ART HIST 202 History of Western Art II: From Renaissance to Contemporary will be taught by Professor Anna Andrzejewski this fall semester. MWF 9:55–10:45am | No Prereqs! | Humanities Breadth | L&S Credit | Enroll here.Description: Come explore the many reasons that art has been produced and the vast array of forms it has taken in Europe and what is now called the United States during the past 500 years. Examining famous and iconic artworks by the likes of Michelangelo, Vermeer, Van Gogh, and Warhol, the class will consider the relationship between artists and their cultures– clothing, personal relationships, medicine, religious or social beliefs, scientific discoveries, or desires and taboos. Lectures will explore what motivated, inspired, awed, and frightened artists in different places and at points in time. We will learn skills to enable us to intelligently describe and interpret works of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and decorative arts. We will also take stock of the ways in which what we call “art” operates in a context of power – how it has been used to build up those in power and marginalize others. We’ll consider what an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory, anti-sexist form of art history might look like as well.