ART 1000 / ART APPRECIATION / ON-LINE / SPRING 2013
Pamela Bramble
Associate Professor of Art
Department of Art and Art History
Art does not reproduce the visible, but rather it makes visible. Paul Klee
SYLLABUS
TEXTS
PLAN AHEAD! HAVE YOUR TEXT BOOKS IN HAND BY THE START OF THIS COURSE.
You can purchase textbooks from a bookstore, on-line or from the UConn Coop (in person or on-line at
http://bookstore.uconn.edu/text/ttg.html ). The co-op makes every effort to have the appropriate number
of books available at all UCONN campuses, but it is suggested that you call ahead to be sure the books
are there. As for on-line vendors and local bookstores, be sure that they have a proven track record when
it comes to the dependability of their estimated shipping and handling time frame.
Getlein, Mark. Living With Art. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Inc., 2010.
NOTE: This book is available in two forms: text book and as individual pages that can put in a binder.
Either form is acceptable.
Sayre, Henry. Writing About Art. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2009.
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Course Description
Not open to Art majors.
Introduction to the visual arts, past and present. The visual language of artists, historical and cultural
significance of works of art.
Course Introduction:
This course introduces students to a broad spectrum of the visual arts. Emphasis is on the visual language
employed by artists who practice in a variety of mediums. The historical and cultural significance of
specific works of art is also emphasized, as well as the contributions made by specific, seminal artists.
Students will be introduced to the process of descriptive analysis as a means to a greater appreciation of
works of art and of the creative process. Concepts discussed include the themes and purposes of art, the
vocabulary of art, composition and the basic principles of design. Students are introduced to the following
art forms via online lectures and professor's notes, readings from the texts, reproductions of art work,
virtual museum visits and online discussions: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, the camera arts,
communication design and architecture. Additionally, art historical issues and topics are discussed
through a survey of the art tradition, from Paleolithic to modern time.
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Course Methodology
1) SESSION ACTIVITIES
The course content is divided into 8 sessions. Dates for the completion of each session and its learning
activities are available on the course calendar.
Each session includes readings and one or more activity designed to explore specific topics in art.
Activity formats include:
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o
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group discussions
discussion between two or three class members
individual writing assignment
2) MIDTERM: INDIVIDUAL STUDENT-LED DISCUSSION
Introduce a work of art to the class and discuss it with class members. Here is how this works:
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Read the Sayre text
View a work of art (virtually or actually) at any major museum anywhere in the world
Lead a discussion by presenting a descriptive analysis of the work of art to the class along with
discussion questions.
Participate in a total of 4 discussions – the one that your are leading and three other student-led
discussions.
At the end of the midterm posting period, summarize the discussion you led.
3) FINAL EXAM: PORTFOLIO
What is the Portfolio? The Portfolio is a paper in which you summarize what we have discussed in the
course. Section One is an overview of course content (Getlein text and Session Notes), Section Two is
comprised of a review of a several of our session discussions, and Section Three is an exercise that allows
you to get creative!
Grading
Final grade for this course is determined by: session activities (50%), midterm (25%) and final
(25%).
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The developer of this course is Pamela Bramble, Associate Professor of Painting, Department of
Art and Art History, University of Connecticut and Coordinating Director of the ARTS Project,
UCONN Torrington.