SYLLABUS

The University of South Dakota

Offered: Spring Semester 2005

COURSE PREREQUISITES

None.  No previous art course experience necessary.  Beginning computer skills required.

2. ART AS DISCOVERY. Art is a means to discover an inner world of emotion, insights, imagination and fantasy,
and an outer world of real people, animals, plants, places, experiences, things, and everything interesting and
curious. Art develops, fosters, and integrates Intuition (right-brain functions) with Intellect (left-brain functions).
Intuition and intellect are parallel pathways that equally lead to Knowledge.

3. ART AS A RECORD OF EXPERIENCE. All Art, past and present, records human experience in tangible forms
in order to express religious values, to immortalize, and to stimulate the intellect and fire the emotions. We have
knowledge of past civilizations because of their Art forms. We have records of the ideas, imagination, and values
of each civilization because of the Art they practiced with care.

4. ART AS CRITICAL THINKING. Developing artistic skills contributes to an awareness of Life and Nature as a
consequence of Experience, often as "a problem to be solved." Art may express social and cultural chaos, protest
injustice and raise social consciousness. The significant result of Art, beyond the Processes of Art and the
Products of Art, is a subjective/objective learning process that is forever internalized as Truth.

5. ART AS A CELEBRATION. Art often celebrates spirituality and expresses the joy, wonder, and mystery of Life
and the beauty of all things and ideas. When we affirm Life beyond ourselves, we make meaningful art of value to
others.

6. ART AS A LOVE OF NATURE. Order, Harmony, and Beauty are consequences of our best experiences in Life
and in Nature. The changing Seasons are symbolic of the processes of Life: fertilization, birth, growth, maturity,
aging, death, and rebirth. Making Art reconnects us with Nature. Not only is it natural to love Nature, it is an
essential human need which contributes to mental, physical, and emotional health. We nurture ourselves when we
nurture all species on Earth, and as we record natural peculiarities through Art.

7. ART AS A TESTIMONY. When we express our joys and sorrows through Art, we show in time and space how
we process the immensity of the world. When we communicate to others the meaning of our personal world, we
more fully recognize who we are. When we recognize our selves, we recognize our interdependence with others.
When we recognize the interdependence of all forms of Life, we are in touch with all of the Earth, with all of
Humanity, and with all of Eternity.

8. ART AS DECORATION. When artistic skill is used to adorn and embellish objects, articles, and images, such
decorative art elevates the commonplace to the extraordinary, thus making the commonplace more precious.

9. ART AS A GIFT. When we make art to give to those we love, we hope and trust in their love and devotion in
return. In this way, Art is a respectful gift of our self, motivated by love and the intensity of our feelings for others.

10. ART AS FUN. When an art activity stimulates the senses, it meets personal needs and promotes a feeling of
well being simply because of the activity itself. Art is fun, pleasurable, wholesome, and meaningful.

LAUNCHING THE IMAGINATION (2D), By Mary Stewart, McGraw Hill, New York: 2002. ISBN 0-07-230355-7

Incomplete understanding occurs when classes are not attended, therefore attendance is expected of serious
students.  Attendance is required at preliminary and final critiques. Attendance is recorded at the beginning of
each class meeting, and is a factor in calculating the final grade for the course. Absences must be for serious
reasons. Lack of preparation for class is not a valid excuse.

An excused absence requires formal verification to the instructor (examples: healthcare, personal or family
emergency, and scheduled travel associated with a USD course or activity).

This class fulfills the following Goal of the SDBOR South Dakota System General Education Requirements:

GOAL #4: Students will understand the diversity and complexity of the human
experience through study of the arts and humanities

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of taking courses meeting this goal, students will:

An eye for art and design is developed over time through experience with art processes and products, largely by
trial and error and evaluation. A study of art and design is not a mechanical process, but an exploration in which
attainable goals are the development of visual awareness and sensitivity to subtlety, visual drama, critical
observation, critical analysis, and the meaningful expression and articulation of good ideas. Specific goals are a
foundation in visual problem-solving, the syntax of design language, and a grounding in studio techniques requiring
fine hand and eye coordination. Course goals are...

In a design course, an instructor wears several hats during evaluations:

1.  As an ART DIRECTOR, assessing the quality of a DESIGN to the requirements of a specific job for a client.
An agency depends on a designer to create under pressure of a deadline. In this function, knowing what is
required to successfully complete a job, an instructor will tell a student exactly what to do.

2.  As a GALLERY DIRECTOR, determining if a style of ART will fit with the emphasis of a gallery and with the
stable of other gallery artists...and is visually appealing so that it has a chance to be marketable. In this function,
by recognizing quality, an instructor will select the best among similar examples of art and design.

3.  As an ART CONSULTANT, or GRANT REVIEWER, determining if your art is creative – imaginative,
mysterious, distinctly different, exciting - so that you deserve special recognition in relation to all other competitors.
In this function, by recognizing quality, an instructor will rate some works higher than others.

4.  Always as an ARTIST who has strong feelings for the process, knows what it takes to create good work,
and appreciates students who try hard and deserve credit for their efforts. In this function, an instructor patiently
guides students, and rewards meaningful effort that may be either intelligent, sensitive, or both.

The grading of art projects is an imperfect process, combining both objective and subjective determinations;
therefore, each project will be judged on several criteria. Each creative project is due for grading on a specific
date and will be scored by criteria including COMPOSITIONAL QUALITY (design unity/gestalt), AESTHETIC
QUALITY (creativity, imagination, expression, historical and contemporary awareness, critical judgment), and
TECHNICAL QUALITY (craft/execution, effort, learning objectives).

Grades for projects and testing will be averaged at the end of the term in determining the final grade for the
course.  Three separate grades (quality judgment ratings of "A" to "F") will be determined for most projects,
in relation to these important criteria: 

1. COMPOSITIONAL QUALITY (design unity/gestalt) - the successful resolution of an artistic statement;
the elements and principles of design working together in harmony to create a cohesive unit with nothing
superfluous; the resulting work is of visual interest and seems to be complete. 

GESTALT - relating to unity, a sensing that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; an
instantaneous recognition that the artistic statement is meaningful; it "works" and it is delightful or
curiously interesting in many ways.

2. AESTHETIC QUALITY (historical and contemporary awareness, critical judgment), including: 

CREATIVITY (imagination) - a sensing of the degree to which the artistic statement is uniquely
resolved and visually interesting; and sensitively meaningful to its creator.

EXPRESSION - a sensing of the degree to which the artistic statement is uniquely personal and
sensitively meaningful to its creator.

3. TECHNICAL QUALITY (craft/execution/effort, learning objectives) - the care with which the artistic
statement has been produced and presented for viewing; a recognition of the degree of craft and personal
investment inherent in the manufacture of a visual image.  Also, demonstration of the successful completion
of the technical learning objectives associated with each assignment.

COMPARABLE QUALITY - a final judgment in consideration of the above factors in relation to the
work of other members of the class in fair competition.

C  =   70-79%: Consistently adequate growth with average progress in skill development and concept
assimilation.  Meets minimum levels of acceptance in all grading criteria.

