Approved by Faculty Senate

University Studies Course Proposal: Arts And Sciences Core

Fine and Performing Arts: ART 114 2-D Design

Learning to communicate visually is the basis of 2-D Design. This studio class develops knowledge and skills in the basic language of the visual arts. The abstract elements of line, color, shape, texture, rhythm, and others, and the means by which their use is governed by the principles of design are the fundamentals of the class. Students are led to understand that the practice of two-dimensional design represents an essential process in the search for modes of expression and communication within the contexts of culture. They study design history and aesthetic theory, and learn of the social and political functions of art.

Concepts and methods introduced to the student pertain to the traditions of expressive form-making, aesthetic perception and judgement, visual styles, cultural and gender variances, and individual approaches to artistic form.

Assigned readings, lectures, studio practice, art-site visits, writing art criticism and engaging in formal analysis, and participation in group and individualized studio critiques are among the requirements and learning activities that promote students' abilities to

 

a. explore the language, skills, and materials of the visual arts

Students

    1. learn basic concepts of visual communication and the role of design
    2. develop art studio skills to construct 2-D compositions
    3. develop aesthetic awareness and perceptual and analytical skills through productive and responsive art-learning activities
    4. understand the form-content relationship in visual art
    5. study design strategies reflecting diverse forms of visual communication and artistic expression in contemporary culture

 

b. use the methods of an arts practitioner to actively engage in creative processes

In the 2-D Design class students are engaged in production oriented studio activities where direct contact with art media and transforming of ideas into aesthetic and expressive forms take place-This course provides fundamentally a creative studio learning environment. In this experiential studio process students learn to acquire the basic 2-D studio methods and techniques, test expressive ideas through visual constructions, and evaluate the aesthetic and semantic bearings of design work as a form of visual expression and communication. Students are encouraged to forge and refine personal approaches in constructing visual forms in order to establish expressive originality in their design works.

 

c. understand the cultural and gender contexts of artistic expression

Recognizing the cultural and gender contexts in art that carry social and psychological implications is one of the key methods in the 'reading' of art. Through lectures and studio critiques students learn to understand the cultural and gender variants and their impact upon aesthetic construction, visual styles, and the creation and reception of art in society. Examples of 2-D Design strategies and visual objects from both Western and Non-Western regions are examined in terms of the cultural and stylistic traditions they reflect. Issues of gender differences, relationships, and identities are examined in relation to questions of aesthetic judgment, expressive style, and form-making, and are also addressed through art criticism, art-site visits, visual documents, exemplary works of art, and readings. Through these learning activities students reach an understanding of both the relativity and universality of aesthetic standards, diversity of stylistic origins, and multiplicity of evaluative criteria in art.

d. engage in reflective analysis on their own work or interpretive performance and respond to works of other

Art criticism is an important component of the course content that helps students develop critical skills. Students are engaged in both individualized and group critiques in studio production processes. Students learn to describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate the technical, aesthetic, and expressive aspects of 2-D design products and strategies. In practicing art criticism emphasis is on studying the "Form-Content Relationship" whereby students apply the methods of formal and content analysis. In formal analysis students address the elements and principles of visual design, compositional strategies, style, and pictorial construction; in content analysis students address and examine varied types of contextual persuasions such as communicative texts and ideas, and the purposes, functions, and effects of the expressive potential of 2-D design strategies.

 

 

 

Course Syllabus

College of Liberal Arts

Winona State University

Department: Art Date of Revision: Fall 2000

 

Course Number-Art 114 Course Title- 2-D Design

Number of Credits- 3

Frequency of Offerings - Each semester

 

Prerequisites- None (Art 109 Introduction to Art recommended)

 

Grading -Grades only. P/NC option

 

This course fulfills 3 credits of the Arts and Sciences Core Requirement in the Fine and Performing Arts area of the University Studies Program.

I. Catalog Description

Introduction to fundamental design concepts in the art of process. Experiments and problems in abstract compositions. This is a University Studies Course in the Fine and Performing Arts area.

II. Statement of the major focus and objectives of the course

This course examines the basic concepts in visual design, studio techniques, and problem-solving skills in design process. Emphasis is on the development of the learners' visual perception, aesthetic judgment and artistic expression. Through productive and responsive learning activities in studio students create visual compositions and address critical design issues in the context of visual expression in art.

The following objectives address the learning outcomes for Humanities' courses in the University Studies Program.

a. explore the language, skills, and materials of the visual arts

Students

  1. learn basic concepts of visual communication and the role of design
  2. develop art studio skills to construct 2-D compositions
  3. develop aesthetic awareness and perceptual and analytical skills through productive and responsive art-learning activities
  4. understand the form-content relationship in visual art
  5. study design strategies reflecting diverse forms of visual communication and artistic expression in contemporary culture

 

b. use the methods of an arts practitioner to actively engage in creative processes

In the 2-D Design class students are engaged in production oriented studio activities where direct contact with art media and transforming of ideas into aesthetic and expressive forms take place-This course provides fundamentally a creative studio learning environment. In this experiential studio process students learn to acquire the basic 2-D studio methods and techniques, test expressive ideas through visual constructions, and evaluate the aesthetic and semantic bearings of design work as a form of visual expression and communication. Students are encouraged to forge and refine personal approaches in constructing visual forms in order to establish expressive originality in their design works.

