His lectures are incredibly boring and long; its almost impossible to stay awake, even though the subject matter is really interesting. He gave us no idea whatsoever what was going to be on tests, and no direction at all on the essay, but he ended up grading both the essays and tests really easy, but I spent a lot of time stressing before I found out my grade. Easy overall, but only because he curves. I got a D- on the test, but he curved it up to an A-.

Modernism is a subject so contentless that it can hardly be called a subject. The only skill you will learn from this class is how to bullshit. The textbooks are 20 pounds of nonsense. The only reason they are so wordy is that they're trying to cover up the fact that they're not saying anything. Tumlir drones on and on about modernism as if it has any purpose other than to put you to sleep. Don't take this class if you have any respect for whatever is left of "higher education."

By far the worst class I've ever taken here. The lectures are so boring it's almost torturous and worse, they're THREE HOURS long. The professor's voice is so monotonous that it's nearly impossible not to fall asleep, especially since the class was offered on a Friday morning. The professor is not at all concerned that students succeed in his class; rather, he just reads almost verbatim from the textbook. I highly recommend skipping this class if you are not an art major, and in doing so, you will save yourself ten weeks of pure misery and hell.

Worst class i've taken at UCLA, if you aren't required to take this class because you are an art major...DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. i literally learned about modern art from 1900-1920 for 10 weeks. the lectures were long (3 hrs of hell) and boring as heck. They should call this class 'modern bullshitting'. This is a 3 part year long class but you can take 31A to fulfill the performing and visual arts GE. I'm so bummed that I wasted that GE on this class, there are WAY better options out there. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

Jan Tumlir - MODERNISM 31A-C. Unfortunately this class is required for Art majors. It's a pity. This class is pretty much an Art History class from Hell... His lectures are incredibly disorganized and very hard to follow. Also very long and boring... The majority of the lecture he read quotes/outside sources from his notes that are extremely complex and long. It's almost impossible to know/follow what he is talking about.

A TYPICAL DAY IN MODERNISM: It seems like he reads a couple quotes from some old people about a work of art, then moves on to another one, then refers back to that previous painting with another quote for twenty minutes with no relation to anything we've been talking about, then jumps back to something completely different then leaves off and talks about another thing that doesn't make sense, then refers to the first painting suggestion an idea that isn't finished, then talks about the fourth, then to the second, then to a painting we talked about last week, then reads a little quote about this other work that has completely no relation to anything we've been talking about, then reads another quote about the 2nd work... for three. straight. hours. He is a pretty chill guy, but his tone of voice is just so subtle and soft, you can't help to just fall asleep or just zone off. The readings assigned outside of class are impossible (very complex analysis of works of art since 1900 and Art in theory), and books are expensive! Probably the only positive thing about the class is that it is only once a week.

If you aren't an Art major, don't take it. Seriously, most people on here have pretty much summed up what the class is like. Very monotone, very long, takes no direction, I didn't think the readings were helpful or relevant to what he would talk about in class. He spent 50% of the class reading from different books and notes. Just no. I thought some of the topics he covered were interesting but in the end, I would just get sleepy and wish I would have never signed up. He is super nice and obviously smart but the class was just not that great. Also, it's impossible to guess what will be on the exam.

A lot of people will complain about the modernism series. That does not, however, mean that Jan Tumlir is a bad professor, and that the courses are not interesting. If you make the conscious effort to be interested, the classes are an intellectual challenge. Jan is an dazzlingly intelligent man. Moreover, he has a deep knowledge about art history, and the words he uses to describe them are eloquent and even artful in their own right. He can speak, and speak, and speak, but if you're tuned in you'll be so impressed, as I was, with the way that words drip off of his tongue. You're listening to a brilliant book of prose, but you must piece together and organize the ideas yourself to wrap your head around the concepts. Take detailed notes, stay involved, and stay intrigued.

DON'T TAKE THIS IF YOU'RE NOT AN ART MAJOR
DON'T TAKE THIS IF YOU'RE NOT AN ART MAJOR
DON'T TAKE THIS IF YOU'RE NOT AN ART MAJOR

If you are an art major, well, I'm sorry but this is a painful rite of passage you must endure. The lectures are alright, but they're based off the readings which are very expensive and take hours to decipher (in some cases after interpreting a single paragraph for a good thirty minutes you'll find that they contain absolutely no valuable/relevant information and/or they make completely contradictory statements). It really is a poor choice in that it's better off on a coffee table than a classroom desk. Jan is very intelligent and quite sweet but unfortunately he's difficult to learn from. The only positive thing I can say is that if you're a good writer you'll have an alright time bs-ing into an A. The work seems terrible at first but somehow I always managed to end up with a good grade.