D  =   60-69%: Below average, less than adequate improvement.  Meets minimum levels of acceptance in some
but not all grading criteria.

F  =    0-59%: Unsatisfactory, unacceptable, insufficient improvement.  Does not meet minimum levels of
acceptance in any grading criteria.

  Craft, craftsmanship, or quality of execution of a studio project is relative to each assignment.  Improvement of
skill with various media and sincere care in the production and presentation of each artwork is expected of each
student.

  The course may include objective testing relating to course concepts, studio processes, and art terminology.

Summary of Criteria for Final Course Grading:

1. Effort.

2. Quality of work and progressive improvement throughout the semester.

3. Participation in class discussions and critiques.

4. Record of attendance.

5. Average of grades received on projects and testing.

An "INC" grade allows a student to complete a course without repetition of the regular work of a course. It may
not be assigned when a definite grade can be given for the work done. The "Incomplete" grade is given to indicate
that some part of the work of a student in a course has for good reason, not been completed, while the rest has
been satisfactorily completed.

The phrase for good reason is interpreted as a medical emergency, prolonged medical care, a family emergency
requiring extended absence from class at crucial times in the learning process, or some other situation of similar
importance.

In any of my courses, I employ interactive, participatory, teaching/learning techniques dating back to Socrates
- learning through instruction, thinking, planning, questioning and doing. I promote a learning environment in
which students are rewarded for thinking and doing.  Passivity is not rewarded.

I urge students to share their perceptions of the information and issues presented. I believe students must
actively participate in the learning process in order to more fully experience and comprehend their own thought
processes.

Thus, I encourage students to exercise a natural tendency to teach others. By encouraging student participation,
I believe both teacher and student learns even more about possibilities relating to the subject/assignment, and,
in effect, masters that subject through repetition. I repeatedly stress important information, not because I'm kind
to the least motivated class member, but because surveys show that only about 10% of an audience are listening
attentively at any one time. This process is logical and valid when exploring subjective, imaginative concepts and
issues which constitute the study of art.

The learning environment is directed toward critical thinking relating to problem solving. Some rote learning is
required of the student in order to apply skills required for problem solving. Written testing predominantly relates
to art terminology (course glossary), and rote learning is necessary to master definitions leading to the knowledge
of the discipline.

The Art Doctor Sezzzz...if you can’t afford to cut it, gash it, smash it, lose it - 

What dangers are lurking about us? They are called STRESSORS, and they involve energy that can
be biological or physical (chemical, kinetic, thermal, electrical, and radiation). Excessive physical energy is
always dangerous - so avoid injuries such as burns, bruises, breaks, cuts, shocks, and repetitive motions.
Biological and chemical toxins can affect you by (1) skin contact, (2) breathing, and (3) through the mouth and
the digestive system.

Who is really truly susceptible to toxins? Who are the high-risk groups? (1) infants and children, (2)
pregnant women, (3) smokers, druggies, and heavy drinkers, (4) allergy and asthma sufferers, and the elderly
with existing health problems.  If you are in one of these groups and you are working with art materials for many
hours a day, your health risks can be compounded if you breathe polluted air (usually found in big cities, not in
Vermillion). Some adverse health effects may not appear for decades.

“Time flies like an arrow.  Truth flies like a banana.” 

In each section of the course taught by different instructors, it is very likely the daily sequence will change due to
special visiting artists, meetings, or other scheduling conflicts.  If so, more class time may be allowed to
finish the project affected. 

The following design process will be utilized throughout the course:

1.  Recognize and accept a problem.  Each design problem involves specific intellectual, creative, and
technical objectives.

2.   Analyze the problem.  Each design problem involves an analysis of possibilities.

3.       Define the problem.  For each design problem, there must be understanding of the requirements
and the parameters. 

4.       Ideation.  The solution of a design problem involves searching for the best idea from among many
possibilities.  Gaining creative ideas involves individual research, discovery, exploration and activity.
In this step one finds and selects source materials for developing a design or  composition.

5.  Selection/Reduction.  When multiple ideas have been identified, the best idea is to be selected.  This
step involves making choices through practice, by juxtaposing, judging, and discriminating.  The creative
possibilities must be reduced to achieve orderly form involving visual harmony and a sense of beauty.

6.       Evaluation.  When work on the design/artwork is “finished,” a personal analysis and judgment of a
completed artwork takes place.  Refer to the fundamental questions relating to quality issues in
“Self-Evaluation” in the Study Guide.  A group analysis is called a critique.  A critique is a discussion
of the similarities and differences of artworks in which you compare your artwork with the work of others.

Each design problem will be introduced in terms of concept, objectives, and process.  This series of
problems is organized sequentially for cumulative learning.  Each exercise and problem builds from
the last instruction.  The new problem should apply learning from the previous problem.  To learn most
rapidly, be willing to challenge yourself to leave your comfort zone.

Student Examples of Problem 2

 

WEEK 12 - March 28 - April 1, 2005

Objectives: To develop skill in visual and verbal analysis of artworks and to develop technical skill with art
media.  To create a design illustrating the concepts of continuity, proximity, visual tension,
closure, and the illusion of shallow space, using equal amounts of black shapes and white shapes
(no grays, no colors) (Problem 3).

Instruction in the Visual Devices of Proximity, Continuity, Closure, and Tension.

Instruction in Figure-Ground Reversal.  Slide lecture on Figure/Ground relationships and examples.
Discussion.

Introduction to Problem 3: Creating Dynamic Shapes and Space: Figure/Ground Reversal.
Create a composition that uses figure/ground reversal to establish visual order as well as visual
ambiguity.  Give the composition variety by having three points of varying relative dominance within it
 - primary, secondary, and tertiary visual attraction (visual hierarchy).  Lead the viewer through the
image, controlling what s/he looks at first, secondly, and thirdly.  Think in terms of focal point,
visual movement, spatial illusion, and maintaining the interest of the viewer.
Size 8"x8" on 14"x 14-1/2" mat.  Discussion of examples and practice in class.

Technical Objectives:  The finished work is to show: Equal quantities of Black and White shapes;
Spatial Illusion; Continuity; Proximity; Closure; Visual Tension; Visual Hierarchy.

*****Advice for creating compositional dynamics/figure-ground reversal:

When working with black and white, think Ying and Yang, to create a 50%-50% balance of black
and white elements.
Think of figure and background in visual competition to create an ambiguity of dominance between
foreground and background.  When you cannot tell if you are creating a black image on a white
background, or a white image on a black background, you have succeeded in creating a figure-
ground reversal.  Employ design strategy to lead the viewer’s eye through THREE elements of
dominance in a specific order to create visual hierarchy – a primary focal area, a secondary focal
area, and a tertiary focal area.  Create spatial illusion through visual complexity by alternating a
directional pattern within your design.  (see examples)***** 

Figure-Ground Space Illusion is achieved by any of the following techniques:

1.  Change in size of pattern elements.

2.  Change in alignment of pattern elements.

3.  Change in direction of pattern elements.

4.  Change in view of pattern elements.

5.  Change in overlapping of pattern elements.

6.  Change in bending or curving of pattern elements.

7.  Change in texture of pattern elements.

8.  Addition of shadow.

Design Book Assignment: Practice the Compositional Structures:  TWO CENTERS and the BRIDGE 
  - 3 pages each.  Practice at least two color schemes of your choice.
During Week 12 complete a minimum of seven pages during class sessions and as homework.

