Course Introduction
This course is an exploration of visual art forms and their cultural connections for the student with little experience in the visual arts. It includes a brief study of art history, and in-depth studies of the elements, media, and methods used in creative thought and processes. In this course, you will learn how to develop a five-step system for understanding visual art in all forms, based on the following:
- 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 expressed by 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 political, social, cultural, and aesthetic issues that artists examine in their work; and explain the role and effect of the visual arts in societies, history, and world cultures.
Keep this list of links to great external art resources, collections, and libraries handy. Several activites throughout this course will ask you to find works of art at these links. This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the great online galleries out there. If you find another collection you like, please let us know about it, especially if it might help us fill a gap artistic styles that are represented here!