What’s it about?

This course introduces you to the basics of art appreciation: definitions and roles of the artist, visual thinking, artistic elements and principles of the visual language, and critical perspectives.

What will I learn?

Art definitions, artistic roles and visual thinking

• Define art within a cultural perspective.
• Explain the difference between objective and subjective.
• Explain the different roles art plays within different cultures.
• Define the term subject matter.
• Define the categories realistic, abstract, and non-objective.
• Recognize, evaluate, and describe artistic styles.
• Discuss the meaning of aesthetics and its relationship to cultural conventions.
• Identify and discuss issues of visual awareness.

The artistic process

• Describe specific processes used by visual artists.
• Compare and contrast art as a social activity and a singular creative act.
• Identify and discuss historical forms of artistic training.
• Describe the cultural ties to artistic process and training.

The visual language: artistic elements and principles

• Define and describe artistic elements.
• Translate a realistic artwork into an abstract composition.
• Discuss compositional constructs and their effectiveness in the artistic process.
• Using the language of art, compare and contrast artworks from disparate cultures.
• Define and describe the artistic principles.
• Translate a realistic artwork into an abstract composition.
• Discuss compositional constructs and their effectiveness in the artistic process.
• Using the language of artistic principles, compare and contrast artworks from disparate cultures.

How art speaks

• Explain the meaning of both form and content.
• Undertake comparative descriptions of form and content.
• Identify the three levels of meaning in works of art.
• Identify the use of iconography in art.
• Define the term “context,” and discuss its essential role in finding meaning in art.
• Describe the role of the critic.
• Identify and describe the six critical perspectives.
• Identify, research, integrate, and explain visual information concerning artworks and specific meaning.

What’s involved?

You will be required to complete several written assignments, using many examples from art collections available online from around the world, as well as examples of art that you locate yourself. You will be also be asked to interpret the meaning of works of art from a critical perspective.

Prerequisites?

This course is intended for a very broad audience. You may never have studied art formally, and you may not be an artist yourself. On the other hand, you may already be involved in art production. Whatever your background, if you wish to learn about art appreciation and some of the basic elements and principles of the artistic language, this course is for you.

Image credit: Aids Quilt by National Institutes of Health, Public Domain