How can art shape, inform, and transform everyday life? What is the artist’s role in forming (and reforming) the material conditions of living? Focusing on Europe in the first half of the twentieth century—but also looking beyond this chronological and geographical frame—we will explore the ways modernist artists moved beyond the traditions of “fine art” to work in a wide range of mediums and scales, from revolutionizing the domestic sphere to urban planning. We will consider this variety of artistic projects through the lens of theories of the avant-garde, modern architecture, and mass media. Special emphasis will be given to work of women artists and art in the context of socialist politics.

This course fulfills the following Major requirements: Geographical area (A) and Chronological period (III). 

*This course will not meet for discussion section.