Lecture Notes: Art, Media, and Events

Course Logistics and Safety

  • Set expectations at the start: put phones away and store earbuds; if arriving late, take a picture and store the phone for later notes (not during the lecture).
  • In-class security measures: doors usually closed; a plan exists for lockdown – door can be shut on command; high level of security in the room; special locks for lockdown readiness; aim to keep students secure.
  • IT issues with campus tech: incident described where a staff computer and a jump drive could not interface; IT re-imaged touchpad and updated software; cautious optimism about stability moving forward.
  • Syllabus worksheet deadline mentioned: due on September (exact date not specified in transcript).
  • Q&A encouraged throughout; instructor emphasizes accessibility and clarity.

Course Platform and Navigation (Course Homepage)

  • If technology were running smoothly, students would navigate the course homepage to access all course content:
    • Modules and lectures (last week’s lectures from Thursday and Tuesday; not kept up indefinitely).
    • Final exam schedule and important academic deadlines.
    • Schedule of the instructor’s own classes.
    • Review worksheets and uploading options.
  • Visual art review: first required assignment; PDFs and upload locations provided.
  • Approved events section: “start here” with directions for in-person events and virtual options; fall 2025 approved in-person events listed with date, day, time, title, and location.
  • Venues mentioned with direct access details: Young Auditorium, Crossman Gallery, Hickland Studio Theater, Barnett Theater, Lifecyle Hall; all but some venues are one level above the students’ location; atrium with a cafe and ticket office (cafe staff named Laurier and Christine).
  • Example event scope: Music has about 17 events listed.

Planning and Attending Art Events

  • Students must articulate a detailed plan for attending events; many events occur outside regular school hours, so planning is essential.
  • In-person event requirement: Visual Art One is an in-person event; other tasks (Get Reduce 2, 3, and 4) can be completed in any order and can be virtual, in-person, or mixed.
  • One dance event: October ballet “Hispanic Hoe” (note: described as a one-night engagement).
  • Virtual option: Alvin Ailey’s Revelations (noted as a strong alternative to in-person attendance).
  • Alvin Ailey context: choreographed in the 1950s; performer-based piece with Lincoln Center origins; composer and performer background discussed; the piece is considered significant in American dance history.
  • Additional context for virtual options: Rent, King Lear with James Earl Jones, and Mozart symphonies referenced as other possible viewing options (emphasizing accessibility and quality of performances).

WODA Collects and Crossman Gallery Project

  • Background: Crossman Gallery acquired a new director who sought to engage Art & World of the Arts students more deeply and to expand the gallery’s private collection.
  • Gallery size: Crossman Gallery houses about ~10001000 pieces (approximate figure given).
  • The WODA Collects project: invites a living artist to create a piece or donate for fall exhibit; usually two artists are featured.
  • Voting and student involvement: students (especially World of the Arts students) vote on the two pieces to be acquired after the exhibit closes.
  • Two featured works mentioned:
    • Joyce Scott: a necklace piece (multimedia sculpture/neckpiece with accompanying fishbowls and marbles).
    • Orbit (a multimedia painting piece) by another artist (title refers to orbiting motion).
  • Final acquisition: after the exhibit closes, the gallery purchases one of the two showcased pieces based on the public vote.
  • Location context: Crossman Gallery is located upstairs; strategy for initial assignment suggests a 45–60 minute visit could suffice to write a review.
  • Practical implications for students: voting and exposure to the gallery’s expanding collection, direct involvement in curatorial activities.

In-Person vs Virtual Events: Planning and Tickets

  • Ticketing and logistics: many in-person events require obtaining tickets in advance; need to coordinate with instructor if planning trips outside the local area (Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, etc.).
  • Two-minute planning requirement: students should quickly communicate travel plans and any changes to avoid miscommunication.
  • Venue access and hours: Crossman Gallery is open Monday–Thursday, 11:00–16:00; open hours are critical for completing the assignment before closing time.
  • Accessibility and logistics recap: in-person gallery and event attendance can impact review timing and ticket procurement; flexibility encouraged but planning emphasized.

