ART 100: Art Appreciation: Part I      
Instructor: Diane Weintraub           

 

Looking and Seeing Tips: What’s the difference?

Looking is:

Seeing is:

Chapter One: The Nature of Art

Reading assignment: Chapter One, pages 2 – 14. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

What is art? Please note the dictionary definition on page 2.

Is art necessary?

Purposes and functions of art:

            Communicating information

            Day-to-day living

Spiritual sustenance

Personal and cultural expression 

Social and political purposes 

Visual delight

Be sure to read about Romare Bearden on page 11. You’ll enjoy it!

Chapter Two: Awareness, Creativity, and Communication
Reading assignment: Chapter Two, pages 15 – 38. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

Visual thinking

Perception and awareness

Looking and seeing

Aesthetics, art, beauty

Art and experience

Untrained and Folk artists

Trained artists

Visual communication

Art and appearances

Representational art

Abstract art 

Nonrepresentational art

Form and content

Seeing and responding to form

Iconography            

Tools of the art trade

“I found that I could say things with colors and shapes that I couldn’t say in any other way – things I had no words for.”Georgia O’Keeffe

Looking and Seeing Tips: Getting started

What is this I’m looking at?

Where and when was it made?

Who made it?

Why did they make it?

NOW: How do I respond to it?

Chapter Three: Visual Elements

Reading assignment: Chapter Three, pages 40 – 71. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

Line: Characteristics of line

Implied line

Shape

            Geometric shapes

            Organic shapes

            Positive or figure shapes

            Negative or ground shapes

            Figure-ground

Mass

            In three dimensions

                        Closed form

                        Open form

            In two dimensions

Space

            Space in three dimensions

            Space in two dimensions

                        Clues to spatial depth

                                    Overlap

Diminishing size

                                    Vertical placement

                                    All of the above
 

Linear perspective 

            Horizon line 

Vanishing point

            Eye level

                                    Vantage point or viewpoint

                        Atmospheric perspective: color, value, detail

                        Isometric perspective

Time and Motion

            Approaches to depicting time: linear and non-linear

            Stopped time

            Manipulated time

            Implied motion

            Actual motion

Light

            Seeing light

            Implied light

            Light as a medium

Color

            Local color

            A trip to the color wheel!

            Color schemes

                        Monochrome

                        Analogous

                        Complementary

                        Cool/ warm

Texture

            Actual

            Simulated

Chapter Four: Principles of Design

Reading assignment: Chapter Four, pages 72 – 90. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

Unity and variety

Balance

            Symmetrical balance

            Asymmetrical balance

Emphasis and subordination

            Focal point

Directional forces

Repetition and rhythm

Scale and proportion

 

Style, Evaluation & Criticism

Looking and Seeing Tips:

Tips for visiting a museum:

  1. Find out what there is to see.
  2. Ask where the collection’s strengths are.
  3. Pick things you like and see them first.
  4. Move on to other areas after seeing your favorites.
  5. Take frequent breaks to sit and enjoy the work on exhibit.
  6. Consider asking for a docent tour, or asking the docent questions.

Chapter Five: Style

Reading assignment: Chapter Five, pages 91 -103. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

Style: A consistent characteristic handling of media, elements of form and principles of design that makes a work identifiable as the product of a particular culture, period, group, or person.

Cultural style

Period style

Regional style

Group style

Personal style

Chapter Six: Evaluation & Criticism

Reading assignment: Chapter Six, pages 104 - 109. Be sure to keep up with the reading assignment!

Evaluation

Criticism

Art criticism