Objectives: Introduction to Problem 3: To develop skill in visual and verbal analysis of artworks and to
develop technical skill with art media.  To create a design illustrating the concepts of continuity,
proximity, visual tension, closure, and the illusion of shallow space, using equal amounts of black
shapes and white shapes (no grays, no colors).

Instruction in the Visual Devices of Proximity, Continuity, Closure, and Tension.

Process: Continue Problem 3 in class

Individual Conferences on Problem 3   

Student Examples of  Problem 3

Be prepared to discuss your choices of artists and to provide facts on the paintings you select by
completing a "History Worksheet" in your Design Book.

SLIDE EXAMPLES and DISCUSSION.  A class discussion and personal research at the library
or on the Internet will assist you in this selection and design process.  Conduct a "self portrait"
search on the Web for some examples.

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Recommended Artists to Research for Problem 4: Albrecht Durer, Self-Portrait with a Sprig
of Eryngium, 1483; Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, 1889; Marianne Von
Werefkin, Self-Portrait, 1908; Egon Schiele, Self-Portrait, 1910; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner,
The Drinker (Self-Portrait), 1910; Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Self-Portrait with Model, 1915;
Erich Heckel, Man on a Plane, 1917; Frida Kahlo, Diego and I, 1949; Cindy Sherman,
Untitled Film Still, 1978; Cindy Sherman, Self-Portrait, 1983.  Internet Search: "Self Portrait
images"

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To begin thinking about the content of Problem 4, consider these

Aspects of Self-Representation...

Making art is about harnessing creative energy.  Creating a self-portrait is a self-discovery project involving
the creation of an image involving physical likeness, aspects of your personality, and gender considerations.
It should be more imaginative than a simple head and shoulders portrayal of yourself.

An example from my own experience is the name Navrat, which, according to distant relatives now living in
Slovakia and Russia, is a rare name on this earth. It has ancient, linguistic meaning as follows: In Bohemian,
Navrat means "to return" or "to come again." In Russian, it means "gatekeeper." A comparison of these
definitions allows me to imaginatively contemplate my roots and to wonder about metaphysical phenomena
such as destiny and reincarnation. Do I have a destiny related to the origin and occupations of my ancestors?
As a lifelong teacher, I have helped thousands of students gain access to understanding and realize their
personal dreams and ambitions. Is this type of "gate keeping" merely coincidence, or was it preordained?

Research your own name and ancestors to provide clues to your own identity and potential access to
personal understanding.  Research styles of art and craft relating to your heritage.  In addition, take a
personal inventory of your strengths and weaknesses, your likes and dislikes, your successes, your joys
and sorrows, and your dreams and aspirations for the future.

Objective: To communicate to others beyond yourself an orderly portrayal of yourself and your attributes,
involving:

A. Physical likeness.  How do you appear to others?  You must include a life-size representational
portrayal of yourself (in a large scale within the picture plane). It can be based on a photograph of you,
but respect the following caveats:

1. Avoid a symmetrical composition of face or figure. Near-symmetry or asymmetry is more
imaginative.  Symmetry is too often compositionally boring.  Any portrayal of nudity is OK.
You must portray a part of yourself as representational art, such as a portion of your face,
head and shoulders, or parts of your body, from a perspective other than frontal symmetry.
Provide enough detail about yourself to be recognizable as You.

2. Avoid an allover style of expressionistic abstraction of face, body, or its parts. A wildly
expressionistic image is angst-ridden, may not have widespread meaning, and may have
too much potential to be excessively chaotic.   Any other expressionistic mark-making
within the picture plane is encouraged.

B. Psychic likeness.   How do you act?  And why?  In the early 20th century, Sigmund Freud
studied both conscious and unconscious human behavior and postulated that the human brain
operates on three levels of energy: Ego, Id, and Superego.  He identified, beyond the basic animal
instincts to seek food and avoid pain, two sources of psychic energy which he called "drives:"
aggression and libido.  "Libido" (Id) encompasses sexuality but also has a more expansive
meaning involving the desire for stimulation and achievement.  The key to his theory is that these
were unconscious drives, shaping our behavior without the mediation of our waking minds.  These
drives surface only in our dreams, and their meaning is heavily disguised when attempts are made
to interpret them.

Recently neuroscience has confirmed that Freud was correct in that the roots of these drives is in
the limbic system, a primitive part of the brain that operates mostly below the horizon of
consciousness.  Psychology now categorizes these drives, also known as emotions, as Rage,
Panic, Separation Distress, Lust, and Seeking (a variation on libido).  These drives or emotions
are primitive brain circuits that control how we respond to our environment.  Rage, Panic, and
Separation Distress seem to contribute to negative human behavior.  Lust is a drive to seek
pleasure, and may or may not contribute to negative behaviors.  

"Seeking" seems to be a drive to seek pleasure and meaning.  Only Seeking seems to contribute
to positive human behavior. The seeking drive, although it originates in the limbic system like the
others, seems to be the only one involving parts of the forebrain, the seat of higher mental functions.

Seeking is a brain function located near the cortex known as the ventral tegmental area, which in
human lies just above the hairline.  When you unconsciously have an urge to rub your forehead,
what are you seeking?  The "Seeking" emotion, then, is what keeps us guessing and going
about the purpose of our lives.  The "Seeking" drive is especially strong in creative personalities.

Human consciousness makes order out of chaos by: Sensing, Thinking, Feeling, and Willing.
Artists do the same in visual problem-solving.            

Ego.  1. The self, especially as distinct from the world and other selves.  2. Psychoanalysis.
The personality component that is conscious, most immediately controls behavior, and is most
in touch with external reality.  3. a. Self-love; egotism.  b. Self-confidence; self esteem. 

Id.  The division of the psyche associated with instinctual impulses and demands for immediate
satisfaction of primitive needs.

Superego.  The division of the human psyche that develops by the incorporation of the perceived
moral standards of the community, is mainly unconscious, and includes the conscious.    

 Why do you want to do stuff?  What are you seeking?    What do you want to do?  

Suggestions:  Portray aspects of your personality, soul and spirit. Consider your positive attributes
more than your negative attributes. What are your psychological strengths and characteristics?
What is your passion in Life? What is the extent of your spirituality? On a less
serious note, you may use humor, contrast or exaggeration.  If appropriate, you may explore
psychic phenomena such as a Psyche knot, a visual psychodrama, or a psychological moment.
What about taboos? Do you want to portray something controversial? If so, why or why not? In
any event, try to balance your wonderful attributes with your fears and uncertainties.

