SPAN 220 Muralism and Resistance in (Latin) American Art
Taking Mexican muralism as a point of departure, this course explores the aesthetics, ideological aims, and reciprocal influences of muralist movements in the Americas. In the aftermath of the Revolution (1910-1920), Mexican muralism emerged as the platform to promote ideals of social cohesion in a ravaged nation. In the throes of building a new national consciousness, Mexican artists deployed an avant-garde aesthetic that would influence muralist movements, and the forms of social critique associated with them, across the continent. With a historical perspective, the course studies how muralism - an intervention of public space - supports struggles for representation through time. Paying special attention to Mexican, Chicano, and American artists - and to a lesser extent, Southern Cone and Caribbean artists - we will study how muralism combats multiple forms of oppression while addressing timely sociopolitical concerns. The course covers works from the early twentieth century to the present.