Critical Focus on the Visual Arts

"I loved how we were able to cover so many different genres, directors, and the characteristics that made each director distinct. The movies we watched spanned almost 40 years and were extremely engaging in their own way."

- From a 2012 Student Program Evaluation

"I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was able to learn how to think critically about art."

- Isabel Fattal, 2012

Course Description

A two-course curricular option that provides a concentrated study of aesthetic concepts for students interested in the visual arts. Both courses meet daily, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.

Exploring Cinema: Directors and Genres
Mark Christopher

Students explore the feature film as a serious mode of artistic expression through the work of some of cinema’s most accomplished directors and the genres on which they focused. By screening classic films, students compare and contrast artists’ work in terms of cinematic elements (camera, sound, design, editing, and music) and through the lens of each director as auteur. The historical movements that shaped these artists and their favorite genres are examined, giving students an appreciation of the many influences on the evolution of film as art. Each class involves a brief lecture, a screening, and class discussion. Student participation in class discussions is essential, and all assignments are presented orally with students showing film clips (readily available) to support their observations and arguments.

Problems in the History of Art
Anna Hetherington

This course covers selected monuments of painting, sculpture, and architecture as well as basic trends and concepts in the history of art. Students learn about art from both the artist's perspective (focusing on materials and technique) and the art historian's perspective (focusing on issues of patronage, context and interpretation), with both ultimately impacting how we view these objects in the modern world.

The goal of this class is to examine specific objects and encourage students to think about formal analysis—understanding the choices artists make, as well as how these objects reflect upon their specific culture and era. Rather than addressing the subject of art history in the traditional survey fashion, this course will be topic-based, examining how different artists in different cultures and time periods treat various subject matter and media.

Class trips include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Frick Collection, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

Instructor(s)