C. Gender.  How does your gender contribute to your view of Life and possibilities in life?  Portray
aspects of your gender and sexuality. When you consider your sexuality, think positively, not
negatively. Think nude, not naked.  Besides your face, what parts of yourself could you portray
nude? "Nude" is natural, while "naked" implies something puritanically sinful. American culture
is permeated with vestiges of 19^th century Victorian thought toward sexuality, resulting in sexual
inhibition and pleasure-anxiety in many individuals. Think true love, not sexual anxiety or lust.

"Sexual energy is the life force made manifest. It is the ultimate creative drive that inspires and
animates us," according to Stella Resnick, Ph.D, a sexuality researcher. Does this mean that
sexual energy propels creative energy?  If it does, your imagination resides in your sexuality, and
that is wonderful energy. Beyond your interest in physical sex, how do you picture your natural,
sexual self? Try to be honest. You may abstract the concept of gender (exaggerate,
re-arrange, and/or simplify) by design. You may depict structural, functional, and/or behavioral
characteristics of yourself - your outsides, or insides, or both.

Technical REQUIREMENTS: 

The design challenge is to visually relate the multiple compositional structures you utilize through use of the
Elements of Design Structure (especially color, shape, value, and texture),  and the Principles of Design
Organization (especially space and contrast), and the Visual Forces (closure, continuity, proximity, and
tension).

Your image involves the creation of both representational space and abstract space, thus the use of light,
illumination, shadow, and value structure is to be emphasized.  You are encouraged to develop space in
three ways: surface space, shallow/deep space illusion, and advancing space (illusion in front of the picture
plane).  When you do this, you will be combining Representational, Abstract, and Non-objective subject
matter in one artwork.  When you do this, you are communicating with others on an intellectual level, an
emotional level, and a sensuous level. 

Use mixed media, involving drawing, collage, painting, xerography, and transfers.  You must use
texture, some figure-ground dynamics, extreme contrast, and the visual forces of closure,
tension, proximity, and continuity.

Emphasis must be placed on strong design and use of effective coloration.  Size of the composition
should allow a life-size portrayal, no smaller than 14" x 18."  Your composition may be mounted on a gray
or black mounting board (which you must purchase), with appropriate margins around the image.

Color is emphasized.  You must use variations of chroma, value, and hue in your design strategy.
Scale is important.  Pattern may be important to you.

You must create an image with both dominate and subordinate areas of design.  Do not place equal
visual emphasis throughout your design, because an equal emphasis on everything is insensitive and
chaotic.  An example of what not to do would be to scatter photographs of yourself and your good friends
throughout the picture plane.  Be very selective when using photographs of your family and friends.  Avoid
a random scrapbook look. Strategy: Think of combining more than one basic compositional structure to
create layers of visual information.

Summary of Technical Objectives/Emphases: Compositional Structure: one or more panels, any panel
must utilize multiple design structure shapes; Media: Mixed; Processes: many layers; Color Properties:
Chroma, Value Contrast; Space Illusion: light/shadow effects, shallow and deep space, illumination,
transparency (check out this website:   www.terrasight.net ); Visual Effects: both subtle and dynamic

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS – Problem 4 

Problem 4 represents a final test of understanding and application of the fundamentals of art. 

1.      COMPOSITIONAL STRUCTURE – use of one or more panels, each subdivided into shapes that
create any of the design structures studied in the course.  Use of overlapping multiple structures
is required because this planning assures layering of processes 

2.      MIXED MEDIUMS – any combination of drawing, collage, painting, transfers, etc. 

3.      CONTENT – life-size self-portrait, self-representation applied in dominant and subordinate areas of
the composition 

4.      USE OF DESIGN ELEMENTS – (all) point, line, shape, value, texture, color 

5.      USE OF DESIGN PRINCIPLES – (all) Harmony (rhythm and repetition) Variety (contrast and
elaboration), balance, movement, proportion, dominance/emphasis, economy, space 

6.      USE OF VISUAL FORCES – (all) visual tension, proximity, continuity, closure 

7.      VISUAL EFFECTS – figure-ground shape dynamics, extreme contrast using light and
illumination to create space illusion, transparency, color chroma emphasis, texture, pattern

8.      OBJECTIVES – visual unity, color harmony, and beauty

CREATIVE PROCESS:

RECEIVE DESIGN PROBLEM – understand problem and goals; ask questions 

RESEARCH PROBLEM – collect data, review similar solutions by others 

ORGANIZE RESEARCH DATA – review project goals; set priorities; prioritize goals, facts and features 

CREATE THUMBNAILS – experiment; take design risks; brainstorm possibilities 

RENDER LAYOUTS – select and reduce possible solutions; recreate best, most diverse thumbnails at
actual size; solve objectives of problem 

CRITIQUE and REVISE – evaluate  solution; combine successful sections of several layouts; keep what
works and improve what doesn’t 

COMPLETE FINAL DESIGN – tightly execute the best design; watch craftsmanship; mount or present
carefully

MORE CREATIVE SUGGESTIONS: Review the steps in the Design Process.  Take a personal inventory
of yourself  - your family, your cultural heritage, interests, and past experience. Write notes about yourself.
Think about symbols of your Self, presented by narrative images - enlargements, blow-ups, parts that seem
to extend beyond the edges of your design. Think about about your ego, your id, and your superego - what is
valued and what isn't about your self?  Think about your dream images, distortions, anthropomorphizing
something that represents an aspect of your personality.
Think about your loves and your lovers, and your best and worst life and death experiences. Sort through
a photographic history of yourself portraying your activities and interests and then choose a personal photograph
or two that you can transform through drawing or photocopying to incorporate into your design. Begin trial ideas
and compositional structures in your Design Book.  Work on 3 - 5 pages of thumbnail self-portraits, some simple,
some complex. Consider patterning some of the background area with tesselations designed with
imagery relating to your heritage and/or your personal characteristics and/or personal interests.
Select from the possibilities and reduce the imagery to an orderly statement of your self, orderly,
yet not overly complex.

Consider yourself a unique thing of beauty.

Work on this problem will be divided between development of background processes and development
of foreground processes.  The background development will emphasize a “layering of processes” to show
a “history of surface development,” or a "history of effort" to portray an attractive “paint quality.”  The
foreground process will emphasize the use of elaboration within the composition. Technical transitions
between foreground and background will complete the design process.

Design Book Assignment: Practice the Compositional Structures:   RADIAL - 3 pages,
plus 4 pages of Multiple Panel compositional structures (diptych, triptych, or other variations of Multiple
Panels.  During Week 14 finish a minimum of seven pages during class sessions and as homework relating
to self-representation.

Objectives: To instruct in methods of visual symbolism and communication to create meaningful
artworks.  To design with personally meaningful information combined with appropriated image
fragments.  To create a mixed media composition.  After developing subordinate background
structures and layering of processes with pigments and mixed media, then to continue to
develop foreground areas with dominant subject matter.

Process:  Work on Problem 4: Composite Self-Representation in class.   Video on Tesselations.
After completing multiple background structures and layering of processes, begin to develop the
foreground areas of dominant subject matter.  Practice color mixing, painting, and value contrast.
The picture plane must be developed by multiple processes from BACKGROUND to FOREGROUND. 

