Course Description
Examines the figure as both subject and object in contemporary studio practice. Students develop and explore their own unique visual language and subjective figuration while examining the relationship between narrative ideas and pictorial structure.
Athena Title
Figure Subj Narrative Impulse
Prerequisite
ARST 2000 or ARST 2005 or ARST 2100
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
o Relevant modern and contemporary models of visual storytelling will be investigated. o Themes that explore emotional, spiritual, psychological, or social narratives and trace the historical and political implications of using the human form in works of art will be considered. o Creativity, exploration, and individual expression in a contemporary visual context will be emphasized. o Sources will include: working from observation, biography, mediated imagery, drawing from literature, memory, anecdote, and visual precedents. o Students will be expected to challenge themselves utilizing various technical, formal, and conceptual approaches in generating and creating images. o In-class assignments will be supplemented with lectures and image presentations as well as film and video screenings, reading materials, field trips, and critiques. o Through individual and group critiques, students will think critically, identifying and analyzing the technical qualities, formal elements, conceptual choice of their own and other's work, utilizing stylistically appropriate and mature dialogue.
Topical Outline
This course will include an overview of historical and contemporary art practices using the figure in visual narratives through studio practice, lectures, readings, and slide/video presentations. Class discussions will engage students in the effective use of the human figure in media and imagery to tell stories and communicate ideas. Various stylistic modes will be introduced, from mimetic realism to abstract symbolism.
Syllabus