Texts:
1) Art and the Bible, by Francis Schaeffer
2) Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin (online)
Course Description:
Art Foundations is a systematic study of art which allows the student at the beginner’s level to understand basic concepts used by artists in visual and tactile perception. An additional purpose will be to examine art in its historic relationship to religion; to understand how the visual media influences contemporary living; and to become aware of the need for critical thinking and analysis in order to bring greater quality to art and life in the 21st century.
Objectives:
The student will:
Relate examples of art to historical contexts and describe significant trends in the history of creative expression in the arts.
Identify and relate significant principles and elements of design in art.
Explain how these principles and elements as well as ideas are used to create meaning and aesthetic value.
Explain how Christian values have influenced the creation of a work of art and how this is seen and felt.
Perform “hands-on” activities in which sensitivity to media and expression is demonstrated.
Methods and Procedures:
Lectures with slides, videos, and discussion. Classes will involve hands-on activities directly relating to course material. As much as possible, each class will alternate between lectures and hands-on labs.
Evaluation:
Written assignments 20% -- 4 short articles (2% each), 2 gallery write-ups (2% each), Toledo assignment (2%), John Calvin (6%)
Hands-on 20%
Art and the Bible paper 20%
Midterm 20%
Final 20%
Course Requirements in Brief (see the appendix of this syllabus for all of these in detail):
Written work:
There will be four news articles or TED talks you will respond to, two assignments involving a visit to the Ganton Art Gallery, and a response to a John Calvin handout. Most of these will each be a page minimum; the John Calvin response will be two pages and be worth more. These should be turned in on the following dates:
Response #1: Sept 10; Response #2: October 1; Response #3: October 22; Response#4;Dec 3
John Calvin response: October 20
Basic art projects:
There will be a corresponding art project for each set of design-related vocabulary words we discuss. While I certainly understand that you cannot be expected to exhibit artistic talent, you will nevertheless be expected to treat these projects with the effort commensurate with your status as a university student. Sloppy projects or those done with obvious haste or lack of effort will be graded accordingly. To make grading these projects as objective as
