Fall 2013 Course Catalog - School of the Museum of Fine Arts

Fall 2013 Course Catalog
32
Flatlands: Beginning
Abstraction
PAI 1034 01 (2 Credits)
Angelina Gualdoni
T
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
B309
How does one begin an abstract painting? How does one choose colors, arrangement,
or scale? In Flatlands, we will complete a series of projects exploring design principles as
applied to non-objective artworks. Using acrylic paint, ink and collage, students will engage
with tactics and strategies for utilizing non-objective imagery towards self-directed content.
Each week will bring a new design problem, with lessons culminating in a small body of
work on paper or canvas, exploring a theme of the students choice. Projects will emphasize
brainstorming multiple answers to visual problems over selecting the first solution that comes
to mind. We will examine examples of abstraction that span continents and centuries,
including 20th century pop, minimal, ab-ex, and post-modern painting, but also non-western
textiles and ceramics. Midterm and Final critiques will be devoted to evaluating a student’s
ability to manipulate composition, shape, space, edge, color and form towards issues of their
choosing. At the conclusion of the class, student should show ability to “speak graphically”,
utilizing above topics to inform their decisions as they move further into painting, printmaking,
or drawing. Please not we will not cover oil paint in this class. This course will focus on
acquisition of basic 2d skills (color, line, shape, tone, etc.) that serve as a basis for making/
designing images across multiple media. While this class is housed in the painting area,
techniques and principles are applicable to advanced drawing, printmaking, and collage
strategies. Media used will include charcoal, diverse collage material, pigment, and acrylic
paint. While the principles introduced carry into multiple media, most of the examples that
we will examine will be abstract – in the broadest sense of the word, including Western and
Non-Western paintings, textiles, ceramics, drawings, etc. As such, this class serves as an
excellent entry point into considering meaning and form in contemporary abstraction.
Intermediate Projects
PAI 2000 01 (2 Credits)
Angelina Gualdoni
T
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
B309
Moving from beginning courses (where work is made in response to assignments) to
developing a body of work with personal vision and expression is an important step in
developing as a student and artist. This one-period course prepares students to move into
the intermediate and advanced levels of instruction where personal commitment, vision, and
curiosity are driving the work. Slide lectures, readings, discussions, group and individual
critiques help students identify subjects they care passionately about and want to explore
through paint and related media. Class time is divided between these activities with emphasis
on developing a strong working community through critique. Students should be prepared
to spend a good deal of time working individually outside of class. It is strongly suggested
that all students take this course at some point in their second year of study.Though this
course is offered in the Painting Area, it is open to students wishing to work in other media
as well. This class is generally not recommended for freshman, but open to all students who
have achieved a level of comfort within the medium of their concentration (an introductory
course AND an additional 1000 or 2000 level course before entering Intermediate Projects
is required).
Abstraction, Representation,
Criticality
PAI 2001 01 (4 Credits)
Angelina Gualdoni
W
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM /
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
B309
This course will introduce students to the practical and historical dialog between
representational and abstract modes of painting. A series of class projects lead students
through a conversation between these two modes of painting, with the goal of examining
their underlying assumptions, and complicating the categories of “representation” and
“abstraction”. It has often been said “all painting is abstract and in that the artist chooses
to emphasize some things over others”. Class projects distinguish between categories of
“non-objective”, abstraction in the sense of emphasis or distortion, as well as the quality of
abstraction inherent in conventional representation. Class concludes with several weeks
of independent student work. Emphasis will be production of paintings, and talking about
painting with informed intent. Students will leave this class able to understand and apply
the basic techniques of representational painting (modeling to create form, atmospheric and
linear perspective to create space, proportion and good composition), able to understand and
apply basic techniques of abstraction (composition, materials, color, brushstroke, layering,
transparency, abstraction from nature). Students should also be able to understand and
discuss the historical roles abstraction and representation have played in painting history
and how they apply to their own work. Attendance is required for this course. Some prior
painting experience is required before taking this course. An introductory Painting course
or permission of the instructor is a pre-requisite for Abstraction, Representation, Criticality.