Drawing Courses

Watercolor Plus

Course No. VAT 240  Credits: 3.0

This course explores the different materials and processes used in various water-based media such as acrylic, gouache, watercolor, ink, and other natural substances that can be used to make colors/washes. Various historical models will be examined such as Chinese scroll painting and watercolor from the Song dynasty to Renaissance architecture and figure studies to post-impressionist use of color and mark which will put contemporary use of water-based media into focus. The work of artists as varied as William Blake, Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Burchfield and Paul Klee to more recent artists such as Francesco Clemente, Marlene Dumas, Amy Cutler, Shazia Sikander and Franz Ackermann, will be examined within the context of the student’s personal practice. This course is open to all students with the prerequisite of PTG221 or PTG232 or with the permission of the instructor. 3 credits.

Silkscreen

Course No. VAT 270-370-470  Credits: 3.0

Students will investigate surface, mark, and materiality from both a technical and conceptual point of view. The silkscreen can accept a wide variety of printing substances (pigments, inks, dyes, mud, talc, honey, etcetera...), and can be applied to an equally diverse range of surfaces. Lectures, readings, and critiques will help students understand the historical role of screenprint and how it relates to their own work. Open elective for all students above the freshman level. 3 credits.

Aesthetics, Style + Content

Course No. VAT 300  Credits: 3.0

Aesthetics Style and Content focuses primarily, on the acquisition of creative and technical skills in the context of the development of original ideas and personal style. Studio work will consist of the practical exploration of the relationship between formal, technical, aesthetic, and stylistic issues relative to the personal, and thematic subjects of the students own choosing. Relative to this, in the seminar portion of the course the students are given critical, theoretical, philosophical background to issues surrounding the subjects of style, aesthetics and content. In the studio the students are encouraged to think of their work as an integrative whole consisting of these various components. In this context they are required to engage in independent critical research on topics relevant to their work. Their research takes the form of both archival and studio work and is presented in both visual and written form. This course is required for all senior students in Visual Arts. 3 credits.

Critical Conversations â€" Art in Practice

Course No. VAT 316  Credits: 3.0

In this studio/seminar class, each student will delve into the work of one contemporary artist. Students will select their research subject from a prominent contemporary collection, experiencing the work in-person. Through a balance of artmaking and research, students will investigate: How does the artist I’ve selected create their work? As an emerging artist, what can I learn from this accomplished artist’s approach to artmaking and their professional practice? How does the broader culture view this artist’s work? How can my day-to-day studio practice reflect this learning? Students will sharpen their critical inquiry skills through material investigations, research of artists’ writings, and reflections on history’s impact on the accomplished artist’s ideas. The semester’s work will culminate in a final public, professional presentation of the students’ studio work and research. Open to all students. 3 credits.

Hybrid Approaches to Drawing + Painting: Digital Media

Course No. VAT 327  Credits: 3.0

Emphasis is on integrating digital processes into studio practice and production. The class deals with a spectrum of digital applications in a studio practice including straightforward digital output, using digital as a means of producing source material as well as actually integrating digital processes into the production of work. Through slide presentations, viewing actual work, discussions and readings, students will be introduced to the place of the digital in contemporary studio practice. In studio production, students will use varied media and subjects, both traditional and non-traditional, to further develop their analytical and expressive means in their creative practice. Students are encouraged to draw from many disciplines incorporating them in the projects presented to the class for group critiques. Open to all students â€" required of Printmaking and Drawing juniors. 3 credits.

Popular Culture + Imagery

Course No. VAT 327P  Credits: 3.0

This course will explore the symbiotic relationship of art and culture, and the particular ways in which popular and material culture influence the visual arts and vice versa NOW (if there are indeed any particular ways that stand out in this particular time as opposed to a different time in history). Students will learn to discern both the overt and covert affects/effects of culture on contemporary artists as well as on their own work and that of their peers. Students in order to take part in relevant classroom conversation/discussion need a working knowledge of current events/ history/popular culture and will need to be ready to read and do research, etc. Open to all Students. 3 credits.

Criticism as Studio Practice

Course No. VAT 341  Credits: 3.0

This course will be of interest to all students maintaining a studio practice and focuses on the role of critical dialogue in forming and informing studio production. Through modern and contemporary models, students will be asked to consider the relationship between what is critically said about a work of art and how that frame effects the work’s standing in the world. Examples to be considered will include: Apollinaire and Picasso; Pollock and Greenberg; Andy Warhol’s practice; Andre Serrano’s Piss Christ; Robert Mapplethorpe’s work; Chris Ofili and the Young British Artists; and the television show “Work of Art.� Students will develop and participate in projects extending from these models as well as giving an intensive look at their own practices and how what they make is changed by the critical dialogue which surrounds making in an academic environment. Open to all students. 3 credits.

Role of the Artist as Producer (EP)

Course No. VAT 400  Credits: 3.0

Contemporary artists have a multitude of ways they can engage with the larger world, beyond the realm of the gallery or museum. Students enrolled in this course will explore various models of artistic production including, but not limited to, performer, activist, curator and provocateur. The relationship between method of creation and idea, or the handmade versus the industrial, will be investigated. Additionally, assignments will challenge students to analyze the content of their artwork within local, national, and global contexts. Coursework will include studio work, readings, discussion, and critiques. Required for Visual Art juniors in all majors. Open as an elective with approval of instructor. 3 credits.