UMass Boston

Course Overview

Description

The course teaches students to begin to understand the processes of artistic creation. It enables the student to grasp the expressive content of works of art in a wide variety of media and to analyze how the artist creates his/her effect. It is not an historical survey. Through lectures, discussions, field trips, and museum visits, the student studies paintings, sculptures, and buildings; examples are chosen as often as possible from the Boston area. The course addresses such concepts as elements of composition, rhythm, symmetry, and space; and the possibilities of differing interpretations of subject matter. It offers a solid introduction to the arts by developing the student's ability to see and analyze forms as the result of aesthetic and interpretive decisions.