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 Important Course Information

Please read all information here & in the 'Course Information' folder before proceeding further. If this is your first online class don’t panic, within a very short time you’ll understand how everything works. If you have questions, please post them in the ‘Questions’ folder on the Discussion Board and you can email them to me as well.  Please avoid using attachments for your responses to the topics, if necessary cut & paste them into the appropriate folder. To cut & paste you have to copy your document & paste it into your message using Ctrl V; right clicking doesn't always work.

 

FIRST

Go to the COURSE INFORMATION folder & read EVERYTHING inside.

SECOND

Check out the Discussion Board (DB) now! ALL assignments for the term are listed on the DB.

 

Some Blackboard terminology shortcuts:

Blackboard                 BB

Discussion Board      DB

 

You will need to purchase the required textbook for the course. It is our primary, yet far from only, resource. You must research the assignments, not just reference pages in the textbook.

 

EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE INSTRUCTOR

EMAILS TO ME MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING ON THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL.

Email subject line:  OC Art History

The course title as shown on the syllabus & your FULL name             

CHANGING AN INCORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS

If your email address appears on the DB as none@none.com you must change it. Go to the TOOLS menu, click on PERSONAL INFORMATION & put in your correct email address.

 

POINTERS FOR OPENING & READING POSTINGS

  • Open a folder & scroll to the bottom of the page & you will see options for sorting messages---check that out if you haven't already.
  • Click on the inverted red triangle at the top of your group page, then click in the boxes to the left of the messages you want to read, then hit "collect" they will all show up together so you don't have to open each message individually.
  • If you respond directly to another message you can change the subject line so that it is clear who you are responding to.

 

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

  • Cutting & pasting is ok, but please hold it to a minimum & don’t forget to cite your sources!  Use your own words with your personal interpretation of the information you come across & then share it all with us. I’ve noticed that there seems to be more cutting & pasting on topics where there is a word count minimum requirement. This wasn’t my intention. I want each of you to do enough research to put your discoveries in your own words, with your personal interpretation of what you come across, not just cut & paste what a list of other people have already said. When you do take information directly from any source make it clear that's what you've done. You need to cite ALL sources. Plagiarism is an increasing problem & I think that partially this is because people don't always realize what defines plagiarism. If you use information from a website, cite the source. It is NOT sufficient to change a few words & claim something as your own work. Take notes from several resources, add your own interpretation of the information you've gathered, write it out & post it.
  • Wikipedia is ok for information as a general resource, but don’t rely too heavily on it. Part of what you must do when researching online is to ensure that the information you’re getting & sharing is the most up to date & accurate information available. University & museum websites are great places to check out.
  • I do NOT read anything posted in a folder once it has been moved to the bottom of the DB, so if you have late work & we've agreed that it may be submitted, please email it to me.
  • Please, use your OWN words in your responses to the topics. Also, the textbook is simply our main resource & we all have it, so use it as a place to begin & do more research to share with us. This does not have to be terribly time consuming. Since there are so many of us, the sharing of information makes it so that one person does not have to do everything.

 I decided a couple of years ago to eliminate formal TESTS & focus on research, discussion, analytical & creative thinking rather than the grade issue. So, in essence, your responses to the topics ARE what your grade is based on. I want you to complete our class taking with you an increased appreciation for & interest in art, a realization of your creative abilities, & a desire for lifelong learning.

 
  		 

Things to consider when looking at art

Although the majority of artists mentioned in Western Art History textbooks are white European males, there were women & non-white males producing excellent art, too. If you look at old art history textbooks from the 1960’s & before, you’d think that ALL artists were white European males, if that was your only resource. They excluded everyone else. Thankfully, things have improved. When researching the topics, try & remember this & seek out those overlooked in the past.

Notice the actual size of the artwork you are viewing in the textbook or online & try to envision it as it really is. The true size is usually stated below the illustration. You may be looking at a little postcard size image, when in actuality the work is 12 x 28 FEET in size. Your response to it would certainly be different!

WHERE is the work you are researching now? If a painting or sculpture was once part of a group setting, remember that you are looking at it as an object in a museum setting instead of in its original one. A good example of this would be an altarpiece removed from its original space & now displayed in a museum, often without the other objects it was designed to be part of.

Guidelines for looking at & writing about art

INTRODUCTION

We all look at what is around us, but do we fully appreciate & truly SEE? Everything we look at & think about we are experiencing from a 21st century perspective. All that has come before our time affects our vision, so, in a way, we are looking through jaded eyes, as one of my students put it. We also have the excitement of knowing more & more about past civilizations as new excavations continue to give us more information about how people lived before & how we’ve gotten to where the world is now.

DESCRIPTION

Note the title of work, name of artist, date of completion, size of work (height x width x depth) medium (painting---oil, acrylic, watercolor, etc., drawing---chalk pastel, conte crayon, etc., sculpture--marble, clay, etc. format (horizontal or vertical) single piece or composed of several units, representational, non-representational or abstract.

Consider the items listed below to describe in detail the work of art you are analyzing. You must be objective; your personal interpretation comes at the end of the paper. If the work is representational, you can begin by describing the subject--objects, people, etc. If it is abstract, you will begin by describing what is shown---colors, shapes, etc.

Take notes while looking at the artwork using the following reference to help you clarify what you want to focus on.

ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

PRINCIPLES             

unity                                               

emphasis/focal point                    

balance                                            

scale/proportion                            

rhythm                                             

illusion of space

illusion of motion

ELEMENTS

line

shape/volume

texture

value (relative lightness & darkness)

color

 

ICONOGRAPHY (SUBJECT MATTER)

 Description of what the work of art depicts. This can be simple and direct, or obscure and

obtuse.

COLOR SCHEME

  • Bright or dull hues (name the colors)
  • high or low contrast
  • gradual changes or abrupt
  • Warm or cool or a combination of both
  • Primaries, secondaries, complementaries, analogous, tertiaries, etc.
  • Use of local color or expressive use of color

EMPHASIS & FOCAL POINT

How does the artist guide you through the work; what is most important? Think about repeated colors, lines, textures, shapes, objects, etc.

                      repeated

                      repeated

                      repeated

VALUE

Relative lightness & darkness.

Use of light--abrupt changes, gradual, high or low contrast

TEXTURE

Actual or implied. Smooth, rough, etc. Is there really texture, or is there  the illusion of texture?

SHAPE

  • Variety or repetition of shape
  • Geometric, organic, both
  • Distorted imagery or realistic.
  • What shape(s) dominate?

LINE

 ------------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!///////// Horizontals, verticals, diagonals. Thick, thin, heavy, light, straight, curvilinear, jagged, long, short, continuous, broken, implied, emphasized or minimized. Use of cross-hatching, stippling, scribbling, outline or define forms?

SPACE

Is there illusion of depth? If so, what means is used to convey this: linear, aerial, reverse perspective, foreshortening. Open or closed shapes. Symmetrical or asymmetrical balance. Dominating shapes, colors, how the space is utilized. Movement, stillness, rhythm, proportion, scale.

CONTENT

 What do you think the artist is trying to convey? Based on your formal analysis, decide what the work is about. Consider which of the visual elements (color, line, shape, etc.) are most important; this may give you a clue to the content.

 

PERSONAL MEANING AND IMPACT

This is your subjective opinion. Based on all of your observations, what is your response to the work? Do you like or dislike it? WHY? Does it make you think? Which aspects of it most strongly influenced your response?