Email Etiquette and Professional Communication

  • When emailing the instructor, include clear reference to the course section (e.g., "Section 6" or "Tuesday/Thursday class 9:30").
  • The instructor emphasizes being professional and somewhat formal until a relationship is established; avoid overly casual salutations like "Hey."
  • Use formal tone unless the instructor indicates otherwise; this includes spelling, grammar, and tone.
  • Example discussion shared: a prior email about an injury and alternative submission method; minor typos were noted (e.g., "throught" vs correct spelling); proofreading is encouraged.
  • Practical note: when replying to emails, respond with empathy (e.g., hope for recovery) and maintain a professional demeanor.

Reflection on Feedback, Effort, and Grading

  • The instructor acknowledges being imperfect and not expecting perfection from students.
  • There is a distinction between trying and doing one’s best; students should start earlier and engage more deeply rather than delaying effort.
  • Grade patterns: in-person reviews tend to yield slightly higher grades due to higher engagement and fewer distractions, though the instructor clarifies that grading is not punitive and every review is judged by the same criteria.
  • Context for reviewing: during in-person reviews, students are more focused on the event, whereas virtual viewing (Rent, King Lear, Alvin Ailey, Mozart) can be disrupted by dorm life, snacks, texts, or social media.
  • Example anecdote: a student emailed requesting acceptance of a review via email due to injury; the instructor highlights the importance of formal communication and timely submission.

Visual Arts: Abstraction, Abstraction vs Abstract, and Media

  • Clarifying terms:
    • Abstract: nonrepresentational; does not depict recognizable subjects.
    • Abstraction: distortion or reinterpretation of recognizable subjects, while still retaining some recognizable elements.
  • Practical exercise: a class discussion uses a student’s observation of an abstract painting (described as tree-like forms and landscape cues) to illustrate abstraction and perception.
  • Media overview (summary of major painting/drawing media discussed):
    • Oil painting: historical notes on oil as a binding medium; persistence, slow drying, varnishing; color considerations; Vermeer as a key proponent of intimate, everyday scenes; how oils handle texture and line.
    • Tempera: liquid base is water; binder varieties include egg yolk or gum arabic; pigment and binder behavior; eggs as a bonding agent leading to distinctive texture (egg yolk and congealed pan analogy used to explain viscosity and brushwork).
    • Acrylics/latex: water-based, fast-drying, durable; synthetic pigments; color palette differences; water resistance after drying.
    • Watercolors: water + pigment; translucency; effects of paper quality and water ratio; paper texture affecting capillary action and pigment spread.
    • Frescoes: process-based technique using water as the base applied to wet plaster; plaster absorbs pigment; permanence; historical popularity in churches; Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel frescoes (ceiling and The Last Judgment) and its physical toll on the artist (neck and shoulder injuries documented in journals).
    • Pastels vs Chalk: differences in texture, blending, layering; pastels blend and layer more easily; chalk is drier and more prone to smudging; sidewalk art examples cited; use of pastel to achieve soft textures and blending.
    • Drawing media: Pen and Ink (nib-based); Indian ink (black or navy) with a reservoir in the nib for line variation; different nib tips provide varying line widths.
  • Notable artworks and artists discussed:
    • Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio): uses geometric shapes (triangles) to create unity and guide the viewer’s eye; top-right painting features Mary and two infants; triangle motif framed as a central compositional device; blue and red symbolism in religious imagery.
    • Virgin of the Rocks (Leonardo da Vinci): two versions (London and Paris/Louvre) with Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist, and an angel; the back figure’s wings (angel) discussed as part of composition cues; Leonardo’s use of a stabilizing triangle with dimensionality (a pyramid-like structure).
    • The Raft of the Medusa (Theodore Géricault): discussed for its triangular composition; multiple triangles formed by figures and sails leading to the distant rescue ship; the painting’s monumental scale noted (spans from shoulder to edge of viewer’s field, giving a sense of vastness).
    • Juan Miro: discussed as an example of abstraction with identifiable forms (faces, bodies) discovered within abstract shapes; talk of media (possible combinations of watercolor and oil) and the concept of abstraction within modern art.
    • Probing questions and student-led identification exercises used to develop understanding of form, line, and geometry.

