Reframing the West: Changing Visions of the Landscape and Frontier Life in American Art

The West has long captured the imaginations of American artists, who have depicted both the landscape and its inhabitants. We will interrogate representations of the West during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including original works of art in the collections of the Newberry and the Art Institute of Chicago, together with more popular images. Through analysis and discussion of primary source materials and critical texts, we will examine the complex and ever-changing agendas behind the production of these images.

Patricia Smith Scanlan holds a Ph.D. in art history from Indiana University, with a specialization in American art. She is an independent scholar in Chicago.

Register online (nine sessions, $200).