ARH366J Manet (and Napoleonic violence) FALL 2012 The subtitle for this course is “questions of interpretation”. This is a writing component course which will function as a seminar and will fulfill requirements for the Writing Flag. T Th 9.30-11.00 am ART 2.208 Michael Charlesworth, DFA 2.126. Tel.: (512) 232-2345. Office hours: Tues. 4-6 pm. [email protected] Students will study various themes in Manet’s works. You will work in small groups of 4 or 5. Each group will choose (or will be given) a group of pictures by Edouard Manet. The first writing exercize will involve each individual student investigating three pictures that treat the specific theme or are closely associated with it and writing a short report, rather like a catalogue essay, on each of the works, which will be handed in to the instructor. The second exercize involves working in small groups. Each student in the small group will then read each individual report that members of the group have written, because the second task will be for each group to collaborate in crafting an essay that explains the pictures as a group. This is where questions of interpretation will come to the fore. For example, what connections can be made between differing images? Do discontinuities or lack of connections need to be stated? Are there similarities or continuities between different media? To what extent can the images be related to other paintings or prints in France or Europe? Are there literary connections to be traced? It will be the responsibility of the group to ensure that ramifications of the material are properly identified and explored. The results of this process will be written up and handed in to the instructor. They will also be presented orally to the class by each group of students After this students will work on an individual basis in writing a third essay that sets the group of works within Manet’s oeuvre as a whole. Each student will read the collective reports of all the small groups, and will have to write a paper introducing all the material covered and setting it in elements of the context (artistic and political/military) out of which it came. (The model here is that of a high-level catalogue raisonnée or exhibition catalogue, where the insight and knowledge is put together in three levels – individual work; group of works; overall significance).
There will be a great deal of reading of each other’s work. You are encouraged to point out inconsistencies, passages that are not clear, etc. – in general to make editorial suggestions. Working together in small groups is essential to the work of this seminar. I don’t want to see any egos involved and I expect you to accord each other due respect.
Grading: 2 reports on works – 28%. (1-2 single-spaced page per work, with bibliography for each) Collective small-group introduction – 40% (minimum 4 pages) Final paper/overall statement – 32%. (6 to 8 pages, double-spaced) There will be no final exam.
Course reading: There is no textbook for the course but there is a Reading Packet. The pictorial databases, ARTSTOR and DASE (both accessible via the UT Library website) have plenty of images by Manet on display. Library research is expected of students. Two books, T.J. Clark, The Painting of Modern Life, and Robert Herbert, Impressionism: Art, Leisure and Parisian Society are particularly recommended as is Henri Perruchot’s Life of Manet. Contents of the Reading Packet: Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author” (1967) Michel Foucault, “What is an Author?” (1969) Karl Marx, The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1852) Charles Baudelaire, Salon of 1857 (extracts) + the painter of modern life Edouard Manet, “Reasons for Holding a Private Exhibition” (1867)
Charlesworth lectures on: Historical background Napoleon III and Ratapoil Artistic Background before 1859 Haussmanization of Paris Loosening the grip of the Academy Dejeuner sur l’herbe Olympia
Image groups:
1. Portraits Portrait of Emile Zola 1868 Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé - illustrations to ‘The Raven”, Mallarmé’s translation of Poe’s poem Portrait of Berthe Morisot (le repos) Portrait of Manet’s Parents
2. Religious and Spanish themes Jesus Mocked by Soldiers Dead Christ with angels Young man as a majo Spanish guitarist Lola de Valence
3. Manet’s action pictures Escape of Rochfort The Battle of the Kearsage and the Alabama The Execution of Maximilien Lithographs of the Execution of Maximilien and ‘The Barricade’ The Balloon (lithograph)
4. Life out of doors View of the Exposition Universelle of 1867 Argentueil, the Boaters On the Beach at Boulogne Women on the Beach The Swallows
5. Life of the Streets The Old Musician The Beggar-Philosopher Absinthe Drinker Rag-picker The Railway Rue Mosnier decorated with flags (1878 Paul Mellon) The Street Singer
Deadlines: 21st September – hand in your 3 or 4 research reports on specific works. 1st November – hand in the small group’s collective essay on 12 to 16 works. 6th December – hand in final/overall papers on the significance of Goya’s works.
Attendance is compulsory. Problems with attendance will reduce your final grade by a whole letter. The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact 471-6259, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office for more information. See also the SSD website at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/. (As the Faculty Council's Educational Policy Committee states, "Providing a quality educational experience for all students includes adapting the instructional environment to accommodate the educational needs of students.”)
ARH 366J Manet – small group work – first stage. Follow the steps below. Percentage points will be deducted for each step not followed.
1. Choose 3 works that encompass the chosen theme (e.g. if the theme is “animals” find 3 works that contain animals in them). 2. Co-ordinate with your group to make sure you aren’t all writing about the same works, but making sure that all the images in Charlesworth’s initial list are being discussed. 3. Ensure that your examples cover more than one medium! Everyone needs to deal with at least 2 different media - the most obvious being oil painting and prints (lithographs). 4. Investigate your chosen works by reading printed and published sources of information about them. I won’t accept the fruits of electronic searches. Don’t dare to cite “Google” or “Wikipedia” or I will knock percentage points off your grade. Things like “Grove Dictionary of Art” on-line version is acceptable because it was first printed and published the authoritative way. 5. Write up to 2 pages, single-spaced in a font big enough for me to read, for each image explaining the work to an intelligent viewer who is not necessarily an expert in art history. Format:
Title of work + date Medium
The thoughts you want to communicate about it
Sources actually used and consulted by you: author’s name, name of work consulted, date of publication. (Don’t list anything you didn’t actually use). 6. Make 5 copies. One for you and each member of your small group, and one to hand in to me, Charlesworth, on 29th September Don’t forget the two databases of images available to you as students here: DASE and ARTSTOR, both accessible via the university library’s web page file of Databases. These contain images by Manet as well as other relevant artists such as Velasquez, Ribera, Goya, David, etc.