Next Meeting: Thurs, Nov 14, 7:00pm at Barlow Community Center. Dr. Kevin Kern looks at individuals from Ohio who held the highest office.
Brief Survey of American Decorative Arts
Course Description:
This 4 week class is designed as a chronological overview of American decorative art styles from English and European migration to the colonies in the seventeenth century to the early 20th century. The lectures will emphasize furniture but also include textiles, ceramics, glass, silver and other metals. The objects we will see are not necessarily from Ohio, because of the more transient nature of furniture and other decorative objects. Primarily a slide lecture course, the student will need to develop a visual memory and learn to break down stylistic elements visually to help in identifying styles. Most textbooks are designed not as overviews, but rather are more special topic. Many have chapters for each form, like desks, chairs, beds, etc. rather than being divided by time period and therefore style, but there are many good texts out there. Emphasis will be placed on well-known artisans or shops, such as Hitchcock, Seymour, Townsend-Goddard, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Construction materials and techniques will also be compared along with the technological innovations that helped develop changing styles. We will examine regions where certain styles thrived.
Goals & Objectives:
Structurally, this course is a timeline of what different styles looked like at different time periods, and how that fits in with what other areas of the arts looked like at the same time. For example, how did the popularity of an object change if there were changes in any of the following: entertainment patterns, clothing styles, economic responsibility, governmental oversight of the arts, and architectural styles? It should help develop a sense of our 21st century perspective in organizing the styles in logical patterns to us, rather than thinking of the styles as being innately grouped, in much the same way that biologists have classified the living world. The material culture of a society helps us illustrate details of everyday life that we might not glean from readings of the time-period. We will learn the major collections of American decorative arts in this country. We will not be discussing the monetary values of these objects as collection items, but may talk about how the objects fit in an economic framework of their own time period. We also will not be looking at “collectibles.”
Suggested Readings:
Fairbanks, J., & Bates, E. (1987). American Furniture 1620 to the Present. Richard Marek Publishers.
Naeve, M. (1998). Identifying American Furniture. (3rd ed.). Blue Ridge Summit: Altamira Press.
*Any edition of the Naeve book is fine.
Week 1
Structure + Materials
The basis for any study of furniture is examining the materials and construction techniques of different time periods and places. This class will help illustrate what to look for and at first in determining the age of an object.
Colonial Styles 1630-1800
Beginning with Pilgrim furniture, we will examine the European-based styles popular in the thirteen colonies; these include Post- Medieval and Jacobean of the 17th century, William & Mary, Queen Anne and Chippendale in the 18th century. We will also talk about cohesive cultural regions, like the Pennsylvania German and Dutch styles.
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Week 2
Classical Styles 1800-1850
The predominant styles of the new Republic are the Federal and later Empire, the last of the American styles that is predominantly hand-made. Both styles use elements of ancient Greece and Rome.
Victorian 1845-1890
The romantic styles that were, like the Classical, revivals of previous taste. These Revivals include Gothic, Elizabethan, Rococco, Renaissance, Egyptian, and French styles. With the increase in the transfer of information, styles moved more quickly from geographic areas and historic time periods. The ease of mass-production and shipping change the character of regional makers.
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Week 3
Pre-Modern 1880-1914
We wrap up the 19th century up to WWI with the beginning modern style, including Art Nouveau and the Arts & Crafts/Prairie by Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, and others.
Minor Decorative Arts:
Now that we have a basic timeline of styles in our heads, we will do an overview of some of the main categories of smaller decorative arts.
– Silver – From Colonial hand-crafted silver to modern cast and plated objects.
– Base Metals – From Colonial hand-crafted metals to later cast objects, looking at brass, copper, iron, and some tin.
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Week 4
– Glass the beginnings of glass manufacture in the Colonies to Tiffany
– Ceramics early imported ceramic wares to American types, including redware, creamware, and porcelain
– Textiles printed fabric, embroidery, weaving and quilting will be examined
Download Presentation – Week 4