Fall 2022

Frida and Diego

Listed in: Art and the History of Art, as ARHA-216  |  History, as HIST-216

Faculty

Rick A. Lopez (Section 01)

Description

(Offered as HIST 216 [LA/TC/TE/TR/TS], LLAS 216 [LA, Humanities] and ARHA 216) This course examines the art, lives, and times of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, two of Mexico’s most famous artists. Through discussion, lectures, readings, and visual analysis we will consider the historical and artistic roots of their radical aesthetics as well as the ideals and struggles that shaped their lives. During their era, Kahlo was overshadowed by her husband Rivera, but in recent decades her fame has eclipsed his. To make sense of this we will address the changing meaning of their art over time, especially in relation to markets, social movements, and gender and sexual identities. By the end of the semester, students will have a strong understanding of these two artists and their work, as well as the contexts in which they lived and in which their art continues to circulate, including early twentieth-century Modernism, the Mexican Revolution, indigenismo, the Chicano Movement, and recent efforts toward ethnic and gender inclusion. No prerequisites, open to all years and majors.

Fall semester. Professor Lopez.

How to handle overenrollment: No enrollment limit, but if we run out of classroom space, then priority to LLAS, History, and Art History majors

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Close analysis of historical evidence, which may include written documents, images, music, films, or statistics from the historical period under study. Exploration of scholarly, methodological, and theoretical debates about historical topics. Extensive reading, varying forms of written work, and intensive in-class discussions.

HIST 216 - LEC

Section 01
Tu 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM CHAP 201
Th 1:00 PM - 2:20 PM CHAP 201

ISBN Title Publisher Author(s) Comment Book Store Price
Dreaming with His Eyes Open Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000 Patrick Marnham Amherst Books TBD
Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo NY, NY: Harper and Row, 1983 Hayden Herrera Amherst Books TBD
Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 2018 Circe Henestrosa and Claire Wilcox Amherst Books TBD
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Portrait NY, NY: Harry Abrams, 1995 Frida Kahlo Amherst Books TBD

These books are available locally at Amherst Books.

Offerings

2023-24: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2022