Fall 2020:
Artist and art historian Giorgio Vasari
FINE 4790/5790: Methods in Art History | Scholars rely on an array of research methods in order to formulate histories of art. In this seminar, we will study the history of art history for the sake of understanding the origins, applications, and strengths and weaknesses of these methods; acquaint ourselves with major figures who devised some of the principal tools for crafting written narratives of art; contextualize art historiography so as to ascertain the motives and social forces underlying significant developments; and assess the current state of art history, so as to determine how scholars today continue and change this centuries-old discipline.