History of Art

Critical thinking through art.

Our History of Art program emphasizes the historical, social, cultural, and philosophical contexts of art, as well as the critical analysis of artistic and architectural form. You’ll have access to museum internships and research projects at Hopkins’ museums, including the Archaeological Museum, the Homewood Museum, and the Evergreen Museum, and work with curators and educators at various galleries in Baltimore, such as the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Walters Art Museum.   

CLASSES YOU MIGHT TAKE

The Cartographic Imaginary: Maps, Charts, and the Navigation of the Early Modern Globe

In the early modern world, people traveled further and more routinely than ever before. This course looks at the tools used to facilitate such endeavors—from maps and navigational charts to atlases and astrolabes.

Mirror Mirror: Reflections in Art from Van Eyck to Velázquez

Explore the different ways Early Modern painters and printmakers incorporated mirrors and optical reflections into their works for the sake of illusion and metaphor, deception and desire, and reflexivity and truth-telling.

Native American Art

We examine and discuss works of Native American artists in their respective social and historical contexts. You’ll have access to exhibits in the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) and Johns Hopkins Special Collections.

Join the Club

Hopkins students are eager to pursue their interests outside the classroom. With 450+ student-led organizations, here are just a few you could join: