ART 234 The Art of Observation

Summer Course Only

Drawing and writing from direct experience offers a connection between an observer and an event; both experiences alter the perception and awareness of a traveler. This course will engage students in a multi-disciplinary experience that will challenge their thoughts on the value of travel and their own artistic interests. We will incorporate and play with the concept of ekphrasis in looking at how different art forms feed one another. What can the painter learn from writing? What can the writer learn from a drawing? What can any artist learn from traveling to an unfamiliar place? How do different forms of recording travel influence the awareness of that experience?

In this class we will explore these complex issues while immersing ourselves in travel writing, observational sketching, and writing about and visually recording the regions (both urban and rural) and places (art museums and writers' homes) we will visit. This course will employ both group and individual work with daily seminar-style discussions. Texts will include DEATH IN VENICE by Thomas Mann, DUBLINERS by James Joyce, LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN by Colum McCann, poetry by Keats, Lawrence, various short works as well as place specific examples of visual art.

Though not a prerequisite, Art 115 Drawing Fundamentals and ENG 124 Introduction to Creative Writing are recommended prior to taking this course.

Credits

1 Course Credit