Spring Quarter Themes

1. Renaissance Art and Techniques

   • Focus: Mastering the classical techniques that defined the Renaissance period, such as perspective, chiaroscuro, and anatomical accuracy.

   • Skills: Drawing, painting, and understanding light and shadow.

   • Projects: Beginners replicate Renaissance still life and portraiture; advanced students create a detailed piece with human figures in classical poses.

2. Impressionism and Modernism

   • Focus: Capturing fleeting moments with loose brushwork and color theory, while also exploring the breakaway movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

   • Skills: Loose brush techniques, color blending, and light representation.

   • Projects: Beginners create studies inspired by Monet or Degas; advanced students produce a modern landscape or urban scene using Impressionist or early Modernist techniques.

3. Impressionism and Modernism

   • Focus: The elegant, flowing lines and organic forms of Art Nouveau, influencing architecture, furniture, and graphic design.

   • Skills: Decorative design, pattern making, and combining organic forms with architecture.

   • Projects: Beginners design simple Art Nouveau-inspired motifs and patterns; advanced students create a cohesive Art Nouveau composition for a piece of graphic design or architecture.

4. Baroque Drama and Composition

   • Focus: The drama and emotional intensity of Baroque art, with a focus on dynamic compositions and dramatic lighting.

   • Skills: Chiaroscuro (strong contrast between light and dark), movement, and dynamic figure painting.

   • Projects: Beginners replicate Baroque still lifes or religious compositions; advanced students create a dramatic scene with emphasis on emotional intensity and composition.

5. Classical Greek and Roman Sculpture

   • Focus: The pursuit of idealized human form and anatomy in sculpture, studying both Greek and Roman influences.

   • Skills: Figure drawing, sculpting techniques (can be translated into digital or traditional mediums).

   • Projects: Beginners focus on drawing the human form from classical sculptures; advanced students create a 3D digital or clay model inspired by Greek or Roman sculptures.

Summer Quarter Themes

1. Cubism and Early Modern Movements

   • Focus: Experimenting with form and structure, learning from the likes of Picasso and Braque to break objects down into geometric shapes.

   • Skills: Abstract thinking, deconstructing forms, and experimenting with multiple perspectives.

   • Projects: Beginners create abstracted still life using simple shapes; advanced students create a mixed-media piece that deconstructs a human figure or landscape in Cubist style.

2. The Surrealist Dreamscape

   • Focus: Surrealism’s exploration of the unconscious, dream-like worlds, and irrational juxtapositions.

   • Skills: Imaginative drawing, symbolism, and free association.

   • Projects: Beginners create dream-inspired drawings; advanced students develop surrealist compositions that combine reality with fantasy elements.

3. The Bauhaus Movement and Functional Design

   • Focus: Merging art with functional design in a clean, minimalist way, focusing on geometric forms, materials, and industrial aesthetics.

   • Skills: Geometric abstraction, practical design solutions, and creating functional art.

   • Projects: Beginners create simple geometric compositions; advanced students design a piece of functional art, such as a piece of furniture or a building concept.

4. Feminist Art and Representation

   • Focus: Exploring the role of women in art, starting from historical representation to contemporary feminist art movements.

   • Skills: Visual storytelling, self-expression, and exploring gender in visual arts.

   • Projects: Beginners create self-portraits exploring gender and identity; advanced students develop a series addressing feminist themes through personal or cultural lenses.

5. Postmodernism and the Deconstruction of Art

   • Focus: Challenging traditional definitions of art and aesthetics, often through irony, paradox, and rejection of the norms of modernism.

   • Skills: Conceptual art, mixed media, and critical thinking in visual representation.

   • Projects: Beginners create collages or artworks that mix high and low culture; advanced students produce a postmodern artwork that challenges traditional boundaries and expectations.

Key Features for Each Theme

• Historical Context: Each theme is connected to a historical art movement or period, offering students both technical skills and cultural knowledge.

• Level Adaptability: Beginners work on foundational techniques inspired by the theme, while advanced students apply deeper analysis and innovation.

• Portfolio Development: Students create works that both develop their technical skills and serve as portfolio pieces demonstrating their understanding of art history and theory.