M1-Overview & Objectives

Module 1 - Introductions and Definitions

OVERVIEW
This module gives a basic understanding of how art is defined and the different ways it
functions in societies and cultures. It covers the following topics:

 What is Art?
 Form and Content
 Aesthetics
 Subjective and Objective Perspectives
 Artistic Roles
 Artistic Categories
 Artistic Styles
 Ideas of Perception and Visual Awareness

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 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.

M2-Overview & Objectives

Module 2 - The Process of Art

OVERVIEW
This module explores the artistic process and the art industry surrounding it: from
individual artists turning ideas into works of art to collaborative creative projects, public
art and the viewer. It covers the following topics:

 The Artistic Process

 The Individual Artist
 Artistic Training Methods and Cultural Considerations
 Art as a Social Activity
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 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.

M3-Overview & Objectives

Module 3 - Artistic Elements

OVERVIEW
Just as spoken language is based on fundamental letters, sounds and grammar, visual
art is based on elements and principles that, when used together, create works that
communicate ideas and meaning to the viewer. We can refer to them as the building
blocks of composition in visual art. A composition is the organized layout of an image
or object according to the rules of design. The best way to understand the elements and
principles is to study them within a variety of artworks.
In this module you will begin to learn the “language of art” through a structured
approach to terms and examples used to describe and analyze any work of art. The
basis of this language is the artistic elements– the irreducible and abstract ingredients
that generate creative form. This module includes the exploration of the following artistic
elements:

 The point
 Definitions and qualities of line
 Shapes: positive, negative and planar issues
 Figure / Ground Relationships
 Mass
 Space
 Color: its qualities and combinations
 Texture

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Define and describe the artistic elements and principles

 Compare and contrast art as a social activity and a singular creative act
 Explain the historical forms of artistic training
 Disuss the cultural ties to artistic process and training

M4-Overview & Objectives

 Module 4 - Artistic Principles
OVERVIEW
This module explores the artistic principles -- the means by which the elements in a
work of art are arranged and orchestrated. They include:

 Visual Balance
 Repetition
 Scale and Proportion
 Emphasis
 Time and Motion
 Unity
 Variety

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Define and describe the artistic elements

 Translate a realistic artwork into an abstract composition
 Discuss compositional constructs and their effectiveness in the artistic process
 Compare and contrast artworks from disparate cultures using the language of art

M5-Overview & Objectives

Module 5 - Finding Meaning

“There is only one thing in a work of art that is important: it’s that thing you can’t
explain”.
-Georges Braque
OVERVIEW
Even though Braque’s enigmatic quote cloaks works of art in mystery, art, by its nature,
asks questions and holds meaning. It explains ideas, uncovers truths, manifests what is
beautiful and tells stories. It is at once a form of visual expression and non-verbal
communication. Many times an artwork’s meaning, or content, is easy to see (Links to
an external site.). Two examples are the freshness of an Impressionist landscape (Links
to an external site.) painting or the identity inherent in a portrait (Links to an external
site.) photograph. But sometimes the meaning in a work of art is hidden, deciphered
from signposts and clues imbedded in the work by the artist. In this module we will see
how formal properties, subject matter, context and iconography team up to help
interpret meaning in art. Let’s approach these four terms as different levels of meaning
we can examine to get a more complete understanding of what we are seeing.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:
 Discuss the meaning of form and content
 Undertake comparative descriptions of form and content
 State the three levels of meaning in world art
 Identify the use of iconography in art
 Define the term "context" and discuss it's role in finding meaning in art
 Describe the role of the critic
 State and explain the six critical perspectives
 Identify, research, integrate and explain visual information concerning artworks
and specific meaning

M6-Overview & Objectives

Module 6 - Two Dimensional Media

OVERVIEW
Artists find ways to express themselves with almost anything available. It is a stamp of
their creativity to make extraordinary images and objects from various but fairly ordinary
materials. From charcoal, paper and thread to paint, ink and found objects like leaves,
artists continue to search for ways to construct and deliver their message.
This module explores traditional and non-traditional mediums associated with two-
dimensional artworks including:

 Drawing
 Painting
 Printmaking
 Collage

Two-dimensional media are grouped into general categories. Let’s look at each group to
understand their particular qualities and how artists use them.
OBJECTIVES
Upon completing this module, students should be able to:

 Identify and describe specific characteristics of two-dimensional mediums artist

use
 Describe how time-based mediums affect issues of content
 Explain and demonstrate how collage has a significant role in the development of
modern art
 Discuss how the advance of technology is reflected in the art historical record
 Describe how cultural styles are influenced through the use of different artistic
mediums

M7-Overview & Objectives

 Module 7 - The Camera Arts
OVERVIEW
This module provides an overview of the camera arts and how they’re used. They
include:

 Film photography
 Photography’s impact on traditional media
 Issues of From and Content
 Darkroom Processes
 The Human Element
 Color Images
 Photojournalism
 Modern Developments
 Digital photography
 Time based mediums including motion pictures, video, digital streaming images

The invention of the camera and its ability to capture an image with light became the
first “high tech” artistic medium of the Industrial Age. Developed during the middle of the
nineteenth century, the photographic process changed forever our physical perception
of the world and created an uneasy but important relationship between the photograph
and other more traditional artistic media.
OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Explain the effect photography has on traditional artistic media

