This course is designed to encourage an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts through a study of their theory, history, and mechanics. The course includes a survey of the major developments in the visual arts and their respective aesthetic criteria, from Classical Greece to the present.
What is art? What makes a work of art great? How does art create and communicate meaning? Through the exploration of 80 masterworks of art and architecture from around the world, this course is designed to develop an understanding and appreciation of the visual arts, including the theory, history, and mechanics behind great works of art.
Introductory course that examines, manipulates, and critically evaluates the visual and conceptual properties of two-dimensional art. Designed to heighten aesthetic appreciation and serve as an introduction for those who wish further study of painting, drawing, or graphic design.
Additional fee required
This introductory course examines, manipulates, and critically evaluates the visual and conceptual properties of three-dimensional art. The course is designed to heighten aesthetic appreciation and serve as an introduction for those who wish to further study three-dimensional design or sculpture.
Additional fee required
This course will address a specific area of study in art not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.
This course is an introduction to the techniques of drawing with emphasis on representation and pictorial composition.
Additional fee required
Figure Drawing is a multi-level course in observational drawing that focuses on drawing the human figure and the space surrounding the figure. A nude or dressed model is scheduled to be present in each class designated for studio drawing. Students will develop familiarity with drawing materials and methods. Simultaneously, students will be challenged to develop and engage their own subject matter within the language of drawing and in the context of historical and contemporary artists. Figure Drawing will also introduce students to skeletal and muscular landmarks on the human body. A museum visit, slide lectures, and group discussions will supplement the class.
Additional fee required
Color introduces students of all disciplines to ways of perceiving, understanding, and applying color. Students will investigate (1) the interaction of color and color phenomena, (2) how color signals specific ideas in historical and cultural contexts, and (3) color's subjective timbre.
Additional fee required
In this class, students will explore and create ecologically motivated art. In order to expand their understanding of the relationship between art and major environmental issues and to investigate how art can raise awareness about environmental concerns, students will experience the history of this art movement and current eco artists, critically analyze relevant readings, and create their own artistic works. Art areas will include painting, illustration, sculpture, earthworks, photography, mixed media, found objects, and installation art.
This course is a survey of visual art from Prehistory to 1400. It is a course designed to develop an understanding of major developments in the visual arts and the relationship of those developments to the cultures that produced them.
This course brings together the disciplines of drawing, design, color theory, and painting technique to help students learn to manipulate the tools and materials of painting media.
Additional fee required
This course is designed to give a broad understanding of the art of the indigenous people of North America from prehistoric petroglyphs to contemporary artists such as Jeaune-Quick-to-See-Smith. An attempt is made to examine these arts in a cultural context, focusing upon the religious, socio-economic, and political environments in which they were produced, particularly westward expansion. Art representing many tribes from all culture areas will be the subject of study. Many artifacts from the Aurora University Schingoethe Museum will be the subject of research. Field trips to local museums will be incorporated into the course.
Art and architecture are often used to express power. Those in power, whether individuals or institutions, manipulate images, build and destroy monuments to power and ambition, and sponsor art that reveals values and power relationships. Through detailed study of works of art and architecture related to power or the lack of power, this course explores how expressions of power in art and architecture affect society and historical events and how modern concerns about propaganda, media, and manipulation color our own approach to the art and architecture of the past.
This course is a survey of visual art from the Renaissance to the present. It is a course designed to develop an understanding of major developments in the visual arts and the relationship of those developments to the cultures that produced them.
This course is an introduction to some of the basic sculptural techniques and media as applied to the visual and conceptual properties of three-dimensional art.
While all people share the common experience of death, different cultures around the world think of death in unique and varied ways that have shaped their art and architecture. Societies and individuals express ideas about death using a wide range of objects, images, and structures to connote the shared human experiences of aging, dying, grieving, and commemorating. Through detailed study of works of art related to death, dying, and remembering, this course promotes a deeper understanding of how images and monuments function in both the past and the present.
This course is an introduction to the aesthetics and practice of photography, the history of photography, and its place in contemporary culture. Students learn the mechanics of digital black and white photography, explore the written and visual history of photographic movements and major artists, and create a portfolio of original work and an accompanying paper integrating a personal photographic style and vision with historical and contemporary photographic art. Access to a digital camera with manual exposure adjustments is required (see the Instructor for details) and students must purchase some materials, such as digital printing paper and a flash memory drive.
Additional fee required
This course will address a specific area of study in art not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.
This course provides a further study of representation and pictorial composition in conjunction with experimentation with the various drawing media.
Additional fee required
This course provides a further study of sculptural techniques and media as applied to the visual and conceptual properties of three-dimensional art.
Additional fee required
History is punctuated by periods of rebirth and renewal. The energy characterized by such periods is illustrated in material culture and, in particular, in the visual arts. This course explores the idea of renaissance in art and history and its visual manifestations. Topics covered include the Carolingian Renovation, the Italian Renaissance, Neoclassicism and the revivals of the 19th century, and the Harlem Renaissance of the 20th century.
Building on technical skills and aesthetic sensibilities developed in the introductory course, students continue to explore digital photography through color. This course explores creative use of color theory and digital workflow. Skill sets acquired in ART2670 are expanded with emphasis on personal, creative, and thematic projects. Access to a digital camera with manual exposure adjustments is required (see Instructor for details) and students must purchase some materials such as digital printing paper and portfolio products.
Additional fee required
What is the difference between an icon and an idol? How does religious imagery function in the unique traditions of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other world religions? Icons and Idols takes a critical approach to visual representation, treating image-objects across cultures, times and systems of belief to promote a greater understanding of both visual culture and its informing religions. Readings range from Plato and the Old Testament to contemporary criticism. Prior study of art history and/or religion is recommended, but not required.
This course provides a further study of painting media in a wider range of uses and forms of expression.
Additional fee required
This course traces the technical and aesthetic development of photography as both cultural phenomenon and art form and explores the ways in which it has reshaped human civilization since its invention in 1839. Emphasis will be placed on viewing and discussing photography as a social medium, examining how contemporary photography-based journalists, documentarians, and artists visually address critical global issues in the 21st century.
This course will address a specific area of study in art not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.
This course offers further intensive experimentation with selected drawing media.
Additional fee required
This course offers further intensive experimentation with selected sculpture media.
Additional fee required
This course covers advanced digital photography and imaging with an emphasis on developing and enhancing individual student skills. Students will create portfolios of original work demonstrating mastery of the technical and aesthetic approaches of the course, developing themes and approaches through an extended series of large-format images suitable for exhibition.
Additional fee required
This course offers further intensive experimentation with selected painting media.
Additional fee required
This course will address a specific area of study in art not already covered by other course offerings. Prerequisites vary by topic.
This course is designed to help the graduating art student prepare and organize a capstone project/exhibition. Open to art majors only.
This is a capstone course that allows a student to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and skills expected of an art major at the conclusion of their program of study. Written and oral critique will verify the student's ability to verbalize aesthetic concepts. The student will present a public exhibit of their creative work which will include responsibility for all aspects of hanging and presenting their work.
An advanced academic internship experience for credit requires the student to be at least a junior in standing, although individual programs may require senior standing. The academic internship experience requires a faculty sponsor, educational criteria, and a current executed affiliation agreement and Schedule A on file. Internships can be designated as either credit/no credit or letter grade, depending on the school or program. Regular tuition is charged, and additional fees may apply.