Today's Class- Today our topic was photography, a relatively recent medium with roots in antiquity. The ancients were aware of a device called a camera obscura from the Italian words for "dark room". It allowed a three dimensional scene to be projected onto a flat wall, and artists could trace the scene onto a canvas or panel as part of the painting process. However, many sought a way to affix such images directly to paper without the aid of an artist, and advances in chemistry and lens design eventually made this possible.
We looked at slides of the history of photography, from the early experiments of the 1820's to the late 20th century, and discussed some of the many ways it was used in art. I distributed a written take home assignment in this medium, and showed student examples of the assignment from last semester to help explain the idea. After that we left the classroom and worked our way down to the 1st floor of Vaughn-Eames, visiting classroom studios and the student art show along the way. We dismissed from the 1st floor.
How to make this up- The photography exercise is a take home assignment, a list of types of photos that need to be taken, though there are many choices of subjects. Students who were not present today can see examples of the exercise here, and can get the written version at our next class meeting. I can also show you the same photo examples from last semester that students looked at today.
Homework- The photography take home assignment is a portfolio exercise, and can be made up at any time for full credit. However I did put a deadline of April 26, 2019 on the assignment, just to encourage students to get it done sooner, and allow your classmates to see what you came up with. Besides, you'll have other things in this class (and likely your other classes) due at the end of the semester, so it's best not to have to deal with this at that point.
The photos need to be printed on paper, but it can be on photo paper or just on computer printer paper. They can be black and white or color, and you may use a cell phone camera if that is what you have. This is more about subjects and interpretation than it is about camera technique.
The first draft of the museum assignment is due in class on March 29, 2019. All the information is available by clicking the "museum assignment" link at the top of the blog home page, including active links to the pre-approved museums. If you wish to go to another museum, e-mail the information to me and I'll let you know.
****Spring Break March 11-17, 2019. No class meeting that week.****
For next class 3/22/19- We will go back to color and the watercolors, with a more expressive portfolio exercise than the color theory stuff we did last time. Bring your 18"x24" pad, watercolor paints, brushes, a water container, and a palette if you wish.
