Understanding Art

A Guide for Teachers
First Edition
Martin W Wenham
Understanding Art
April 2003 | 184 pages | Sage UK
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Description

In any area of the curriculum, children need to learn concepts, facts, and skills through first-hand experience. In art, such learning depends on exploring and experimenting with the visual language through which artists communicate, and the visual elements such as line, color, and shape.

This book systematically explores the basic knowledge needed to do this effectively. The author deals with the visual elements of art, their properties, how they are related, and especially the ways in which children's knowledge of each can be developed through simple but creative activities. Each element is placed in context, with extensive cross-referencing. The author shows how these elements can be observed in the children's environment and provides examples of how they have been used in works of art and craft.

Contents include:

  • Art as exploration
  • Point
  • Line
  • Tone
  • Mixing and controlling color
  • Perceiving and observing color
  • Responding to color
  • Shape
  • Space
  • Form
  • Texture
  • Pattern

This accessible book does not assume any specialist knowledge or experience. It is essential for teachers at primary and secondary levels, art coordinators, and for undergraduate and postgraduate level students of art education.

Contents

PART ONE: ART AS EXPLORATION

  • Investigating, Making and Responding to Art
  • Visual Language and The Visual Elements
  • Learning Through Investigation of the Visual Elements
  • Building on the Foundations

PART TWO: POINT

  • The Concept of Point
  • Investigating Points and their Potential
  • Point In Context

PART THREE: LINE

  • The Concept of Line
  • Investigating Line
  • Some Starting-Points
  • Developing Line
  • Line in Context

PART FOUR: TONE

  • The Concept of Tone
  • Investigating Tone
  • The Perception of Tone
  • Tone in Context

PART FIVE: MIXING AND CONTROLLING COLOUR

  • The Concept of Colour
  • Colour Mixing
  • Tints and Shades
  • Optical Colour Mixing
  • Colour Range and Mixing in Context

PART SIX: PERCEIVING AND OBSERVING COLOUR

  • Colour Constancy and Colour Interaction
  • Finding, Matching and Mixing Colours
  • Perceiving Colour in Context

PART SEVEN: RESPONDING TO COLOUR

  • Responses to Individual Colours
  • Colour Groupings and Responses to Them
  • Colour Responses in Context

PART EIGHT: SHAPE

  • The Concept of Shape
  • Interaction of Shapes
  • Investigations of Shape
  • Shape in Context

PART NINE: SPACE

  • The Concept of Space
  • Objective Space
  • Figure and Ground
  • Illusory Space
  • Objective Space in Context
  • Illusory Space in Context

PART TEN: FORM

  • The Concept of Form
  • The Visual Properties of Form
  • Investigating Form
  • Moving into the Third Dimension
  • Form in Context

PART ELEVEN: TEXTURE

  • The Concept of Texture
  • Tactile Texture
  • Visual Texture
  • Texture in Context

PART TWELVE: PATTERN

  • Concepts of Visual Pattern
  • Rotating and Linear Patterns
  • Investigations of Surface Pattern
  • Space-Dividing Patterns
  • Pattern in Context

Description

In any area of the curriculum, children need to learn concepts, facts, and skills through first-hand experience. In art, such learning depends on exploring and experimenting with the visual language through which artists communicate, and the visual elements such as line, color, and shape.

This book systematically explores the basic knowledge needed to do this effectively. The author deals with the visual elements of art, their properties, how they are related, and especially the ways in which children's knowledge of each can be developed through simple but creative activities. Each element is placed in context, with extensive cross-referencing. The author shows how these elements can be observed in the children's environment and provides examples of how they have been used in works of art and craft.

Contents include:

  • Art as exploration
  • Point
  • Line
  • Tone
  • Mixing and controlling color
  • Perceiving and observing color
  • Responding to color
  • Shape
  • Space
  • Form
  • Texture
  • Pattern

This accessible book does not assume any specialist knowledge or experience. It is essential for teachers at primary and secondary levels, art coordinators, and for undergraduate and postgraduate level students of art education.