Geometry, Unity, and Open vs Closed Composition

  • Open vs Closed composition concept (referenced as a way to describe how eyes move through a painting):
    • Closed composition tends to pull the viewer’s gaze toward the center.
    • Open composition guides the viewer’s eye toward the edges and beyond the frame.
  • Unity and geometric devices: artists often use recurring geometric shapes to create a sense of unity and to direct visual flow.
  • Case studies discussed:
    • Raphael (top-right) uses a triangular unity; Mary and the two infants form a central triangle; negative space also contains triangular cues in the surrounding composition; blue and red accents reinforce symbolic and compositional balance.
    • Virgin of the Rocks (Leonardo) uses a pyramidal/dimensional triangle around the central figures to create depth and focus.
    • The Raft of the Medusa uses multiple triangular configurations anchored by figures and sails to draw the viewer toward the distant ship and implied narrative of rescue.
  • Practical exercise prompt included: students should recognize how triangles and pyramids anchor the composition and guide the viewer’s eye; note that unity can be achieved through geometric repetition as well as color relationships (e.g., blue and red in religious compositions).

Key Historical Context and Works Mentioned

  • Vermeer (Dutch painter, mid-1600s): celebrated for intimate, everyday scenes; distinct shift from court/church commissions to depictions of ordinary life; Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999 novel; later film with Scarlett Johansson) discussed as a fictional backstory that reflects life in Vermeer’s studio and relationships around the painting.
  • Sistine Chapel frescoes: Michelangelo painted the ceiling and The Last Judgment in the same chapel; the process and the toll on the painter’s body are highlighted with references to journal sketches and physical injuries.
  • Pollock, Picasso, and abstraction: comparison of Abstract (nonrepresentational) vs Abstraction (distortion of recognizable forms) through discussion of Pollock’s texture and Picasso’s deformation of human forms in Cubist phases.

Notable Practice Tips and Takeaways

  • When analyzing art, start by identifying the medium and its binding agent, then discuss how that medium affects texture, line quality, blending, and drying time.
  • Consider the cultural and historical context of a work to understand why artists chose certain forms, colors, and compositions (e.g., religious symbolism, portrayal of everyday life, or political statements).
  • In discussions about abstraction, differentiate between abstraction (nonrepresentational) and abstract (a distortion of a recognizable subject) and apply that lens to specific works.
  • For the upcoming review or assignment, plan your approach early, note whether you’ll attend in person or virtually, and clearly articulate how you will engage with the event and what you will write about.
  • Remember to maintain professional email etiquette when communicating with instructors; include section identifiers and use a respectful tone.

Quick Reference: Key Terms and Concepts

  • Abstraction vs Abstract: abstraction = distortion of recognizable forms; abstract = nonrepresentational.
  • Open vs Closed Composition: eye movement dynamics; open looks to edges; closed concentrates at center.
  • Unity through geometry: triangles, pyramids, and other shapes used to organize space and lead the viewer’s gaze.
  • Media and binders:
    • Oil painting: linseed oil binder; slow drying; varnish preservation; high texture possibilities.
    • Tempera: water-based with egg yolk or gum arabic binder; distinctive texture due to viscosity of egg yolk.
    • Acrylics/latex: water-based; fast-drying; synthetic pigments; color palette differences.
    • Watercolors: water + pigment; translucency; paper texture and water ratio critical to outcome.
    • Fresco: pigment on wet plaster; permanent once set; historical preference for large religious commissions.
    • Pastels vs Chalk: blending capabilities; pastels blend more; chalk is drier and more prone to smudging.
    • Pen and Ink: nib/tip with Indian ink; line width control via nib and ink flow.

Note: Specific dates and numbers mentioned in class (e.g., approximately $1000$ gallery pieces, hours of gallery operation, or the date range of the Ailey piece) are included for quick reference and can be updated from official course materials if needed.