introduction to western art

1. The Humanities: An
Introduction to the Adventure
The Arts

2. The Pictorial Arts
Medium used?
Compositional elements: line, form, color,
value, texture, and repetition
Compositional principles: balance,
contrast, repetition, unity, and variety

3. Two-Dimensional Art
Media: paintings,
drawings, prints and
photography

4. Three-Dimensional Arts:
Sculpture
Full Round or Relief?
Material?
Movement?
Relation of sculpture
to site?

5. Three-Dimensional Arts:
Architecture
Function of building?
Materials used for
construction?
Design?
Relation between
interior
and exterior?
Any other arts
used?

6. Three-Dimensional Arts:
Architecture
Systems of structure: post-and-lintel,
cantilever, arch, and vault

7. Photography and Film
Historic development tied together
Photography changed the visual arts
Film: narrative, documentary, absolute

8. Music, Theatre,
Dance,
and Literature

9. Music
Melody and Rhythm?
Instruments or voices?
Where? For What Purpose?
Form of composition?

10. Music
Genres: symphony, mass, concerto,
opera, oratorio
Melody: musical ideas, themes, motifs

11. Dance
Popular? Ballet? Modern?
Relation between dance
and music?
Mimetic?
Movements compose
a whole?

12. Dance
Ballet, modern dance, folk dance
Compositional elements: line, form and
repetition

13. Theater
Genres: tragedy, comedy
Elements: plot, characters, thought, visual
elements

14. Theater
Play staged through set,
lighting, costumes
Director and actors
interpret script

15. Opera
How is it staged?
Relation between words and music?
Director’s interpretation of script?
Instruments and voices used?
How singers interpret musical
score and dramatic script?
How is dance incorporated
to script?

16. Literature
Genres: fiction, poetry, biography, essay
Elements: point of view, character, plot,
theme and language

17. Poetry
Patterns of sound? (meter, rhythm)
Form of poem?
Metaphors? Symbols?

18. Personal Response
What is my response to this work of art?
How is my response shaped by the work
itself and my life experience?