Art is all around us
Art can be found all around you. Art Deco interior at Shaw's, Chicago.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Art is all around us, from the pictures hanging on the walls to the architecture of the buildings we visit every day. What makes a person like or dislike an artwork is often a matter of taste. Nevertheless, some works of art have withstood the test of time for centuries or even millennia and are still considered "great" today. What makes a work of art great? This course will examine this question at length by considering many of the most famous artworks from throughout history.
The first step towards understanding why some works continue to inspire awe so many years after their creation is to understand the parts of an artwork. This module will focus on two sets of terms, the "elements of art" and the "principles of design," as a starting place for discussing artwork generally. These formal aspects of art can help us understand the choices made by an artist in the production of a work. The process of analyzing a work of art based on the elements of art and the principles of design is called "formal analysis." This module will provide you with the vocabulary and tools necessary to conduct a formal analysis of a work.
Header Art Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