 Communicate how time-based mediums affect issues of content 
 Compare and contrast different photographic processes
 Recognize and explain issues of form and content in photographs
 Explain the three elements of photojournalism
 Describe the effects photojournalism has on the news media

 
 

M8-Objectives & Overview

Module 8 - Three Dimensional Media

OVERVIEW
Three-dimensional media occupies space defined through the dimensions of height,
width and depth. It includes sculpture, installation and performance art, craft and
product design. Two processes are responsible for all three-dimensional art: additive,
in which material is built up to create form, or subtractive, where material is removed
from an existing mass, such as a chunk of stone, wood or clay. The different categories
we’ll examine in this module are not necessarily exclusive from each other, and we will
look at some examples of three-dimensional art that arguably cross over between
categories. Topics covered include:

 Types of Sculpture and other Three-Dimensional Media

 Methods
 Modern Variations of Three-Dimensional Media

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

  Identify and describe specific characteristics of three-dimensional mediums artist

use
 Demonstrate how the advance of technology is reflected in three-dimensional
media throughout the art historical record
 Explain the effects installation and performance art has on artistic experience.
 Compare and contrast three-dimensional artworks from different cultures

M9-Overview & Objectives

Module 9 - Architecture
OVERVIEW
Architecture is the art and science of designing structures and spaces for human use.
Architectural design in itself is an art form realized through considerations of spatial
design and aesthetics. Related to sculpture, architecture creates three-dimensional
objects that occupy a given space and create a visual relationship with the space
around them. The differences between the sculpture and architecture are in their scale
and utility. Early human structures provided shelter from the elements. As hunter-
gatherer societies transitioned to farming they made more permanent shelters,
eventually formed communities, towns and cities. For thousands of years, architecture
reflected the specific environment and materials available in any given region, including
rock caves or huts of wood, soil and brick. Many were assemblages of materials like
grasses, leaves and animal hides. Nomadic (Links to an external site.) peoples still
utilize these materials.
 Turkman woman standing at the entry to a grass and hide covered yurt.
Collection of the Library of Congress Prints and Images File.
Image in the public domain.
In simple design terms, architecture adheres to the dictum that “form follows function”.
Architecture’s function reflects different human needs. For example, warehouses take
the shape of large squares or rectangles because they need only to enclose a space
that protects and stores products and materials in the most efficient manner. A home is
designed with other functions in mind, including cooking, resting, cleaning and
entertaining. So the interior design of a home includes specialized areas for these
different functions. A church or school design would have their own set of spatial
requirements because they provide for large groups of people at once.
Architecture solves problems concerning the use of space, interior design and the
landscape that surrounds it. The limitations imposed on architecture by the laws of
physics are solved to a large extent by engineering. The greatest limitations on design
are the physical loads exerted by a structure’s weight.Compression loads refer to
vertical weight and shear loads travel at an angle or horizontally. Buildings need stable
foundations and framing systems that support the spanning of open space.
This module explores the history of architecture and its relation to visual art. The topics
covered in this module include:

 Traditional Methods and Materials

 Architecture in China and the Far East
 Cross-Cultural Influences
 Architecture and the Industrial Revolution
 Modern Architecture: A New Language
 Post Modern and Contemporary Architecture
 Green Architecture

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Discuss architecture’s significance to shelter and habitat

 Describe the traditional and modern styles of architecture
 Explain architectural materials and structural systems
 Describe architecture as a reflection of culture
 Demonstrate familiarity with symbolic uses of architecture
 Discuss new technologies and ‘green’ adaptations in architectural design

M10-Overview & Objectives

Module 10 - Our World

OVERVIEW
If nothing else, visual art provides an avenue for self-expression. As a primary source,
artists express attitudes, feelings and sentiments about the world around us through
personal experiences, social interaction and our relationship with the natural world. In
short, art gives us a perception of or a reaction to our place in the world. This idea is
illustrated in the French artist Paul Gauguin’s painting titled: Where Do We Come
From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (Links to an external site.) The work
brings us on a symbolic journey that includes imagery of infancy, adulthood, nature and
spirituality.
In Module 1 we referred to description as one of many roles art affords us, but this
description is often imbued with the artist’s subjective interpretation. In this module we
will examine how art operates as a vehicle for human expression, a kind of collective
visual metaphor that helps define who we are.
In this module we look at how artists express and interpret our world. Here are the
topics and themes we’ll cover:

  Identity
 Self-Portraits
 The Natural World
 Social and Collaborative Art
 Politics, Conflict and War
 Memorials
 Peace

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Describe how what we know is reflected in works of art

 Understand how artists use the natural world as vessel for human experience
 Explore how art is a medium for self identity
 Be familiar with the limits to representation of the body
 Consider the idea of primordial couples and ties to human procreation
 Describe sexuality in art seen through different cultural perspectives
 Identify issues of propaganda in art
 Describe examples of art used to communicate political statements
 Explain art’s use as a form of protest

M11-Overview & Objectives

Module 11 - Other Worlds

OVERVIEW
In this module we see how art makes tangible things that inhabit the realm of human
thoughts, beliefs and imagination. These things include:

 Myths
 Dreams
 Spirituality

OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

 Describe ways that art expresses ideas of the spirit

 Discuss costume and decoration as vehicles of spirituality
 Explain the ways that art is an avenue for myth
 Describe the role of art in ritual and ceremony
 Describe connections between art, magic and the idea of the fantastic

Gildow, Christopher. December 4, 2012. Art Appreciation.

https://learn.canvas.net/courses/24