This course introduces you to visual art forms and their cultural connections. It includes both a brief study of art history and in-depth studies of the elements, media, and methods used in creative thoughts and processes. You will learn how to develop a five-step system for understanding all forms of visual art, using description, analysis, context, meaning, and judgment:

1. Description: From an objective point of view of a particular work of visual art, explain the physical attributes and formal construction of the work
2. Analysis: Take a detailed look at the work by combining its physical attributes with your subjective statements about it
3. Context: Consider any historical, religious, political, social, cultural, and/or environmental information that surrounds the work and helps the viewer to understand its meaning
4. Meaning: State the work’s content in terms of the message and/or narrative expressed by the subject matter
5. Judgment: Take a critical stance on the aesthetic and/or cultural value of the work

After you complete this course and all its activities and assessments, you will be able to:

• Use the five-step system to explain the processes involved in artistic production; themes; and the political, social, cultural, environmental, and aesthetic issues that artists examine through their work.
• Use the five-step system to critique various forms of art.
• Explain the role and effect of the visual arts in societies, history, and other world cultures.