Office: ART 115
Phone: 408-924-4394
Email: bgrindst@email.sjsu.edu

I received my Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles where I studied under Albert Boime and Donald Preziosi. My areas of specialization are Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Art of Europe and America, with an emphasis on Germany from 1800 through 1945, and Critical Theory. I have presented papers and published on topics including Deutsche Werkbund theory and practice, the official aesthetics of National Socialist Germany and Soviet Russia, programs of national cohesiveness promoted by Depression-era Fine Arts Section murals, and the construction of ethno-national identity at the World's Fairs. A common theme unifying my work is the construction of identity through the aesthetic formats of the fine arts, popular culture, design, the museum, and formal theories of aesthetics.

My current interests are best represented by "Designing the Mensch als Kunstwerk: Kant, Hygiene and the Aesthetics of Health in Wilhelmine Germany" (2004), my dissertation which undertakes an interdisciplinary examination of early twentieth-century design as it arose from the Kantian-inflected intellectual, cultural, and social life of Wilhelmine Germany. The primary focus throughout is on Hermann Muthesius, Peter Behrens and other members of the Deutscher Werkbund as they joined the widespread participation of leading German artists, theorists, and physicians in visually translating, figuring and exhibiting hygiene principles for the educated German middle classes; other participants include Rudolf Virchow, health product magnate Karl August Lingner, and the Brückegruppe Expressionists. The secondary concern here and indeed throughout all my work lies in the critical examination of the moral underpinning of art history, and the study offers an interrogation of post-National Socialist historiography that presents the 'German hygiene movement' as a protofascist ideology that unavoidably culminates in the Holocaust. As such, a portion is dedicated to locating this ideology in visual indices and using it to review standard art history methodologies for cultural production outside of canonical parameters.

Course Descriptions:

ARTH 72/ Design in Society Art History 72
is a lower division course that provides a thematic and, within each themes, a chronological introduction to major types of design around the globe from prehistory to the present. It considers the cultural role of design in finding creative solutions to basic human needs, such as shelter, clothing, utilitarian objects, transportation and communication (for social, political, religious, informational, and other purposes). Works by designers from many diverse cultures are studied within their historical and cultural context. As cost of materials and amount of labor varies in producing different objects, even objects of the same type, issues of economic and social class are also critical in understanding designs. There are no prerequisites for the ARTH 70B course but completion of English 1A (or concurrent enrollment) is strongly recommended. The class meets the Area 2-C (Arts) requirement for Core G.E. and is a major requirement for students in Art and Design.

ARTH 176A-DSGD 176A/ History of Graphic Design:
Art History 176A-Graphic Design 176A presents the history of graphic design and typography with an emphasis on the twentieth century. It uses the survey lecture format to contextualize main historical, technological, and theoretical concerns and influences that influenced individuals and movements in graphic design. The objective of this course is for students to gain a broad perspective on the changing technologies, cultural ideals, and popular tastes that have historically influenced design as a whole. A secondary goal is to develop the communication skills essential to academic and professional success to translate visual perceptions into words, and for students to develop skills in translating visual perceptions into words, a critical component of the client-designer professional relationship.

ARTH 192A/History of Modern Design Art History 192A
presents the history of design philosophy and practice from the Victorian era to the present including Art & Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco, Bauhaus, International Style, and Post-Modernism. Designers and movements are examined in relation to social, political, economic, and technological changes as well as in terms of evolving value systems. Each area features interrelated aspects of graphic, interior, and industrial design.

ARTH 192C/History of Interior Design Art History 192C
presents a survey of interior design contextualized through the historical, political, social, economic, technological, and aesthetic factors that shape the built environment. Examples of commercial, domestic and amateur design are analyzed formally and through parallel developments in the arts, religion, and philosophy. Lectures contextualize and analyze examples of commercial, domestic and amateur interior design in terms of ideation, layout and spatial organization, and constituent elements such as furniture and décor. Specific themes include the history of interior design; the role of the user; connections between interior design and other design fields; interior design education; the production of fantasy and display in the interior; corporate identities; and cases studies of the client/designer relationship. Instruction consists of slide lectures, discussion groups, and field trips conducted during the regular course hours. Excerpts from movies, travel videos and other popular culture sources are sued to demonstrate the lived effect of the interior and to explore the ways in which popular knowledge of interior design is currently codified and disseminated within the public sphere.