Art Appreciation (Art and Elective Credit)

Course Description 

Covering art appreciation and the beginning of art history, EL1086 encourages students to gain an understanding and appreciation of art in their everyday lives. Presented in an engaging format, this one-semester course provides an overview of many introductory themes: the definition of art, the cultural purpose of art, visual elements of art, terminology and principles of design, and two- and three-dimensional media and techniques. Tracing the history of art, high school students enrolled in the course also explore the following time periods and places: prehistoric art, art in ancient civilizations, and world art before 1400.

Course Objectives 

Throughout the course, you will meet the following goals:
• Explain how art is used to express commemoration, documentation, and narration
• Identify how the religious beliefs of different cultures are conveyed in art
• Discuss the importance of the visual elements and describe their symbolic expression in works of art
• Classify one-point, two-point, and multiple-point perspectives
• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of design by describing how artists use balance, rhythm, and movement in their work
• Define social documentation, photo essay, and photojournalism, and identify the impact they have on society
• Explain why art history has a powerful place in culture today
