AH 562
Issues in the Art of the
Prof. Peter B. Hales
Tuesdays
303 HH
“Bulletproof Glass: Problems of
Immersion, Displacement,
and
Deflection in Recent Art
and
Architecture”
This
seminar will look at the issues surrounding what might loosely be called the
address of the work art, by looking at
(primarily) recent works of art and architecture in which a form of immersion
in the aesthetic event is proposed, invited, rejected or raised as a
subject. While the rubric of the course
appears to limit the focus to the Americas, it is my position that more
significant to this topic is the notion of a posited American viewer – for example, in certain
of Thomas Struth’s photographs or Gerhard Richter’s paintings. The focus of the course will be determined by
the specific areas of the interest of the participants – Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Janes Turrell, Mayan ceremonies,
Andy Warhol’s movie SLEEP, Helen Frankenthaler’s
referentially-titled paintings, and Laura Letinsky’s
photographs, as well as the public art of Millennium Park and Mies’ domestic architecture, could all comfortably fit
within the framework of the course, as all of these demand the consideration of
the questions of immersion and deflection.
Presentations, lively discussion, short critical writings and a
substantial project will be expected of all participants. MA and Ph.D. students are both welcome, from
this and other departments. Expect some
dense and difficult readings, however, as well as close, attentive, and
informed engagement with the objects and environments themselves. A field
trip to