Art.com

January 2022

Art.com

Listed in: Art and the History of Art, as ARHA-190

Faculty

Niko Vicario (Section 01J)

Description

This course explores the complex relationship between art and the Internet. How has the Internet seeped into and come to inform the way artists work in the twenty-first century? What is the history of digital imaging? What role do digital renderings play in the design of art and architecture? Why have some artists rejected digital media in favor of pre-digital materials—analog media, artisanal craft, body art and performance? What is the difference between seeing a work of art “in person” versus on social media? Why do people post what they see “in person” on social media? How do artists, galleries, and museums seek to limit the online circulation of works of art? What is the relationship between a unique, original work of art and a multitude of copies? What is Post-Internet art? To what extent has the Internet disrupted the way the art world functions and in what ways has the pandemic played a role in moving art online? How has the recent NFT boom affected the art market and how does it figure in a longer history of thinking about the relationship between art as intellectual property and as taking material form? The course will combine twenty-first century case studies with a wider range of texts on topics such as originality, reproduction, and theories and histories of technology. The class will meet on Zoom and will include brief lectures, discussion (both in breakout rooms and all together), guest speakers, film screenings, short writing assignments, and final presentations. 

Limited to 25 students.  January 2022 semester. Professor Vicario.

Offerings