 

c. understand the cultural and gender contexts of artistic expression

Recognizing the cultural and gender contexts in art that carry social and psychological implications is one of the key methods in the 'reading' of art. Through lectures and studio critiques students learn to understand the cultural and gender variants and their impact upon aesthetic construction, visual styles, and the creation and reception of art in society. Examples of 2-D Design strategies and visual objects from both Western and Non-Western regions are examined in terms of the cultural and stylistic traditions they reflect. Issues of gender differences, relationships, and identities are examined in relation to questions of aesthetic judgment, expressive style, and form-making, and are also addressed through art criticism, art-site visits, visual documents, exemplary works of art, and readings. Through these learning activities students reach an understanding of both the relativity and universality of aesthetic standards, diversity of stylistic origins, and multiplicity of evaluative criteria in art.

d. engage in reflective analysis on their own work or interpretive performance and respond to works of other

Art criticism is an important component of the course content that helps students develop critical skills. Students are engaged in both individualized and group critiques in studio production processes. Students learn to describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate the technical, aesthetic, and expressive aspects of 2-D design products and strategies. In practicing art criticism emphasis is on studying the "Form-Content Relationship" whereby students apply the methods of formal and content analysis. In formal analysis students address the elements and principles of visual design, compositional strategies, style, and pictorial construction; in content analysis students address and examine varied types of contextual persuasions such as communicative texts and ideas, and the purposes, functions, and effects of the expressive potential of 2-D design strategies.

 

 

III. Course Outline

A. Introduction

1. Nature of Visual Design

2. Visual Perception

3. Visual Communication

4. Styles and Cultural Differences

5. 2-D Methods

6. Visual Composition

B. Media and Process

1. 2-D Media

2. Techniques

3. Studio Practice

 

C. Design Elements

1. Line

2. Value

3. Color

4. Texture

5. Shape

D. Design Principles and Effects

1. Unity and Variety / Harmony and Contrast

2. Balance

3. Rhythm

4. Focal Point / Emphasis

5. Movement

6. Proportion / Scale

7. Order / Hierarchy

8. Field-Event / Proximity

9. Continuity / Temporal-Spatial

10. Predictability / Novelty

E. Criticism and Analysis

1. Form Making

2. Composition / Organizing Forms

3. Formal Phrasing

4. Formal Articulation

5. Form-Content Dualism

6. Formal Style

7. Form-Content-Style Relationship

8. Communication-Miscommunication

9. Aesthetic Quality, Criteria, and Judgment

10. Contextual Reading of Visual Forms-Social, Psychological, Cultural,

and Gender Issues

F. Studio Production

1. Studio Practice

2. Studio Critique and Evaluation

IV. Basic Instructional Plan and Teaching Methods Utilized

Lecture, art studio practice, assigned readings, slide and film presentation, art-site visits, individual and group critiques.

V. Course Requirements

Studio practice, individual production of art projects, participation in group and individual studio critiques, writing art criticism and formal analysis papers, art-site visits, and reading assignments.

VI. Methods of Evaluation

Course evaluation will be based on individual's performance on the required course projects and assignments that include art studio production, critiques and papers. Letter grades.

 

 

VII. Textbook and Instructional Materials.

Ocvirk, Otto et al. (1998). Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice , Boston, MA: McGraw Hill

 

Instructional Media -Art slides, videos, reproductions and actual works of art.

VIII. Journals Used by Students/Instructor

Art in America

Art News

Surface Design

Art Forum

IX. Bibliography

Albers, Josef (1975) Interaction of Color. New Haven, CT: Yale U. Press

Bevlin, Marjorie (1989) Design through Discovery. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace

Birren, Faber (1987) Principles of Color. West Chester, PA: Schiffer Publishing

Brainard, Shirl (1998) A Design Manual. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Dondis, Donis (1973) A Primer of Visual Literacy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press

Gilbert, Lita & William McCarter (1998) Living With Art. New York: Alfred A. Knof Inc.

Itten, Johannes (1975) Design and Form-The Basic Course at the Bauhaus. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold

Janson, H.W. & Janson, Anthony (1997) A Basic History of Art. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Lauer, David & Pentak, Stephen (1995) Design Basics. New York: Harcourt Brace

Sporre, Dennis (1991) Reality through the Arts. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

Wong, Wucious (1972) Principles of Two Dimensional Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold

Wong, Wucios (1977) Principles of Three Dimensional Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold

Zelanski, Paul & Fisher, Mary (1996) Design Principles. New York: Harcourt Brace