Suggested Background to Foreground Process Steps:

1.  Gesso the picture panel

2.  Develop glazing with acrylic polymer medium and minimal pigmentation to create
     transparent and translucent effects

3.  Develop scumbling with acrylic polymer medium and minimal pigmentation

4.       Develop background compositional structures on the panel

5.       Develop a range of value contrast on the panel.

6.   Develop additional layering of processes by alternating Warm Color and Cool Color
pigment (or collage layers) to develop color value contrast and color harmony

7.  Apply foreground life-size portrait

8.  Create both dramatic and subtle transitions between the background and foreground

9.  Apply all learning objectives relating to art fundamentals, as required 

Objectives: To instruct in methods of visual symbolism and communication to create meaningful
artworks.  To design with personally meaningful information combined with appropriated image
fragments.  To create a mixed media composition, possibly including image transfer processes to
develop foreground imagery over background imagery. 

Process: Work on Problem 4: Composite Self-Representation.  Create the background with
multiple layers of painting, collage, and/or photomontage.  It is expected that the imagery of your
heritage (art or craft) has previously been selected for work in this session, and that work on the
background compositional structure is nearly finished.
Continue to establish a background layering of processes.  Begin to develop foreground imagery
with mixed media (transfers, collage, painting, drawing, etc.).  

Individual Conferences on Composite Compositions.

Process: In-class work on Problem 4.  Development of foreground imagery in mixed media.
Practice with mixed media to relate foreground with background and to develop visual connections
between the layers of space.  Develop spatial variety by applying the Law of Backgrounds and apply
Emphasis by utilizing color chroma.

Individual Conferences on Composite Compositions.

Design Book Assignment: Practice the Compositional Structures: During Week 16 finish a
minimum of seven pages, using compositional structures and subjects of your choice, during
class sessions and as homework.                       

 Objectives: To instruct in methods of visual symbolism and communication to create meaningful
artworks.  To design with personally meaningful information combined with appropriated
image fragments.  To create a mixed media composition.  To assess visual qualities of
Problem 4 during a group critique.     

Process: First hour, complete Problem 4 in class.  Continue to create foreground/background transitions
to create coherence, order, and areas of beautiful surface craft.  Continue layering of processes in mixed
media.  Prepare Problem 4 for presentation.  Second and third hours:

FINAL CRITIQUE OF PROBLEM 4   

Objective: To complete course objectives and requirements.

Process: Summary of Course.

Process: Turn in Design Book, Problem 4, the Final Exam, and any do-overs for final grading.

DESIGNBOOK/JOURNAL DUE FOR FINAL GRADING - The book must be finished with a minimum of 105 pages,
each well considered and designed with mixed media processes.

Problem 1: Design Book Final Grading Criteria: Three grades will be determined, as follows:
(1) Quantity/Practice - 105 pages = A; Number every seventh page in your design book and also
indicate the total number of pages you have completed by now.
(2) Exploration/Assignments - including assignments of: DIAMOND, ANGULAR DOMINANT,
CURVILINEAR DOMINANT, CANTILEVER, TWO CENTERS, THE BRIDGE, RADIAL, MULTIPLE
PANEL (3 pages each structure), CHOICE (14 pages), and written notes on family heritage and
planning of Problem 4.  Label each assignment.  Completion of all assignments = A; and
(3) Quality/Care - relating to craft, personal expression, and aesthetics, this grade usually
ranges from A to D, depending upon artistic "quality."

THE STUDY GUIDE AND GLOSSARY FOR DESIGN I CAN BE VIEWED AT:
  www.usd.edu/~dnavrat 

You can access this information on the Internet for study and testing purposes at any time.

This study material is meant to augment the class sessions, and is not a substitute for class attendance.

Four Complementary Languages: Verbal, Written, Mathematical, and Visual

Visual communication is learned indirectly through the means of verbal and written communication.
We first learn to speak, to count, then to draw, write, and to read. Communication occurs in a circular
manner from speaking to reading to writing to drawing to speaking.... In order for communication to
be successful, we must have some skills at converting our sensitivities and sensibilities into formal
languages -- verbal, written, mathematical, and visual.

Why Learn About Art?

By nature, the arts are intrinsically multicultural and international in scope. As artists, performers,
communicators, and scholars, we are committed to the diversity of human experience and truth
expressed in cultures past and present.  We are recorders of events and presenters of human
values transformed imaginatively. We deal sensibly with all of life and nature through ideas, images,
sounds, motion, and stories. We are the conscience and the hopefulness of humanity. We nurture
the young. We tend to the infirm and the grieving. We challenge the strong. We celebrate and
entertain. We keep sacred trusts. We represent fairness. We envision humane progress. These
are the collective strengths of the arts through all times.

We are thinking and feeling individuals. We learn about art in order to clarify and to account for our
experiences with life that are personally meaningful and worthy of record. We write about art in order
to clarify and to account for our responses to those experiences that interest or excite or frustrate us.
We learn to make art for the same reasons.
By either putting words or images on paper we have to take a second and third look at what is in
front of us and what is within us. By concentrating on what interests, excites, and frustrates us, we
learn a great deal about ourselves and our similarity to others. When we read about and see the art
and the artists of past civilizations we learn about the values and accomplishments of people since
the beginning of time. When we compare values and accomplishments we begin to set our own
standards. When we have some confidence in what we know to be true, we feel a need to share
that information with others -- we hope to communicate.

In order to effectively communicate with others, we must have the skills to think, to tell, to write,
to calculate, and to make images of what we can see, what we know to be true, and of what we
can imagine. It is what we can imagine that makes the future.

We learn to make art in order to express what we think and what we feel.

There is much joy in the freedom to make decisions, to have options and to exercise choice. The
purpose of education is to prepare each of us for the freedom to create our own life and to take
responsibility for our actions.

Instruction in art should contain no rules, formulas, or guarantees; however, it is predicated on
fundamental elements and principles that encompass a wide range of expression.

There should be some system to the instruction, but the "system" should be kept within
tolerances that permit discovery. Beyond a certain point, the more we attempt to be "systematic"
in art instruction, the more we miss the essential value of art. (We cannot prescribe feelings,
emotions, intelligence, or sensibility, and art is nothing if it lacks these qualities. We cannot
prescribe personality, and art is always recognized by the imagination of its maker.)

Art instruction, therefore, narrows down to a few simple procedures that are deceptively complex
in their application.  It always succeeds or fails with the sensitivity of the students and their capacity
for work. Student sensitivity feeds on the enthusiasm for exploration exhibited by the instructor.
An atmosphere of creative excitement is the most important element in providing meaningful art
instruction.

Teaching and learning require similar skills. A teacher is willing to share perceptions and
enthusiasms by leading students; however, there must always be a point at which the student
may take over the search for discovery -- a point at which the student becomes the teacher.

Students often think they are writing (or making art) for the teacher, but this is a
misconception; when you write (or make art) YOU are the teacher. An essay on art (or
a work of art) is an attempt to help someone see the work as you see it, and an opportunity for
an observer to respond to your efforts.

