ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The study of art is increasingly valuable as contemporary society becomes ever more visual in its orientation. Making art and studying its history are complementary pursuits; the knowledge and skill gained in one supports achievement in the other.

Students majoring in art take a program that emphasizes either the history of art or studio art. Students emphasizing art history should have meaningful exposure to studio art, and those focusing on studio art need a strong foundation in art history.

Art History Program

Art history is different from other historical disciplines in that it is founded on the primacy of objects that are both concretely present and yet artifacts of history. Art history courses concentrate on painting, sculpture, and architecture, all forms defined as fine arts.

Because the basic unit of art historical analysis is the visual experience, art historical study strengthens one's powers of observation and the ability to use those observations as a point of departure for critical thought. Courses in art history are designed to utilize local art collections, including those at the Getty Center, the Norton Simon Museum, the Huntington Library, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

For non-majors, art history studies provide a standard of aesthetic appreciation and an awareness of past and present achievements in the visual arts. With additional study at the graduate level, art history can lead to professional careers in college teaching, museum curatorship, fine arts librarianship, and publishing.

Studio Art Program

Studio art courses focus upon the materials, methods, and forms most commonly used by contemporary artists. Students are guided toward mastery of technique and expression of ideas.

Articulation of personal experience and visual ideas in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, computer art, and sculpture is approached as a process of facilitating informed choices by student artists. The faculty recognizes and encourages individual differences by working with students primarily on an individual basis, emphasizing the need to cultivate self-evaluation. The faculty seek to stimulate students' ability to think, express themselves, and appreciate life creatively.