This course introduces students to modern western art from the 1860s to the 1960s. It aims to demystify the “isms” of modern art—including Cubism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Impressionism, Minimalism, Modernism, Post-Impressionism, and Surrealism—as well as labels such as Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts, Dada, and Pop Art. We explore how artists transformed traditions, imagined possible futures, and contributed to the social and political debates of their time. The course covers a diverse range of artistic practices and materials. We look at painting, sculpture, illustration, photomontage, film, design, and architecture. Each class is oriented around a focus work chosen as representative of the particular “ism” of that day. Students will also be introduced to a range of supplementary works both by the artists of focus and others of the movements in order to develop a fuller understanding of the diversity of artistic practices in this period.