Ontario College of Art & Design

Course Calendar

COURSE DESCRIPTION

VISC 3B92
Special Topic in Visual Culture: Artists’ Autobiographies
0.50 Credit(s)
Academic Course
Prerequisite: 1.0 Liberal Studies credit at the 200 level, including 0.5 VISC credit.
To the cop who stops me for speeding, I am annoying. Yet my grandmother thinks I’m perfect, my wife finds me oddly fascinating and our cats see me as a moderately reliable food dispenser. This range of opinion suggests that writing an autobiography is tricky, as no standards exist for judging whether, why or to what degree others find me interesting: anecdotes must advance my story without making me sound pleased with myself for being so intriguing. By reflecting on selections from autobiographies of (primarily modern and contemporary) artists (e.g., Cellini, Bashkirtseff, Chicago, Schnabel), we will ponder what succeeds in this genre and consider the constants and variables in the histories outlined by our readings. Students will use these reflections to guide the development of written and spoken autobiographical sketches.
Notes: This "Special Topic" course provides more advanced analysis of a topic of general interest or relevance. This course fulfills 0.5 credit toward the Liberal Studies requirements for a BFA or BDes.
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