2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Visual Arts |
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VART 210 - Landscape Painting
CR: 3
Taking advantage of the asset of Sweet Briar’s natural beauty, students will be introduced to painting through the broad span of approaches to and meanings of landscape painting. The history of painting the landscape as well as new interpretations will be addressed. Students will be introduced aerial and one and two-point perspective, as well as other methods of showing space/depth such as scale, overlapping, and placement. Painting techniques will be addressed, as well as the importance of color, structure, and composition. Some of the painting will be done ‘en plein air.’
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VART 211 - Watercolor Painting
CR: 3
This course offers a study and practice of transparent and opaque watercolor techniques. Students will learn how to use water-based paints in a variety of genres from landscapes to abstraction. Particular attention will be paid to color theory and composition as well the art historical tradition of watercolor painting. Painting techniques will be addressed, as well as the importance of color, structure, and composition. Some of the painting will be done ‘en plein air.’
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VART 220 - Study of Art History in Rome
CR: 3
Prerequisite: A brief interview with the instructor. This three-week course begins in the classroom at Sweet Briar and then spends approximately two week in Rome, Italy. Our time in Rome will be akin to an art historical survey, a compressed Art History 101. The class will visit archaeological sites (Ostia Antica), ancient sites (Nero’s Golden Palace and the Ara Pacis), and many medieval monuments (Santa Maria Antiqua, Santa Sabina, Santa Prassede). We will study the Renaissance art of Rome, specifically that which is in the collections of the Vatican Museums, and the Baroque masterpieces of Caravaggio, Bernini, and the Caracci. Through our experiences we will learn about the significance of Rome over time, and how its influences have shaped our understanding of history and art.
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VART 226 - Art and Culture Excursion
CR: 3
This course will be centered around a selected location (or locations) and will include both on-campus readings and discussions pertaining to the destination(s) and on-site visits to art museums and art-historically significant sites, as well as artis studios and/or communities if available. Depending on site visits, there may be an additional fee required. V.6a
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VART 227 - Ceramics - Throwing I
CR: 3
This studio course is designed to teach the fundamentals of throwing on a potter’s wheel, glazing, and firing ceramic ware. Through studio work, this course will attempt to develop and refine the student’s ability to manipulate material into form and form into a functional utilitarian object. This course will also challenge one’s aesthetic awareness through information regarding both historical and contemporary ceramic pottery. Students will develop a working vocabulary as well as a working knowledge of shop usage and safety, as well as be involved in every step of the ceramic process from mixing clay to firing kilns. Regular slide lectures, handouts, and museum research will give visual reference in areas of personal ceramic interest. This course has a course materials fee.
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VART 237 - Asian Art
CR: 3
Prerequisite: First-year students with permission. A survey of the arts of Asia, including architecture, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, painting, printmaking, and calligraphy from the neolithic to the modern period. While the class will chart the course of technical and stylistic developments in these media, the primary focus will be on understanding the cultural and social context in which these arts developed. Offered alternate years. V.4, V.6a
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VART 238 - Moving Images: From Film to Video Games
CR: 3
An introduction to the history and visual analysis of moving images, from film to video games. III.O, V.1, V.6a
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VART 248 - Art of Africa
CR: 3
The course will cover the history of African art produced in various regions of thecontinent from prehistory to the present day. In addition, it will consider art created as the result of the African diaspora. The subject will be approached from a balanced viewpoint employing both art-historical and anthropological perspectives. V.4, V.6a
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VART 248 - Art of Africa and the African Diaspora
This course will introduce students to the art of various regions of Africa, concentrating mostly on sculpture, textiles and applied arts. Although approaching art of Africa in formalist terms, this course will focus primarily on the social, cultural and religious contexts in which works were or are created. In addition, this course covers art produced as a result of the African diaspora, both globally and more particularly in the United States. The class will culminate in a trip to the “African Voices” exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History; the National Museum of African Art
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VART 249 - Arts of the Islamic World
CR: 3
The Islamic world inspired a tremendous range of artistic works of arts, with masterpieces in painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, ivory, metalwork, and illuminated manuscripts. It also covered a very large geographical spread, reaching from Spain to Afghanistan. This class will cover the materials from these regions over the course of nearly 1,000 years, from the foundation of Islam in the 7th century to the 17th century with the two last Islamic empires, the Ottoman and the Safavid. Lectures will consider the various ways that works of art were defined and employed within Islamic cultures, and will discuss the special identity of the arts produced by and for Muslim societies, considering the balance between the geometric and the figural, the sacred and the secular.
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VART 251 - Nineteenth-Century European Art (1830-1900)
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 105 . An examination of art and architecture in 19th-century Europe. The seminar focuses on methods of visual analysis, issues of stylistic choice, and on methods of research that aim to uncover the cultural significance, meaning, and purpose of a range of 19th-century European artifacts and built structures. Offered alternate years. This course will alternate bewteen being taught abroad, In Paris and London, and on campus. V.1, V.6a
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VART 255 - Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture: 1300-1550
CR: 3
This course will introduce students to the Italian Renaissance following the trajectory mapped out by the famous 16th-century biographer Giorgio Vasari. The course will begin with the work of the trecento artist Giotto and conclude with the Last Judgement painted by Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel (1536-41). Students will consider the ways in which Renaissance artists responded to and embraced the ancient classical past. Students will also trace shifting approaches to the visualization of the human form, the depiction of three-dimensional space, and the role of narrative. The course will focus predominantly on the arts of Rome, Florence, and Venice. Vasari will be our guide but, like Dante with Virgil in The Divine Comedy, we will be wary and critical as we follow.