Contents

PART ONE: ART AS EXPLORATION

  • Investigating, Making and Responding to Art
  • Visual Language and The Visual Elements
  • Learning Through Investigation of the Visual Elements
  • Building on the Foundations

PART TWO: POINT

  • The Concept of Point
  • Investigating Points and their Potential
  • Point In Context

PART THREE: LINE

  • The Concept of Line
  • Investigating Line
  • Some Starting-Points
  • Developing Line
  • Line in Context

PART FOUR: TONE

  • The Concept of Tone
  • Investigating Tone
  • The Perception of Tone
  • Tone in Context

PART FIVE: MIXING AND CONTROLLING COLOUR

  • The Concept of Colour
  • Colour Mixing
  • Tints and Shades
  • Optical Colour Mixing
  • Colour Range and Mixing in Context

PART SIX: PERCEIVING AND OBSERVING COLOUR

  • Colour Constancy and Colour Interaction
  • Finding, Matching and Mixing Colours
  • Perceiving Colour in Context

PART SEVEN: RESPONDING TO COLOUR

  • Responses to Individual Colours
  • Colour Groupings and Responses to Them
  • Colour Responses in Context

PART EIGHT: SHAPE

  • The Concept of Shape
  • Interaction of Shapes
  • Investigations of Shape
  • Shape in Context

PART NINE: SPACE

  • The Concept of Space
  • Objective Space
  • Figure and Ground
  • Illusory Space
  • Objective Space in Context
  • Illusory Space in Context

PART TEN: FORM

  • The Concept of Form
  • The Visual Properties of Form
  • Investigating Form
  • Moving into the Third Dimension
  • Form in Context

PART ELEVEN: TEXTURE

  • The Concept of Texture
  • Tactile Texture
  • Visual Texture
  • Texture in Context

PART TWELVE: PATTERN

  • Concepts of Visual Pattern
  • Rotating and Linear Patterns
  • Investigations of Surface Pattern
  • Space-Dividing Patterns
  • Pattern in Context
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Understanding Art

A Guide for Teachers

Martin W Wenham
Cancel Print

April 2003 | 184 pages | Sage UK

Format Published Date ISBN Price

In any area of the curriculum, children need to learn concepts, facts, and skills through first-hand experience. In art, such learning depends on exploring and experimenting with the visual language through which artists communicate, and the visual elements such as line, color, and shape.

This book systematically explores the basic knowledge needed to do this effectively. The author deals with the visual elements of art, their properties, how they are related, and especially the ways in which children's knowledge of each can be developed through simple but creative activities. Each element is placed in context, with extensive cross-referencing. The author shows how these elements can be observed in the children's environment and provides examples of how they have been used in works of art and craft.

Contents include:

  • Art as exploration
  • Point
  • Line
  • Tone
  • Mixing and controlling color
  • Perceiving and observing color
  • Responding to color
  • Shape
  • Space
  • Form
  • Texture
  • Pattern

This accessible book does not assume any specialist knowledge or experience. It is essential for teachers at primary and secondary levels, art coordinators, and for undergraduate and postgraduate level students of art education.


Table Of Contents:

  • PART ONE: ART AS EXPLORATION
  • Investigating, Making and Responding to Art
  • Visual Language and The Visual Elements
  • Learning Through Investigation of the Visual Elements
  • Building on the Foundations
  • PART TWO: POINT
  • The Concept of Point
  • Investigating Points and their Potential
  • Point In Context
  • PART THREE: LINE
  • The Concept of Line
  • Investigating Line
  • Some Starting-Points
  • Developing Line
  • Line in Context
  • PART FOUR: TONE
  • The Concept of Tone
  • Investigating Tone
  • The Perception of Tone
  • Tone in Context
  • PART FIVE: MIXING AND CONTROLLING COLOUR
  • The Concept of Colour
  • Colour Mixing
  • Tints and Shades
  • Optical Colour Mixing
  • Colour Range and Mixing in Context
  • PART SIX: PERCEIVING AND OBSERVING COLOUR
  • Colour Constancy and Colour Interaction
  • Finding, Matching and Mixing Colours
  • Perceiving Colour in Context
  • PART SEVEN: RESPONDING TO COLOUR
  • Responses to Individual Colours
  • Colour Groupings and Responses to Them
  • Colour Responses in Context
  • PART EIGHT: SHAPE
  • The Concept of Shape
  • Interaction of Shapes
  • Investigations of Shape
  • Shape in Context
  • PART NINE: SPACE
  • The Concept of Space
  • Objective Space
  • Figure and Ground
  • Illusory Space
  • Objective Space in Context
  • Illusory Space in Context
  • PART TEN: FORM
  • The Concept of Form
  • The Visual Properties of Form
  • Investigating Form
  • Moving into the Third Dimension
  • Form in Context
  • PART ELEVEN: TEXTURE
  • The Concept of Texture
  • Tactile Texture
  • Visual Texture
  • Texture in Context
  • PART TWELVE: PATTERN
  • Concepts of Visual Pattern
  • Rotating and Linear Patterns
  • Investigations of Surface Pattern
  • Space-Dividing Patterns
  • Pattern in Context

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