ARH 295-01 - Special Topic: Empire of the Subconscious: Symbolist Art in Europe late 19th Century

4 credits (Fall)

The course will study the cultural politics of the Symbolist movement in the late 19th century. We will look at art, architecture, and decorative arts, and the influence of music and literature. Symbolism emphasized interiority, spirituality, mysticism, magic, the supernatural, the irrational and the unconscious, and renewed an interest in craft, nature, and ideas of the primitive. We will examine the mingling of frank eroticism and a rising sense of anxiety about the future.

Prerequisite: Second-year standing.
Instructor: Mackenzie