"What is Russian about Russian art and design? From the rich metalwork and embroidery that surrounded early icons to lifelike painting and avant-garde abstraction, this course will explore the wide-range of art and design produced in Russia from ancient Rus’ through the early 20th century. Students will examine objects from the Kremlin Workshops that blend European Baroque with Islamic design. We will study the development of Western-style art training in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the reaction against it by artists seeking a distinctly Russian national style in design and architecture. We will study Russian responses to European modernism, and efforts to reclaim Russia’s Asian heritage in the early 20th century. Important themes of the course will be the cultural component of national identity, and the exchange of artistic ideas across cultures. This course will expand students’ views of global art and design, and will acquaint them with the cultural issues at stake in defining national identity.