Explore visual art forms and their cultural connections by learning about the history of art and its principles. Study the elements, media, and methods used in creative thought and the creative process.
This course explores visual art forms and their cultural connections across historical periods, designed for students with little experience in the visual arts. It includes brief studies in art history and in-depth inquiry into the elements, media, and methods used in a range of creative processes. At the beginning of this course, we will study a five-step system for developing an understanding of visual art in all forms, based on:
Description: A work of art from an objective point of view – its physical attributes and formal construction.
Analysis: A detailed look at a work of art that combines physical attributes with subjective statements based on the viewer's reaction to the work.
Context: Historical, religious, or environmental information that surrounds a particular work of art and which helps to understand the work's meaning.
Meaning: A statement of the work's content. A message or narrative to express the subject matter.
Judgment: A critical point of view about a work of art concerning its aesthetic or cultural value.
After completing this course, you will be able to interpret works of art based on this five-step system, explain the processes involved in artistic production, identify the many kinds of issues that artists examine in their work, and explain the role and effect of the visual arts in different social, historical and cultural contexts.
- Unit 1: Defining Art
- Unit 2: Who Makes Art – Process and Training
- Unit 3: How Art Speaks – Finding Meaning
- Unit 4: How Art Works – The Principles of Visual Language
- Unit 5: Artistic Media
- Unit 6: Architecture
- Unit 7: Our World
- Unit 8: Other Worlds
- Unit 9: Art in Time and Place – The Western and Near Eastern World
- Identify and describe the elements and principles of art;
- Compare and contrast different methods, mediums, and materials artists use to create two- and three-dimensional works of visual art;
- Interpret and analyze examples of visual art;
- Identify the processes and materials involved in art and architectural production;
- Explain the roles and effects of the visual arts through history and in different societies and cultures;
- Connect formal attributes of art with their meaning and expression;
- Articulate the political, social, cultural, and aesthetic themes and issues that artists examine in their work; and
- Evaluate and communicate information about visual art in its various forms and contexts.
This exam requires the use of a proctoring service for identity verification purposes. The cost for proctoring for this optional exam is \$5 per session.
