly, Preface to Post-Partum Document, 858-861 Mary Kelly, Re-Viewing Modernist Criticism, (AT) 1088-1094 Jenny Holzer, Language Games, 886-890 Barbara Kruger, Pictures and Words, 376-378 Sherrie Levine, Five Comments, 379 Roland Barthes, From Work to Text, (AT) 940-946 3/7 & 3/10 The Body Ed Kienholz, The Portable War Memorial, The Beanery, The State Hospital, 514-515 Carolee Schneeman, From the Notebooks, Woman in the Year 2000, 714-717 Otto Mühl, Materialaktion: Manifesto, 750-751 Gunter Brus, Notes on the Action: Zerreissprobe, Untitled Statements, 754-755 Valie Export, Women s Art: A Manifesto, 755-757 Vito Acconci, Steps into Performance (And Out), Biography of Work, 759-767 Chris Burden, Untitled Statement, Border Crossing: Interview with Jim Moisan, 768-773
Linda Montano and Tehching Hsieh, One Year Art/Life Performance, 778-783 Suzanne Lacy, The Name of the Game, 783-787 James Luna, Interview, 799-803 Unit 4: Communicating Vessels 3/28 & 3/31 Activism and Identity Adrian Piper, Ideology, Confrontation and Political Self-Awareness, 787-91 Joseph Beuys, Untitled Statement, An Appeal for an Alternative, 633-643 Milan Knizak, Aktual Univerzity: Ten Lessons, 739-744 Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage, 358-362 Romare Bearden, Interview, 216-219 Miriam Schapiro & Melissa Meyer, Waste Not Want Not, 151-154 Valerie Jaudon & Joyce Kozloff, Art Hysterical Notions of Progress and Culture, 154-164 Faith Ringgold, Interview, 363-366 David Wojnarowicz, Post Cards from America: X-Rays from Hell, 373-376 Krzysztof Wodiczko, Memorial Projection, The Homeless Projection: A Proposal for the City of New York, 424-427 Leon Golub, The Mercenaries, 241-244 Nancy Spero, Woman as Protagonist, 244-247 Group Material, Caution! Alternative Space!, Statement, 894-896 Laura Mulvey, from Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, (AT) 963-970 4/4 & 4/7 Video, Technology, Cyborg Culture Billy Klüver, Theater and Engineering, 412-414 Stelarc, Beyond the Body, 427-430 Mark Pauline, Letter to Dennis Oppenheim, 415--416 SRL, More Dead Animal Jokes, Technology and the Irrational, 416-419 Laurie Anderson, Interview with Charles Amirkhanian, 420-424 Nam June Paik, Afterlude to the Exposition of Experimental Television, Cybernated Art, Art and Satellite, 431-436 Douglas Davis, Manifesto, 437 Gerry Schum, Introduction to TV Exhibition II: Identifications, 438-439 Frank Gillette, Masque in Real Time, 440-443 Roy Ascott, Behaviourables and Futuribles, Is There Love in the Telematic Embrace? 489-498 4/11 & 4/14 The Abject, the Formless, & New Figuration Philip Pearlstein, Figure Paintings are not made in Heaven, 229-232 Lucian Freud, Some Thoughts on Painting, 219-220 Anselm Kiefer, Structures Are No Longer Valid, 61-62 Julian Schnabel, Statements, 266-268 Georg Baselitz, Pandemonic Manifesto, 254-255 Francesco Clemente, Interview with Robin White, 261-263 Jeff Koons, From Full Fathom Five, 380-383 Karen Finley, I Was Not Expected to Be Talented, Letter, 794-799 Cindy Sherman, Untitled Statement, Interview with Els Barents, 791-794 Jesse Helms, Senator Helms Objects, 273-274 Andres Serrano, Letter to the NEA, 280-281 Robert Mapplethorpe, Interview, 274-280