| Description: | This course explores Western and non-Western artistic traditions from ancient era to the 20th century. Major artistic trends, monuments and artworks from all over the world will be discussed stressing differences, analogies and reciprocal influences. Parallel to the study of western art, this course offers a non-Western perspective which considers artworks from Egypt, the ancient Near East, China, Japan and India. The emphasis of the course is to develop an understanding and appreciation of various art forms from cultures scattered around the world which have existed for thousands of years, representing multiple distinct lines of development. Artistic trends will be related to their social, political and economical context by considering broad thematic areas such as religion and cultural continuity, rulership and political integration, patronage and social status. Links, differences and cultural interactions between different civilizations will be stressed to better understand the concept of 'cultural identity' in the era of globalization. |