Learning is linear. A teacher will take you down a line of thought and consideration until you are
capable of drawing your own conclusions and are capable of becoming your own teacher. At this
point, the communication that is education (teaching and learning) has been successful and you
are free to do as you please, reasonably and creatively.  Be willing to see where your natural
curiosity will lead you!

You must understand that most of the original thinking about art is in the art and not on it. The
joy of art is in its making and in its witness, and rarely in its description. Joy suffers in translation.
But talking and writing about art serves useful purposes:

1. Introduces you to art and artists of which you were previously unaware.

2. Throws light upon the relation of art to life, to science, economics, ethics, religion, history, and
all other subjects.

3. Illuminates the process of artistic "Making".

4. Shows you relationships between works of different ages and cultures, which you could never
have seen for yourself (because NO ONE ever knows enough and never shall).

5. Gives you a "reading" of a work, which increases your understanding of it.

6. Convinces you that you have undervalued an idea, author, artist, or a work because you had not
read carefully enough.

7. Provides you with information you can use to form your own judgments and to make your own
decisions.

To be critical in these ways emphasizes observing, showing, illuminating, and ruminating. A good
critic sees excellence as well as faults.

Critical analysis is, literally, a separating into parts in order to understand the whole. Analysis is a
process applied in thinking, talking, writing, calculating, and making art. To analyze is to consider
all conceivable aspects and characteristics of your subject by asking questions and organizing the
answers resulting from the inquiries.

A study of art begins with a few basic facts that have been agreeable over the centuries, and
awareness that art is a process as well as a product. We will first analyze the product as a means
of understanding the process. Our study actively involves Theory and Practice (explanation and
activity).

1. What is it about? (SUBJECT MATTER)

2. How is it made? (FORM)

3. What does it mean? (CONTENT OR MEANING)

It is the answers to these questions (revealed through theory and practice) that will form a basis for
understanding and appreciating any work of art. It is the repetitive and expanding search for these
answers, which becomes a formal study of art. A formal study of art (or of anything else) is nothing
more than a close look and thoughtful consideration extended over a period of time.

A work of art draws attention to itself by the energy it transmits by the beauty of its unity. We are
drawn to a work of art that curiously fascinates us. The Chinese have created this underlying unity
by a manifesto set down fifteen centuries ago by Hsieh Ho. It consists of six guiding goals that
have unified Chinese artists and their work ever since:

1. Imbue the work with life and spirit.

2. Handle the brush with vigor - give inner strength to each line.

3. Be truthful in depicting objects.

4. Use color as it appears in nature.

5. Attend to harmony in composition and arrangement of the picture.

6. Endlessly copy and transcribe masters of the past.

Western cultures have followed similar principles and teachers now guide students in an integrated
manner based on combining these lasting influences.

Primary to the understanding of art and design is the matter of FORM. While criticism has many
avenues of approach, the most fundamental is, perhaps, FORMAL or FORMALIST CRITICISM.
This type of analysis is based on an understanding and application of the various formal elements
found in works of visual art.

Line - a solid row of points creating visual movement;

Shape - a two-dimensional, flat object bounded by an actual or implied line;

Value - the degree of lightness or darkness of color; its tone relative to a gray scale rated
one (black-the absence of light) through ten (white-light itself, the lightest value);

Texture- the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something;

Color - a phenomenon of light (as red, brown, pink, gray) or visual perception that enables
one to differentiate otherwise identical objects. The aspect of objects and light sources that
may be described in terms of hue, value (or lightness), and saturation for objects, and hue,
brightness, and saturation for light sources.

HARMONY - the result of causing each emphatic feature of an artwork to show visual
connections with other features which causes them to be seen as integrated members of the
whole; harmony involves REPETITION and RHYTHM 

Repetition - the use of the same visual element a number of times in the same composition.
Repetition may accomplish a dominance of one visual idea, a feeling of harmonious
relationship, an obvious planned pattern, or a rhythmic movement

Rhythm - a continuance, a flow, or feeling of movement achieved by repetition of regulated
visual units; the use of measured accents

VARIETY -the quality or state of having differing parts creating visual interest; variety
involves CONTRAST and ELABORATION

Contrast - extreme differences; a juxtaposition of dissimilar elements (as color, tone, or
emotion) in a work of art

Elaboration - interesting fullness of detail, complexity, intricacy

The Universal Goals of Designing and of Art-Making: ORDER and BEAUTY

UNITY - (ORDER, ONENESS, GESTALT) a sensing that all the parts of a composition are working
together and are necessary; cohesiveness; overall oneness; a basic aim of the process of making art

Gestalt - a sensing in a work of art that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; instantaneous
recognition of significance; a sensing that the art work has meaning beyond its appearance

1. Please the artist

2. Be appropriate to the purpose and form

3. Have variety and/or harmony

4. Possess recognizable unity

SPATIAL DIMENSIONS OF ART

TECHNIQUES TO CREATE SPATIAL ILLUSION

PATTERN results from the repetition of an element or motif, thus any shape or line repeated often will
produce some form of pattern.  The role of pattern is surface decoration. It can be a vital part of physical
structure, integrating ornament with function, such as in weaving, knotting, braiding, and bricklaying.
While pattern is most often applied to utilitarian objects, pattern also forms aesthetic objects such as
painting, collage, and sculpture.

The system of distribution and the relative detail of the motif determine the relative complexity of a given
pattern, although complexity is no guarantee of quality.

Formal patterning, called allover pattern, requires even distribution achieved through regular, measured
intervals.  As decoration, it usually plays a subordinate role to function, as in architecture, textiles, crafts,
wallpaper, wall coverings, wrapping paper, tiles and mosaics. Formal patterning generally follows these
types of networks:

In formal patterning, a pattern may exist both as surface and substance, to produce counterchange,
a figure-ground reversal (see definition of each term).

SINGLE MOTIF PATTERNS

Single motif patterns (based on a square, or a tree leaf, etc.) can possess great diversity by gradually
changing the size relationships of the single motif, thus creating spatial illusion, and by elaborating upon
the motif with additional elements of design beyond line and shape, thus creating variety and emphasis
through the use of value contrast, texture, or color variation.

DIAPER – A pattern or network of one or more repeating units, constructed in such a way that the outline
of each unit forms part of the outline of the neighboring unit. Also, a diaper is the process of producing or
laying out such a pattern.

FIGURE – A form or shape determined by outlines or exterior surfaces.

FIGURE-GROUND REVERSAL – A pattern or design with roughly equal quantities of two contrasting
colors, textures, or other elements, both of which may be perceived as either figure or background.

GRID – A regular network or pattern of (usually straight) lines used to correctly place a pattern on a surface.

INTERLACE – A design in which elements (usually linear) pass over and under each other, producing a
complex, woven effect.

INTERVAL – An area or space between recurring elements.

LOZENGE (parallelogram) – A four-sided equilateral shape whose opposing angles are equal.

MOTIF – A theme, or dominant recurring visual element, form, or subject.

NEGATIVE SPACE – The background, ground, or space in a composition not occupied by the figure, or
major elements.