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VART 261 - Directed Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One VART course and permission of the instructor. The study of introductory level material by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member. Areas of study may be in one of the following: ceramics or sculpture, drawing, painting, photography, digital media, printmaking, or art history, or image studies.
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VART 271 - Art of the Americas
CR: 3
This course examines the arts of North, Central, and South America from pre-history to the present day within their historical, cultural, and religious contexts. Particular attention will be paid to the synthesis of indigenous Native American and European art due to colonization. Offered alternate years. Not open to students who have earned credit for ARTH 223 or ARTH 245. V.4, V.6a
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VART 276 - Special Topics in Art History
CR: 3
Selected topics in art history will be studied in depth. Topics will vary by semester. Topic for Fall 2019: “Women French Impressionists.” This course will focus on the contributions of women French Impressionists, including Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Marie Bracquemond, and Eva Gonzalès, as well as the artistic, social, cultural, and historical context in which they worked. It will culminate in a week-long trip to Paris to visit the exhibition “Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist” at the Musée d’Orsay and other museums containing work by these artists. Course may be repeated when content is different. Students will be responsible for additional travel expenses and may apply for the Grant for Experiential Learning. V.6a
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VART 304 - Sculpture II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: ARTS 110 . Students will explore a wide range of approaches to the three-dimensional form as fine art. Casting, carving, assembly, clay sculpture, and translation from a small model (maquette) to a larger piece are some of the areas covered. These techniques as well as aesthetic concerns will be addressed. V.6b
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VART 306 - Drawing II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 206 . Drawing is the most direct route to the examination of the language of the visual arts. This course will further investigate more advanced problems: drawing from life, reference materials, and imagination. Color and alternate media such as collage will be introduced. Emphasis will shift from gaining technical and perceptual skills to building a visual vocabulary for self-expression. Each student will complete a portfolio project working in series. V.6b
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VART 317 - Advanced Digital Photography
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 117. The emphasis of this class will be the narrative in photography: how to tell a story in photographys. The sequence for accomplishing this is research, field time, editing, layout, and presentation. The instructor will work with students individually in developing a theme for their project. Class activity will include presentations of historical and contemporary photography, field trips to galleries and exhibitions, a survey of contemporary photobooks, and group critique of the work in progress. The course will conclude with a group show. V.6b
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VART 320 - Photographing the Natural World of Sweet Briar
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 117 or permission of the instructor. This course will develop through discovery, observation and interpretation, an artistic portrayal of the natural history of the Sweet Briar campus. The instructor will work with each student individually in developing a theme for their project. Class activity will include daily critiques of each student’s work, field trips to natural environments off campus and a survey of natural history photography online and in social media. The student will be introduced to a variety of techniques in digital photography including macro-photography, scanography, landscape and ‘motion in a still photograph.’ The course will conclude with each student producing an online book of photographs and text from their project, observation and interpretation, an artistic portrayal of the natural history of the Sweet Briar campus. Students will need their own digital camera with manual controls.
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VART 321 - Assemblage and Construction
CR: 3
Assemblage is a dynamic art form in which everyday and found objects are combined and reimagined as sculpture. It is an exciting movement spanning the work of the Cubists (Picasso) to the surrealists (Meret Oppenheim) to Neo-Dadaists (Johns and Rauschenberg) to equine art (Deborah Butterfield). Students will be introduced to the fundamental context of sculpture and three-dimensional design. This hands-on course includes substantial in-class time creating assemblage sculptures, learning techniques of construction and ways of securely combining unlike objects and materials. This course is designed for students with no previous experience in the area of study as well as students who want to build upon prior knowledge. V.6b
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VART 325 - Painting II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 208 . Further study of painting stressing the development of each student’s own direction, research, and vision. A higher level of technique, craftsmanship, and creative possibilities of the medium will be emphasized. V.6b
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VART 327 - Ceramics - Throwing II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 227 (formerly VART 127). Students will expand upon previously learned ceramic skills by throwing on a potter’s wheel, glazing, and firing ceramic ware in this course. Building on studio work in previous semesters, students will move on to more complex forms on the pottery wheel continuing to refine their ability to manipulate material into form and form into functional utilitarian objects. This course will also challenge the student’s aesthetic awareness through information regarding both historical and contemporary ceramic pottery. Regular slide lectures, handouts, and museum research will give visual reference in areas of personal ceramic interest. This course has a course materials fee.
