M10-Overview & Objectives

Module 10 - Our World

OVERVIEW

If nothing else, visual art provides an avenue for self-expression. As a primary source, artists express attitudes, feelings and sentiments about the world around us through personal experiences, social interaction and our relationship with the natural world. In short, art gives us a perception of or a reaction to our place in the world. This idea is illustrated in the French artist Paul Gauguin’s painting titled: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Links to an external site. The work brings us on a symbolic journey that includes imagery of infancy, adulthood, nature and spirituality.

In Module 1 we referred to description as one of many roles art affords us, but this description is often imbued with the artist’s subjective interpretation. In this module we will examine how art operates as a vehicle for human expression, a kind of collective visual metaphor that helps define who we are.

In this module we look at how artists express and interpret our world. Here are the topics and themes we’ll cover:

•  Identity
• Self-Portraits
• The Natural World
• Social and Collaborative Art
• Politics, Conflict and War
• Memorials
• Peace

OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Describe how what we know is reflected in works of art
• Understand how artists use the natural world as vessel for human experience
• Explore how art is a medium for self identity
• Be familiar with the limits to representation of the body
• Consider the idea of primordial couples and ties to human procreation
• Describe sexuality in art seen through different cultural perspectives
  
• Identify issues of propaganda in art
• Describe examples of art used to communicate political statements
• Explain art’s use as a form of protest