ELEC 112 – Visual Arts & Visual Literacy (Week 2)

Page 1

• Course: ELEC $112$ Week $2$ – Introduction to Visual Arts & Visual Literacy

Page 2

• Central query: “Art thou an ‘Art’?” (theme introducing the nature and definition of art)

Page 3

• Reiteration/visual emphasis of the same query to provoke reflection on art’s identity

Page 4

• Continued visual reiteration of the theme question

Page 5

• Further thematic repetition; invites personal engagement (“Isang Kaibigan” → art as a friend/ally)

Page 6 – Terminologies

• Reading: active, creative process of extracting meaning from written symbols

• Visual: any presentation perceived by sight; prompts mental imagery

Page 7 – Terminologies

• Literacy (UNESCO): ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute with written materials across contexts; enables goal achievement & social participation

Page 8 – Terminologies

• Art: from Latin “ars” & Italian “artis”; denotes skill, craftsmanship, mastery of form & idea

• Branches overlap; definitions flexible across disciplines (e.g., performing, textile, conceptual arts)

Page 9 – Terminologies

• Visual Art: creative works appreciated mainly by sight; labeled “spatial arts” due to occupation of space

Page 10 – Source (citation)

• Afolabi et al., $2023$ study on enhancing visual arts & design (Ibogun Campus, Ogun State)

Page 11 – Categories of Visual Arts (Sanchez, $2002$)

• Graphic Arts (2-D “flat arts”): length & width; e.g., painting, drawing, photography, computer graphics

• ‘Plastic’ Arts (3-D): length, width, volume; e.g., sculpture, architecture, interior & theater design, crafting

Page 12 – Types: Fine Art

• “High/Major Art”; created chiefly for visual pleasure, free of utilitarian or commercial constraints

• Main classes: sculpture, painting, architecture

Page 13 – Types: Decorative Arts

• “Ornamental arts”; both functional & aesthetically pleasing

• Examples: pottery, glassware, carpentry, textiles, enamel, metalwork

Page 14 – Types: Commercial Arts

• Utilitarian + aesthetic; produced for monetary/marketing goals

• Examples: graphic design, illustration, animation, broadcasting, VFX, motion graphics

• Note: Differs from industrial arts (hands-on functional manufacture)

Page 15 – “Reading” Visual Arts

• Field covering appreciation, interpretation, criticism

• Context-dependent seeing: attention selects some visuals, omits others

Page 16 – Key Factors in Understanding Visual Arts

$1.$ Cultural Legacy – familiarity with rules, values, genres of culture
$2.$ Cultural Trajectory – cultural perspective applied to viewing
$3.$ Selection & Omission – framing by choosing what to notice or ignore

Page 17 – Text, Intertext, Genre

• Text: organised collection of signs conveying meaning

• Sign: meaningful element within text

• Intertextuality: creation of new text via reference to existing texts

• Genre: text types tied to social purpose/context; provide frames for reading visuals

Page 18 – Visual Literacy (ACRL $2011$)

• Defined as abilities to find, interpret, evaluate, use, create images & visual media, considering context, culture, ethics, aesthetics, technology

Page 19 – Visually Literate Individual Can

$\bullet$ Determine needed visuals
$\bullet$ Locate/access efficiently
$\bullet$ Interpret & analyze meaning
$\bullet$ Evaluate sources
$\bullet$ Use visuals effectively
$\bullet$ Design/create meaningful visuals
$\bullet$ Address ethical, legal, social, economic issues in visual use

Page 20 – Conceptual Components (Avgerinou & Pettersson $2011$)

• Visual perception

• Visual language

• Visual learning

• Visual thinking

• Visual communication

Page 21 – Visual Literacy in Modern Education

• Scholars urge integrating visual literacy across curricula

• Need intensified instruction amid image-saturated environments where authorship/rights are overlooked

Page 22 – Quotes

• “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” — Leonardo da Vinci

• “Art…is the authentic expression of any and all individuality.” — John Dewey

Page 23 – Further Reading

• ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards ($2011$)

• Avgerinou & Pettersson ($2011$) cohesive theory of visual literacy

• Additional humanities & visual-arts texts, articles, guides (see reference list)