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VART 328 - Twentieth-Century Art (1900-1970)
CR: 3
Prerequisite: any 100- or 200-level art history course, or by permission of the instructor. An examination of art and architecture in 20th-century Europe and the United States. The seminar focuses on methods of visual analysis, issues of stylistic choice, and on methods of research that aim to uncover the cultural significance, meaning, and purpose of 20th-century European and American artifacts and built structures. Offered alternate years. Not open to students who have earned credit for ARTH 253 or ARTH 254. III.W, V.1, V.6a
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VART 332 - Women and Art
CR: 3
Prerequisite: any 100- or 200-level art history course, or by permission of the instructor. This course will evaluate art created by women around the globe from pre-historic times to the present day. Rather than simply reconstructing a female version of the dominant male canon of art, we will analyze the cultural, social, economic, historical, and artistic circumstances that influenced/influence art made by women. We will cast a wide net in terms of what constitutes art by evaluating works deemed “arts and crafts,” such as textiles and ceramics, as well as those associated with what has traditionally been viewed as “high” art. Offered alternate years. Not open to students who have earned credit for ARTH 264 or ARTH 303. III.O, V.5, V.6a
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VART 351 - Lithography II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 151 . Exploration of the creative possibilities of lithography, using either plate or stone, for the student ready to pursue her own directions and imagery. This course aims at a deepened understanding of image making and stone-processing techniques and printing possibilities, including investigation of color printing. Offered alternate years.
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VART 353 - Relief Printmaking II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 153 . Exploration of the creative possibilities of relief printmaking for the student ready to concentrate on either wood engraving, woodcut, or linoleum cut. The student will pursue her own directions and imagery while deepening her understanding of cutting techniques and printing possibilities, as well as further investigating color printing. Offered alternate years.
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VART 355 - Contemporary Art and Theory
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 105 . Contemporary art has a tendency to bewilder viewers. This course attempts to make sense of the no-holds-barred art world since 1970 by examining it within its historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts. III.W, V.1, V.6a
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VART 356 - Etching II
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 151 or VART 155 . Exploration of the creative possibilities of intaglio printmaking for the student ready to pursue her own directions and imagery. This course aims at a deepened understanding of etching techniques and printing possibilities, as well as further investigation of color printing.
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VART 361 - Special Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: One 100-level VART course and permission of the instructor. The study of an intermediate level topic by an individual student or by a small group of students under the immediate supervision of a faculty member. Areas of study may be in one of the following: ceramics or sculpture, drawing, painting, photography, digital media, printmaking art history, or image studies.
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VART 377 - Internship
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: Three credits in VART and permission of the instructor and program chair. This course is graded P/CR/NC only.
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VART 401 - Painting III
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Advanced painting for those students who have demonstrated their ability to continue creative work on their own initiative in the media previously studied. V.6b
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VART 406 - Drawing III
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Advanced drawing for those students who have demonstrated their ability to continue creative work on their own initiative.
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VART 421 - Advanced Printmaking
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Advanced printmaking for those students who have demonstrated their ability to continue creative work on their onw initiative. A continuation of techniques previously studied.
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VART 427 - Ceramics - Throwing III
CR: 3
Prerequisite: VART 327 . Students will continue to strengthen their previously learned skill on the pottery wheel and begin to develop a personalized body of work. Students will begin to explore more advanced areas of the ceramic process such as glaze chemistry and clay body formulation. This course will also challenge the student’s aesthetic awareness through information regarding both historical and contemporary ceramic pottery. Regular slide lectures, handouts, and museum research will give visual reference in areas of personal ceramic interest. This course has a course materials fee.
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VART 451 - Senior Seminar I
CR: 1
Prerequisite: Open only to senior VART majors in the Studio art track. Introduction to the creation, analysis, and criticism of student art work to be included in the senior exhibitiion, with members of the department and visiting artists. Cultural context will be explored. The vocabulary of judgment and criticism will be developed. Offered in the fall 3-week session. III.O, V.6b
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VART 452 - Senior Seminar II
CR: 2
Prerequisite: Open only to senior VART majors in the Studio Art track. Continuation of creation, analysis, criticism, and selection of student art to be included in the senior exhibition, with members of the department and visiting artists. Cultural context and the vocabulary of judgment and criticsm will be further developed. Preparation of work for exhibition, and all aspects of exhibiting a body of art work (from writing an artist’s statement, designing of the announcement and online information, to working with catering to plan the opening) will be completed. The semester ends with the opening of the senior exhibition, which will be on display until the end of the spring 3-week session, and the visit of an outside assessor to discuss the work in the exhibition with the student artists. Offered in the spring 12-week session. To be completed in the same year as VART 451. III.O, V.6b
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VART 453 - Senior Seminar III
CR: 3
Prerequisite: Open only to senior VART majors in the History and Image track. This course involves a capstone project to be carried out in the History and Image track. Both tracks will meet on a regular basis to discuss the students’ work, whether an essay for History and Image students or work on a group exhibition for all Studio Art students. III.O, III.W, V.6a
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VART 461 - Independent Study
CR: 1-3
Prerequisites: one 100-level VART course, one 200-level VART course, and permission of the instructor. Pursuit of an upper-level research project determined in advance by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will act as the sponsor. Areas of study may be in one of the following: ceramics or sculpture, drawing, painting, photography, digital media, printmaking, art history, or image studies.
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