60-479 Advanced DP3: Spiritual Abstraction

10 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This painting course draws upon the rich art history of spirituality in abstraction, starting with the Swedish mystic Hilma af Klint, whose groundbreaking posthumous exhibition at the Guggenheim engendered a new timeline for Modernism. Through a series of readings, presentations, field trips, and critiques, the class will gain knowledge of the practices and histories behind spirituality in art and learn techniques to build complex abstract works that use both expressive and geometric forms. This is a studio-based painting course in which emphasis is placed on independent research and studio productivity. We will discuss artists like Hilma af Klint, Wassily Kandinsky, Eamon Ore-Giron, Loie Hollowell, Elijah Burgher, Xul Solar, Ghulam Rasool Santosh, Jesse Bransford, and Betye Saar as well as artistic movements including Transcendental Painting Group and Neo Tantra Painting.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Fall 2025

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