CLASS 1553

FWS: Art and Originality

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2024-2025.

What makes an original work of art authentic? Is a replica of a famous sculpture a derivative fake, or is the object valuable in its own right? Together we will examine themes of imitation, replication, illustration, and reinvention in the visual arts of the pre-modern Mediterranean. Representations executed in a variety of media, from paint to precious stones, will form the basis of writing assignments, designed to prompt reassessments of the educational models and creative canons operative in our own compositional techniques. Class readings, including selections from Plato, Aristotle, Vitruvius, and Pliny the Elder, will provide frameworks in which to approach ancient images within their historical context. Participants will organize an online art exhibition related to the politics of emulation in artistic practices of reproduction.

When Offered Fall.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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