This collection is designed to provide direction to students in a 2nd level or advanced drawing class, in coming up with a thematic approach to the creation of their artwork.
Some of the avenues that could be explored to help with the development of that type of creative focus might include:
What ideas / themes appear to be generated in the images seen in this video?
Some points for discussion:
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Some approaches that may be explored in relation to subject matter selection as it relates to the theme, might include the following:
Landscape
Still Life
Figurative
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The video presented here appears to interpret one approach to Personal Narrative through music, dance and memory.
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More personal narrative illustrating relationships....
Artist: Giovanni Battista Piazzetta
Date: 18th century
Medium: Drawings and Watercolors, Drawing
Size: 15 5/8 x 11 3/16 in. (39.69 x 28.42 cm) (image)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 65.62
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This figurative composition may have been selected to represent a specific relationship theme (as suggested by the title). Consideration of the characteristics that were used in defining the composition include:
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When exploring how to give your particular theme greater depth, consider the following quantifiable characteristics / questions that you can apply to the selected idea and, in turn, translate visually in your compositions:
Additional growth of the idea / theme that you are selecting to develop may also involve your consciously using a variety of elements of art and principles of design in specific ways in order to bring greater emphasis to the composition and form in your work(s). The elements of art and the principles of design are as follows:
Elements:
Principles:
Another factor to be considered is how the details in your composition are being incorporated in order to provide more information about your idea / theme. This would also apply to the technical qualities attributed to the various media selected, and the mood language (expressive qualities), that you are incorporating into the work.
Giving attention to works of art by other artists that seem to be in line with the idea / theme that you are exploring would be useful as well, which will play a big role in the collection that you are making in ArtsConnectEd and the artist statement that you will be generating as well.
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In this video, the artist's rendering of the singer, Pink, seems to illustrate the expressiveness being communicated in the hard driven sound and lyrics of the song.
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Over the next few slides, consider the selection and treatment of the subject matter as they are represented by various historical art styles. Also consider the questions posed earlier (what?; where?; why?; who?; how?; when?), as they relate to the images being displayed. The accompanying video illustrates a number of artworks showing women as portrayed by artists throughout history, evidencing significant changes in style over time.
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Norman Rockwell, while not always considered by the traditional art community as a 'serious' artist due to many of his more sentimental depictions of American life in many of his illustrations, became a more seriously considered artist due to his later works that often had more contemporary, social isses at their core. The accompanying video from the Norman Rockwell Museum, shows examples of the work that makes up his legacy.
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This work by Otto Dix is representative of a German Expressionist movement called Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), that was a response by several German artists to World War I.
Artist: Otto Dix ; Karl Nierendorf
Date: 1924
Medium: Prints, Print
Size: 5 9/16 x 7 5/8 in. (14.13 x 19.37 cm) (plate)13 7/8 x 18 3/4 in. (35.24 x 47.63 cm) (sheet)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 2005.16.1.5
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The enlarged eye superimposed on the hand in this manipulated photograph, is an example of the Surrealist style (French term meaning beyond realism), that was prominant earlier in the 20th century.
Artist: Axel Bahnsen
Date: 1941
Medium: Photographs, Photograph
Size: 18 5/8 x 15 1/2 in. (47.31 x 39.37 cm) (image, sheet)20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm) (mount)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 93.71.1
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This contemporary work of art represents the artist's visual response to the events in New York City on 9/11.
Artist: Thomas Hirschhorn
Date: 2001
Medium: Drawings and Watercolors, Unique Works on Paper, Mixed media
Size: sheet 12.5 x 17.5 inches
Institution: Walker Art Center
Accession #: 2002.13
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This work of art is considered to be an abstract expressionist piece. While the image is not readily apparent, there are very strong indicators present in the work that are helpful to understanding its emotive qualities. Some of those compositional components include:
Even without a specific, identifiable image to connect to, this work isaable to evoke an emotional response from the viewer that in turn helps to identify the idea or theme behind its creation.
Artist: Antonio Saura
Date: 1957
Medium: Paintings, Painting
Size: 63 3/4 x 51 1/4 in. (161.9 x 130.2 cm)
Institution: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Accession #: 59.29
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After viewing the art and videos that have been presented up to this point in this collection, a sense of what creating artwork that is built around a specific concept should be becoming apparent. Further examples / resources of artwork representing a thematic approach are included as attachments on the next slide which will hopefully provide students with a more in depth understanding of how to create their own body of work.
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The attached pdf file lists a variety of possible avenues to explore for selecting a theme. In addition, it also contains information included in this collection regarding additional aspects for students to consider incorporating in their drawings that will further broaden the range that they need to explore in the work being created.
The enclosed form is the assessment / grading tool that I use for each work that is created around the theme being explored. In a 9 week block schedule, I require 10 works to be submitted for full credit. The students are also required to use Art Collector to research and develop their ideas.
Examples of how different artists have approached a variety of themes in their work.
Exploration of subject matter categories relating to theme selection.
Examples of some of my Advanced and Drawing II students' theme-based drawings from 2009.
