Michael R Clapper Associate Professor of Art History
ResearchMy research has centered on mass-reproduced art, particularly in the United States. Since the mid-nineteenth century, mass production (and thus lower prices) has made it possible for a large number of people to have art, or at least reproductions of art, in their homes. In analyzing these works I try to understand why an image or type of art, especially those that became most popular, appealed to contemporary viewers and served important social and cultural purposes. I have published articles about chromolithographs, the cast plaster sculptures of John Rogers, the work of Thomas Kinkade, and Currier & Ives prints. My current research projects are about Maxfield Parrish’s most popular image Daybreak, and Norman Rockwell’s relationship with modern art and modern life. |
Courses TaughtART 103 Learning to See ART 243 American Art ART 273 Art, Capitalism, and Markets ART 461 Understanding Art |