Art History

.5 Art elective credit

Art History I: Egyptian, European & American Art. (No pre-requisite)

This is a survey course in Art history. The syllabus begins with the cave drawings in France, Egyptian art, Greek & Roman art and architecture and follows the development of art throughout Europe. Areas studied there include the Renaissance, Medieval & Baroque art. The modern areas studied include Romanticism, Impressionism and Modern art – of both Europe and the United States. Most of this visual art is painting, though sculpture and architecture play important roles.

·        The course requires much note-taking and is demanding; quizzes are every Friday with a final exam; weekly visits to local museums; two required trips to New York City to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art.

·        B-1 first marking period

·        .5 Art/elective credit

Art History II: World Art and Objects (No pre-requisite, but Art History I is recommended during the first marking period)

This course will focus on the art of Asia, India, Africa (not including Egypt), Middle & South America. Areas of art include painting, sculpture, textiles, and architecture.

·        The course requires much note-taking and is demanding; quizzes are every Friday with a final exam; weekly visits to local museums; two required trips to NYC to visit the Metropolitan and Museum of Modern Art.

·        B-1 second marking period

 

Introduction to Art

(prerequisite – none)

This class will be a semester class for entering freshmen. The class will cover the basic elements and principles of design. Students will be introduced to a variety of media including drawing, painting and sculpture. The class will provide them with a basic art background. Hopefully this class will become a requirement for all HSC students.

Cartooning

Students will look at a variety of different styles of cartooning and compare and contrast these styles. They will research the history of cartoons. Students will then create their own cast of characters and will learn about range of motion, proportion and creating interesting backgrounds. The final project for this class will be a short comic book.

Stop Animation

Students will view a variety of short films, some created through stop animation. Students will then begin writing their own short screen play, including storyboards. With the character descriptions from their story as a guide, students will develop armatures of their characters, create backgrounds and begin to work out the story. Using digital cameras and Moviemaker software we will create short stop animation films.

Oil Drum Art

The Oil Drum project is a grass roots project started in New Haven where artists use old recycled oil drums as the jumping off point for a piece of artwork. High School in the Community students will be enrolled in a nine week course developing their own oil drum artwork. The first week students will research a variety of ways that oil drums impact life including war, the environment, music and the drum as a cylindrical form itself. Researching these topics will provide interdisciplinary ties as students will be learning history, politics, science and music through art. This introduction will include visits to neighboring museums as well as talks from expressive artists. Through their research students will gain an understanding and appreciation of art history and conceptual art. Students will then begin generating plans for their own oil drum projects. Each individual will create a small mock up out of an eight ounce soda can. Next students will use a fourteen gallon oil drum to begin experimenting with the oil drum as a medium. While working with the fourteen gallon drum students will learn painting techniques, color theory, additive and subtractive sculpture. Some students will be given the opportunity to work with a welder to transform their oil drum. Once the fourteen gallon drums are completed students will critique each other's work discussing strong points and offering suggestions for improvement. Students will then break into groups of four to recreate their ideas using the sixty-five gallon drums. Once students have finished their oil drums they will be displayed during the Arts and Ideas festival in New Haven.

Recycled Art

(prerequisite – none)

Think about how many things you throw away everyday! Students will collect things which would normally be thrown away or recycled and use them to create works of art. Anything from bottles, bottlecaps, plastic bags to food will be used as a medium.

Digital Art

(prerequisite – none)

Art has taken a very interesting turn in the last 20 years with the introduction of computers and digital cameras. This course will focus on creating artwork, and then manipulating it using Photoshop. Students will be responsible for creating a company and designing literature for the company using Photoshop.

 

Machines: Form & Function

(prerequisite – none)

Everything around us is designed by an industrial designer, or artist. This class will be an introduction to industrial design. With a strong tie to science students will build their own working machine, taking into account both its function and its aesthetic appeal.

 

Digital Moving Art

(prerequisite – none)

Students will be introduced to Flash. Through storyboarding the will create advertisements and short animations using Flash technology.

 

Art with a Message

(prerequisite – none)

Art is an extremely important communication tool. Students will explore advertising and making a visual statement. They will choose a cause which is important to them and create a series of works of art for public display which will portray their message. Works may range from sculptures, to murals, to buttons and T-shirts.

 

Printmaking

(prerequisite – none)

This course will cover all different forms of printmaking: monoprints, linoleum block cutting, collographs, and phototransfers.

 

Creating a Cartoon

(prerequisite – none)

Students will be in charge of creating their own cartoon. By studying popular cartoon artists students will create their own set of characters and plots. Using figure drawing and perspective students will publish their own comic strips.

 

AP Portfolio Art

(teacher recommendation)

This class will be designed for students who are interested in pursuing some type of art as a career – painting, photography, drawing, graphic design, etc. The course will cover a variety of different materials and subjects, including many trips to nearby galleries and museums. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone with a strong interest in the arts. At the end of the course students will submit a portfolio to the AP Board.