Art Criticism and Aesthetics Lesson Plans Erin Seickel ARE 6195 Teaching Art Appreciation and Criticism December 2, 2008

- Lesson One - An Introduction to Feldman Blood Connection, Mixed Media, Aviva Beigel

- Lesson One - An Introduction to Feldman 1.Describe and Name the VISUAL FACTS. 2.Analyze the VISUAL FACTS: –Using Form Descriptors: Line, Light, Shape, Color and Temperature, Size and Quantity, Space and Location, Surface and Texture. –Further Observations: Similarity, Closeness, Contrast, Sequence, Direction, Rhythm, Symmetry, Balance, Completeness, and Closure. –The Technical Process: based on the visual facts. 3. Interpret the Evidence: –Create a critical hypothesis: Where is this happening? Who lives here? What did they do? Why did they do it? Are the represented events real or potentially real? Was this place seen remembered or invented? Where are we in relation to what we see? What happened before we arrived? What will happen afterward? If this was real how would our world be different? 4. Judge the Work: –Use your interpretation to ground your judgment.

Scared Dead, Mixed Media, Aviva Beigel Using Feldman on Your Own DESCRIBE ANALYZE INTERPRET JUDGE - Lesson One - An Introduction to Feldman

-Lesson Two - Finding a Message Looking at art that conveys opinion or political message. –What does the artist want to say? –What techniques and strategies does the artist use to communicate that message? –How effective is it? Capital Dunking, Paul Marcus

Gun Karma, Copper Plate Photogravure, Pieter Myers -Lesson Two - Finding a Message

And Every Time He Told a Lie…, Copper Plate Photogravure, Pieter Myers -Lesson Two - Finding a Message

-Lesson Three - Initial Reactions Describe and Analyze Take five minutes and write down some of your initial reactions to one of these two pieces. Trade papers so that you have the reaction of one of your peers. Chara Rose, Mixed Media, Anne Ggrich

-Lesson Three - Initial Reactions Compare and contrast your reaction with that of your peer. –If it is different why do you think that is? –What do you think they were responding to? –If it is the same what elements lead to that reaction? Hysophia, Mixed Media, Anne Ggrich

Toast Served with a Smile, Acrylic on canvas, Heather Merckle Lesson Four - Using Narrative as Art Criticism

Remember when we used to make a fort, Acrylic on canvas, Heather Merckle Lesson Four - Using Narrative as Art Criticism

-Lesson Four - Using Narrative as Art Criticism Describe and Analyze Write a story as if you were the artist telling what happened to make you create this painting. Include the following: –Some background on yourself as the artist. –What events lead up to the creation of this painting? –How are both of these elements reflected in the work?

-Lesson Five - Decoding Messages in Media How can you use the Feldman method to better understand messages in the media?

Lesson Five - Decoding Messages in Media

-Lesson Five - Decoding Messages in Media Who does this work think I am? What is this work trying to sell me? What does is want me to admire? Whom does it want me to be? What does it ask me to do? What does it want me to think? How does it want me to feel?

-Lesson Five - Decoding Messages in Media Studio Component: –Create a self-portrait collage that answers some of Feldman’s questions. –Apply the Feldman method to your own work and describe how you used elements of art and principles of design to answer Feldman’s questions.

-Lesson Six - Considering Aesthetic Distance Serenity, Film, Joss Whedon What did you see?

-Lesson Six - Considering Aesthetic Distance Stellar, Film, Stan Brakhage What did you see?

-Lesson Six - Considering Aesthetic Distance LOOKING ATLOOKING INTO Finding meaning in visual expression. Perfunctory aesthetic judgment. Looking beyond narrative to the same language used in describing, analyzing, interpreting, and judging other art pieces. Looking only at narrative limits your ability to describe, analyze, interpret, and judge.

References Anderson, T. (1993).Defining and structuring art criticism for education. Studies in Art Education. 34(4), Beigel, Aviva (2005) Blood Connection Mixed Media. Retrieved 1 Nov Beigel, Aviva (2005) Scared Dead Mixed Media. Retrieved 1 Nov Brakhage, Stan (1993) Stellar Film. Retrieved 16 Nov brakhage-1993/ brakhage-1993/ Braudy, L., & Cohen, M. (Eds.). (2004). Film theory and criticism. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press. Duncum, P. (2008). Holding aesthetics and ideology in tension. Studies in Art Education. 49(2), p Feldman, E.B. (1994). Practical art criticism. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Ggrich, Anne (2005) Chara Rose Mixed Media. Retrieved 16 Nov Ggrich, Anne (2005) Hysophia Mixed Media. Retrieved 16 Nov Greenburg, C. (1987). The critic as educator. Achieving Cultural Literacy in Visual Art. April, House, N. (2008). Using critique in the K-12 classroom. Art Education. 61(3) Journey’s Advertisment (November 2008) Seventeen Magazine Lacoste Advertisment (November 2008) Men’s Health Magazine Lee, S. (1993). Professional criticism in the secondary classroom: Opposing judgments of contemporary art enhance the teaching of art criticism. Art Education. May Marcus, Paul(2003) Capital Dunking Etching. Retrieved Nov Merckle, Heather (2007) Toast Served with a Smile Painting. Retrieved 12 Oct Merckle, Heather (2006) Remember When We Used to Make a Fort Painting. Retrieved 12 Oct Myers, Pieter S (2006) And Every Time He Told A Lie… Copper Plate Photogravure. Retrieved 1 Nov Myers, Pieter S (2007) Gun Karma Photogravure. Retrieved 1 Nov Teen Vogue Fashion Spread (November 2008) Teen Vogue Magazine Whedon, Joss (2005) Serenity Film. Retrieved 16 Nov