How do you look at a work of art? When observing a piece, many people have a feeling-based approach. While a valid and important aspect of engaging with the visual arts, it is also only a small part of analyzing, critiquing, and creating art. Within Academia, we focus of breaking down works and slowing our looking, through identifying and delving into the base elements of the piece.
Every work of art, whether the artist is cognizant of it or not, is made of seven “building blocks.” These blocks are what we call the Seven Fundamentals of Art. They are the base elements of a work of art. That may sound complicated, but these are just names for concepts that your eyes already know! In an art class, we teach students to use these building blocks consciously and effectively. As such, when building curriculum, we want to make sure that all of these elements are represented every step of the way.
As curriculum developers, we must consistently consider and incorporate the Fundamentals into lessons, while also making sure that the projects remain age- and skill-appropriate. This means that art educators, particularly those working with early childhood learning, are in a perpetual battle to make art fun and engaging, while ensuring that our students can learn and apply these crucial elements of the visual arts.
Over the next few weeks, we will be going over the Fundamentals, defining them, giving examples, and giving you a glimpse of the theory behind what is being done practically in class.
We hope to see you weekly here at the Artshine Blog, and that these snapshots into Art Education and concepts will help you have a greater understanding of the visual arts! We aim for these resources to provide support for educators, parents, students, and all those who would like to learn and to share knowledge alike.
From you Artshine Program Coordinator,
Alice Barcelos, BFA, MA