Today's Class- The new topic today was photography, a medium that many people are familiar with even if they don't understand it. The name literally means light writing, and that's what it is- using light to create images that are recordable. It has its roots in the ancient world, where a device called the camera obscura (Italian for "dark room") was discovered, that a small pinhole in the side of a darkened room resulted in the image of whatever was outside the room in the light being projected on the opposite wall inside. This tool was used by painters for centuries to aid in the creation of works, but the goal of permanently recording this projected light didn't happen until the later development of lenses and chemicals that could react to light. These things and the process were worked out through the 19th century, and became universally known in the 20th century. Artists realized that they could make use of the medium of photography, just as they made use of painting, sculpture, or any other art form. I showed about 3 dozen examples of photography, from the earliest examples to near our time to demonstrate these ideas.
For a practical use, you will complete a take home assignment, which I distributed on paper in class today. It is a portfolio assignment and as such will be officially graded on the last day of class, but I am encouraging people to complete it by April 17, 2020, to allow students to show off what they have done and to give ideas to those who haven't done it yet. Not doing it by this point won't hurt your grades, but in my experience, those who wait until the end never get it done, and you would lose those points.
The 20 photos must be printed out, but any kind of paper is acceptable, and use of black and white or color is acceptable. Photos may be mounted on a display or just in an envelope, labeled with the letter and number of the assignment. To see the details of the assignment or some student examples from past years, click here.
Following that, we took a quick tour of the building, at least what is available on a Friday. We did see the studios where painting, printmaking, ceramics, and furniture making are taught, and examples of student work in jewelry/metals in the display case and we visited the student art show in the gallery.
How to make this up- Information about the assignment can be found at the above link, or you can receive a hard copy the next time you come to class.
Homework- The rough draft of the museum assignment is due on March 20, 2020, the day we return to class. Papers turned in that day will be graded and returned the following week, along with information about what is lacking and what would improve the grade. The final version of the paper is due by the end of the semester, and is worth a lot more points than the rough draft. Papers turned in by the deadline are considered on time, and after that a percentage will be deducted for each week it is late.
***Spring Break week of March 9-13, no class next Friday***
For next class March 20, 2020- Back to color, but this time no theory, but something more fun. Bring your large pad, watercolor paints, brushes, some kind of water container, and a mixing palette if you think you might want to mix colors.