NET LINES – The lines, visible or invisible, of any given network. Also, net lines create the skeleton of
a pattern.

NETWORK – A repeating combination of curved or straight lines. A network is the basic understructure
of all repeat patterns.
(See also Diaper. All networks are diapers, but many diapers are more complex than mere networks.)

POSITIVE SPACE – The space in a composition occupied by the figure, or major element(s).

REPEAT – A pattern composed of two or more identical elements, or units.

SCALE – Relative or proportionate size. Also, a figure formed by a network of overlapping circles.

Historical Background

    Most attempts to explain the origin of the Golden Section, its use in antiquity, during the Middle
Ages, the Renaissance, and into the 21^st century trail off into legend, speculation, and metaphysical
or mathematical obscurity.
Some say it originated in Egypt, as one of several proportional systems used in their buildings,
statues, and paintings.  Others connect it more convincingly with the work of the Greek savants,
such as Plato, and geometers, notably Pythagoras and Eudoxus, both of whom probably knew well
Egyptian achievements in architectural proportioning.

The Golden Section of a line and the Golden Section of an area appear to have been employed as
regulating devices in Greek architecture and in the designing of pottery as early as the 5^th century
B.C.  The architects of the Parthenon (Ictinus, Calicrates, and the sculptor Phidias) seem to have
made use of an advanced understanding of Golden Section and Root – 5 proportions.   No one is
certain of Greek architects' plans for their most famous temples and buildings, such as the
Parthenon.  No one knows if they deliberately used the golden mean in their architectural plans,
or not.

Read the following book and do a Web search for a load of further information.

Ae = ˝ AB or (Ae = eB)

Ce = eF

Also, do a Web search on:

Deep Space -  Shallow Space -  Two Dimensionality

Volume and Space Dominant -  Transparency/Translucency

Dense -  Sparse -   Dense and Sparse

Straight Edge Dominant -  Curved Edge Dominant -  Straight vs. Curved

Hard versus Soft Edges

Linear, Closed Shapes -  Painterly, Open Shapes

Line Dominant -  Value Dominant -  Texture Dominant -  Color Dominant

Part 2: PERSONAL UNDERSTANDING

Recognizing that each human, at any time of life, only partially understands his/her
motives for doing something, then how does the artist or designer approach their
creative process? Being aware of the information mentioned above does not
necessarily make one a successful visual communicator. Among the characteristics
one might hope to find in an artist is sensitivity.  Does the artwork or design project
have a relaxed, human touch? Or is it too forced, mechanical, or self-conscious in its
appearance? Since visual interest often thrives on mysterious visual contradictions,
there are a number of descriptive dichotomies that can be used to frame the
assessment (critical evaluation) process, such as...

Art (form and beauty, aesthetic quality) vs. Design (purposeful, useful plan toward form)

Art (form and beauty, aesthetic quality) vs. Craft (a common, practical, skilled trade)

Art (form and beauty, aesthetic quality) vs. Artificial (art-like but superficial, fake)

Intuition (insight, an emotional hunch toward truth) vs. Reason (logical conclusion
toward truth)

Myth (historical context - a fictional story of gods and heroes) vs. Fantasy (futuristic
context - bizarre notion or creation)

Real (genuine, actually existing, not imaginary) vs. Romantic (preferring passion
and imagination to proportion and finish)

Subjective (self-centered) vs. Objective (impartial logic)

Insight (imaginative epiphany) vs. Imitation (unimaginative repetition)

Preconception (half-baked idea) vs. Clarity (planned excellence)

Good Taste (professional consensus) vs. Bad Taste (ignorance or parody of
classic style)

Judgment (objective, wise decision) vs. Opinion (subjective, personal thought
or emotion)

Confidence (intelligent, sensitive, skillful) vs. Stubbornness (obstinate,
determined, inflexible)

Confidence (intelligent, sensitive, skillful) vs. Bravado (superficial flourish)

Commitment (purposeful vision) vs. Wasting Time (just getting it done)

Invention (original thought or product) vs.  Mimicry (imitate or make-believe)

Sensitivity (awareness, openness to experience) vs. Confusion (clueless at task)

Creativity (original vision, sale unimportant) vs. Business (for-profit artwork)

Creativity (original, imaginative vision) vs. Busy-ness (superficial, non-purposeful
effort)

To compose or design is to create order from an infinite number of possibilities--to create order from chaos.
To create a composition or design, one must consider all of the following points (as well as others). This
listing does not represent a step-by-step process, but only a means for starting the process. Many of the
points must be considered simultaneously (and after acquiring some experience in designing, the points
will be considered intuitively).

A successful design is dependent upon the following: (1) the designer's aesthetic tastes developed through
a comparative analysis of types of visual communication, an understanding and awareness of art history and
tradition in composition, an understanding of contemporary design, past experience, and sensitivity to life
and nature; and (2) confident, technical skill (craft and patience) in working with materials and art media,
developed by constant studio practice. Imagination leading to creativity functions best when technique and
technical considerations are no longer a concern. Learn by doing. Practice to make perfection.  To create 
good form, consider the following: 

1. Understand the problem, theme, or idea by researching it, thinking about it.

2. Decide which approach to the problem is most appropriate:

a. Deliberate Approach - having a definite idea in mind, developing the idea with preliminary sketches;

or

b. Intuitive Approach - beginning the design process intuitively; developing the idea with the media
and materials, which suggest the solution while working.

Note: Either approach may lead to success.

3. Select medium (or combined media), gather materials, and consider technique.

WHILE THE WORK IS IN PROGRESS:

4. Work with the elements of design: POINT, LINE, SHAPE, VALUE, TEXTURE, and COLOR.

5. Utilize the principles of design: HARMONY (rhythm and repetition), VARIETY (contrast and
elaboration), BALANCE, MOVEMENT, PROPORTION, DOMINANCE (emphasis), SPACE, and
ECONOMY. As a guiding factor during the manipulation of the elements and principles of design,
use critical evaluation constantly.

6. Satisfy the basic aims of design organization:

a. A SENSE OF ORDER, UNITY, ONENESS;

b. A SENSE OF BEAUTY.

7. Satisfy the creative aspect of the idea--a lively, vital, subtle, unique, unusual, fascinating,
intriguing, mysterious solution--through critical evaluation.

8. Make use of VARIETY (involving contrast and elaboration) and HARMONY (involving rhythm
and repetition; balance variety and harmony; avoid monotony.

9. Critically evaluate the resulting design; change it to improve it whenever it seems necessary
or appropriate.

IN THE END

A good rant by Professor Navrat

Artists have always recognized the need to discover and enjoy the Self, and
especially, the Creative Self, which emerges in flashes of insight or inspiration. 
Prior to the 18^th Century, Art was subservient to societal needs and beliefs.

During the 18^th Century, as a consequence of the industrial revolution and a diminishing
demand for art by religions, governments, and royalty, further thought about the need
for Art lead to a philosophical division of Art into Applied Art and Fine Art.  Applied Art
continued to serve society.  Fine Art became the branch of Art concerned with Beauty
rather than practicality.  In the applied arts, it was believed the artist should function to
serve society, as a worker or craftsman dedicated to the good of society.

