ARTH101: Vincent Van Gogh | Saylor Academy

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Watch this video, which describes the structure and color in Vincent Van Gogh's (1853–1890) painting Portrait of Joseph Roulin.

Portrait of Joseph Roulin, Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh, Portrait of Joseph Roulin, early 1889. Museum of Modern Art, New York

Source: Beth Harris and Steven Zucker, Smarthistory, smarthistory.org

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License.

Last modified: Wednesday, 22 January 2025, 3:37 PM

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Course Syllabus

Unit 1: Defining Art

1.1: Introduction and Definitions

Discussion Topic 1: Exposure to Art

Defining Art

Discussion Topic 2: Defining Art

1.2: Form and Content

Form and Content

1.3: Aesthetics

Aesthetics

What is Art?

1.4: Subjective and Objective Perspectives

Subjective and Objective Perspectives

1.5: Artistic Roles

Artistic Roles

1.6: Artistic Categories

Artistic Categories

1.7: Artistic Styles

Artistic Styles

1.8: Cultural Styles

Cultural Styles

Representational, Abstract, and Nonrepresentational Art

1.9: Perception and Visual Awareness

Perception and Visual Awareness

Unit 1 Assessment

Unit 1 Assessment

Unit 2: Who Makes Art – Process and Training

2.1: The Artistic Process

The Artistic Process

2.2: The Individual Artist

The Individual Artist

Discussion Topic 3: The Artistic Process

2.3: Artistic Training Methods

Artistic Training Methods

2.4: Art as a Social Activity

Art as a Social Activity

Unit 2 Assessment

Unit 2 Assessment

Unit 3: How Art Speaks – Finding Meaning

3.1: Objective vs. Subjective Meaning

Discussion Topic 4: Form and Content

How We See: Objective and Subjective Means

3.2: The Four Levels of Meaning: Formal, Subject, Context, and Iconography

First Level of Meaning: Formal

Second Level of Meaning: Subject

Third Level of Meaning: Context

More on Context

Fourth Level of Meaning: Iconography

3.3: Critical Perspectives

Critical Perspectives

Unit 3 Assessment

Unit 3 Assessment

Unit 4: How Art Works – The Principles of Visual Language

4.1: The Basic Elements

The Point

The Line

Shapes and the Figure-Ground Relationship

Mass

4.2: Space, Value, Color, and Texture

The Element of Space

The Element of Value

The Element of Color

The Element of Texture

4.3: The Principles of Design

Artistic Principles

Balance

Repetition

Scale and Proportion

Emphasis

Time and Motion

Unity and Variety

Discussion Topic 5: Objective Description of Artistic Principles

Unit 4 Assessment

Unit 4 Assessment

Unit 5: Artistic Media

5.1: Two-Dimensional Media

Drawing

Painting

Printmaking