Course III: Western Art

Mrs. Burghdorf

Art reflects culture; it speaks of the needs, hopes, beliefs, activities and knowledge of the people who make it. Thus, we will try to understand art in terms of its social and historical contexts. “Western Art” is the art of Europe, and those parts of the world that have come to follow, predominantly European cultural traditions, such as the Americas. This course will survey Western Art from nearly the beginning, up until the 20^th century.

It is important that you can locate works of art in time and place, analyze them to make reasoned judgments, and investigate how each work creates meaning within its context. Only then can you begin to understand how people use art to communicate their perceptions, responses, and understandings of the world around them. You will create pieces of art throughout the year that are reminiscent of important time periods or movements in Western Art. As advanced students you should also be able to identify, discuss, and use the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Be prepared to use them in your discussions during final critiques and during class when we are analyzing artworks.

Projects:

You will receive approximately 2-3 projects for each marking period with due dates for each. If you do not finish by the given due date/the day for final critiques, you will still be required to critique your project unfinished, and will be responsible for completing the project on your own time (after school, study hall, etc.). You are responsible for handing it in to me when complete (I will not go searching for your project or imagine it for a grade). Your grade will remain MIS (missing) in School Tool until the project is given to me, which will then translate to a zero if unfinished by the end of the current mid-marking period and/or final marking period. If you choose to receive an incomplete, you will only have ten days to make up the unfinished work. Be sure to work at an appropriate pace, taking your plans and the given amount of time into careful consideration (this will eliminate any “down time,” which would have a negative effect on your grade).

Any project where Art plagiarism is evident will lose points automatically. Using parts or ideas from another piece of artwork as inspiration is fine, but copying exactly is not.

Sketchbooks:

For each project you are assigned, there will be practice sketches/drawings, and/or notes that you will be asked to write in your sketchbooks. If you are absent, make sure you ask a peer what you missed and copy their notes. If a peer tells you that they received a handout, then it is your responsibility to ask me for one then (not a day before a quiz). You are required to keep your sketchbooks for this class in school and in your “cubby.” If I feel it necessary I will do sketchbook checks, so be ready and organized!

Grading Policy: HW, Quizzes & Misc. – 10 %

Participation & Projects – 70%

Critiques (Written or Verbal) – 20%

Final Exam: A written final on a piece of work that you have never seen!