In the Fine Arts, it was believed an artist should function as an educator or a
visionary dedicated to a study of the concept of Beauty, for the good of society.
The Fine Arts came to be defined as Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Literature,
Music, Theatre, and Dance.

In the 1830s, a concept of the avant-garde developed, dedicated to "Art for Art’s
Sake," intended to elevate the study of Aesthetics by reacting to and promoting
rapid change. It began evolving into an expressive activity in the 1860s, further
fueled by advances in medicine and psychology in the 1890s. The avant-garde
represented thought and action in advance of ideas and practices generally
accepted by society. Elitism was an integral part of avant-garde philosophy in art.
The avant-garde was intended to represent advanced thought and taste.

From the 1870s to the 1930s, such change was welcomed by the middle classes
of the world, which generally supported art and artists. In the 1910s, in reaction to
worldwide warfare and mass destruction, Fine Art began evolving toward politics,
in which the product or result of Fine Art became more confrontational, shocking,
unintelligible, or in other ways as equally offensive to society as politics.

As rapid change accelerated in the industrial, technological world, Fine Art became
further branched beyond the study of Beauty, reacting to rapid discovery and
advancement in science, mathematics, and especially reacting to the threat of
nuclear war and outrageous politics.  Perhaps because most artists do not think
as clearly and logically as scientists, the concept of Beauty was lost in the shuffle,
nd replaced by an obsession with the avant-garde, especially in public schools.

It was forgotten that as Fine Art distances itself from the interests of the middle
classes, support for art and artists further diminishes.

Today, artists in search of the avant-garde become engaged in a private contest
with the history of art, striving for critical or public recognition. This self-indulgent
aim may have reached its apex in the middle of the 20^th Century, with the
development of American Abstract Expressionism, the most dynamic (and
aesthetically confusing) style of design ever created. AbEx is characterized by
exploration of the Elements and Principles of Art, a process in which dynamic
mark making, to produce Pure Form, appears as nonobjective imagery.

AbEx is an emotional, intuitive approach to Art making. The influence of AbEx
quickly spread worldwide, largely because of political maneuvering during the
Cold War. The CIA, through the auspices of the Museum of Modern Art in New York,
sponsored a tour of AbEx art to communist-leaning countries in order to serve as
an example of Freedom in the United States. The logic went like this: If artists in
America are free to produce images such as these (unintelligible), then surely
Freedom surpasses communism as a political system of society.  In its
appreciation as well as execution, AbEx requires an emotional, rather than
ntellectual, approach.

An interesting consequence of the exportation of AbEx is that it still serves as
inspiration to students in communist countries.  Students from China, for example,
still come to study art in the United States in order to learn how to make
contemporary art.  The sad part of the equation is that the Chinese students have
already mastered the Beauty of Fine Art, and now wish to add the politics of
Fine Art to their mastery.

In contrast, few American student artists have mastered Beauty and Proportion
before they descend into the dark art of politics.

American society as early as the 1960s was seeking reform from repression
(or boredom), and assaulting old bastions of taste and thought.  As a result, our
school curricula today continue to emphasize art study that is self-centered rather
than service-centered.  Fine Art devoted to Beauty has been a dying profession
since the 19^th Century.  As consumerism and technology gains momentum, the
influence of Fine Art continues to lose momentum, while further sinking from the
weight of social activism and gender politics. 

Perhaps it is time to rebel against post-modernism, with its lack of emphasis on
formal excellence, because it is often used as an excuse for the lessening of
historic, aesthetic standards.  Along with other disciplines, the study of Fine Art
has been deconstructed and degraded. 

Since 1980, parodies of traditional aesthetics have become so common that
Good Taste (symbolic of Beauty) has been replaced by Bad Taste (symbolic of
a test of tolerance). 

In the 1990s, as degrees of ugliness (in thought, politics, marketing, economics,
commerce, visual art, and music) supplanted degrees of Beauty, the avant-garde
became aligned with a form of degrading radical extremism rather than with
humanism that elevates the spirit.  The goal of many emerging artists who aspired
to gain the attention of the contemporary art establishment was to shock the
bourgeoisie.  The establishment (university art faculty, contemporary art centers,
major museums, and the liberal art media) promoted radicalism for fear of actually
acknowledging appropriate boundaries of art.  High standards to which aspiring
artists heretofore strove were supplanted by lower standards.  Excellence is not
what it used to be.  Has this hypocrisy diminished the emotional intensity,
authenticity, and integrity of much of contemporary art?  Are art students wasting
time learning abstract art processes that are now more conventional than creative?

On September 11, 2001, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and near Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 innocent people. In the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the aircraft, the victims were from more than
eighty different countries of the world.  The evil of these horrendous events was
witnessed and condemned worldwide.  Terrorists threatened the concept of
freedom in the United States and in the entire civilized world. The concept of 
Good versus Evil has never been more apparent to billions of human beings
worldwide.  Context changes everything, including our notions of celebrity and
heroism.

It is difficult to consider avant-garde artists who choose to portray Evil rather than
Good "heroic."  Instead of embracing novelty, artists must find voices that heal,
connect, and challenge.  In light of these tragedies, the art establishment must
reconsider its support of negative and decadent art of all dimensions.

Often conflicting with the concept of Beauty, provocative art (Bad art, Ugly art)
legitimately exists because there are good reasons for it. For example, political art,
often provocative or ugly, is a result of ugly government policies that repress and
degrade its citizenry. As long as indignity affects human life, provocative art will
mirror it.  In this context, Art is an expression of the brutal or violent, and, in
developing countries, often a matter of Life and Death.  Political art may or may
not be orderly; most often it is not beautiful.  But should political art equally
degrade humanity?

Much of the avant-garde now glorifies intellectual enigma, emotional chaos, and
sensuous starvation.  But should we celebrate contemporary artists who glorify
societal ills that most of us are desperate to cure?  At best, it is difficult to celebrate
disturbing content, ugly form, and a lack of respect for formal process, no matter
who produces or promotes it.  Who is going to encourage, respect, support, or buy
ugly art?  Follow the money, for now Fine Art is more of an investment in cash than
in aesthetics.

While Bad Art or Ugly Art may possess a sense of formal order, it only tentatively
satisfies an observer’s sense of Beauty.  Most people think that art without Beauty
is not art, but only politics.  When art is not good to humanity, it is not Fine Art.
When art is something less than inspirational, it is not good art.  Yet when art is not
a vehicle of personal or social change, it is ineffective art.  But how can artists
promote change for the better by directly assaulting common sensibilities
and virtues?

Therein lays the enigma of avant-garde art, which can be created either for better
or for worse.

Today, it is "Art for Art's Sake," from the dying branch of the avant-garde still
concerned with Beauty, and "Anything Goes, No Matter How Trite or Vile," from
the withering branch promoting political art.  By vainly maintaining this propensity
toward negativity during the 1990s, contemporary, abstract and nonobjective art
has lost much of its audience.  Only the few who consider themselves elitists or
excessively tolerant people support art that represents negative aesthetics.