VISUAL ARTS (VA) < St. Bonaventure University

VA-101 ART & ITS APPRECIATION (3 Credits)

This introductory course is designed to give the student a working understanding of the meaning of art and its influence and application in our lives. Thorough attention will be given to the problems of artistic expression, content and form in two- or three-dimensional works of art. By examining the role of the artist we study arts implications, influences, visual language and interpretation by contemporary society. Periodically, original works of art from the St. Bonaventure University art collection will be used to develop the student's critical awareness of individual discernment when engaged with the visual arts and images.

VA-110 GRAPHIC DESIGN I (3 Credits)

This introductory course is designed to build foundational skills in Graphic Design with an emphasis on Adobe Illustrator, color, imagery, typography, composition and layout. Software such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign will also be discussed and available. Throughout this course students will develop an uderstanding of the basic terminology used in the design field while studying and producing logo designs, poster layouts,label design, and digital art.

VA-111 DRAWING I (3 Credits)

This course is designed as an introduction to the creative process and its function for expression through the visual arts. All drawing media will be treated as a means of developing powers of observation, technical skills and understanding of the formal aspects of line, space, form, perspective, value, design and composition. Image surveys and group critiques will be included to further the student's understanding of the visual language of art (Formerly FA-465). There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

VA-121 PAINTING I (3 Credits)

This course offers an introductory experience, both theoretical and pragmatic, into the nature and varied purposes of painting. Mediums explored will include acrylic on canvas and watercolor and mixed-media on paper. The emphasis will be on discovering the properties and expressive components of composition, value, color and content. The formal elements of art as visual language will be approached through objective and non-objective means. Preparatory and conceptual studies in drawing media will be included. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

VA-131 SCULPTURE I (3 Credits)

This studio-oriented course will introduce students to the theories and processes of sculpture. The course will emphasize three-dimensional design theory, terminology, principles, and techniques. Class participants, therefore, will learn to recognize the sources of design, apply the elements and principles of design, research the potential of various design media, critique designs using design terminology, and analyze design choices in problem solving. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

VA-141 CERAMICS I, HANDBUILDING (3 Credits)

This course will introduce students to various handbuilding methods; pinching, coiling, soft slab and hard slab, as well as different surface enhancements. Students will also learn about glazing and firing ceramics into a finished product.

VA-141B ADV. CERAMICS III (3 Credits)

VA-161 TWO-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN (3 Credits)

Design means to plan, to organize. The design student plans the arrangement of elements to form a visual pattern. Through a series of visual problems developed by the student and instructor, the student will be required to depict creative visual specific solutions using the design process. The student's creativity will be enhanced through his/her originality, imagination and ability to resolve visual problems with unusual solutions.

VA-162 THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN (3 Credits)

This is an introductory course concerning the conception and production of three-dimensional art. Students will be given design problems to solve with readily available materials and basic techniques. Students will explore the aesthetic and practical considerations of working in the round.

VA-181 BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAHIC IMAGES (3 Credits)

This introductory course engages and investigates the aesthetic qualities of the black and white photographic image including design, composition, positive/negative space, tonal elements, line, and texture. The course addresses issues of content and subject matter through a survey of several master photographers that will involve student research. Students will also explore aesthetic principles by shooting several rolls of black and white film documenting the particularity of their own lives at St. Bonaventure University and aspects of the neighboring communities.

VA-210 GRAPHIC DESIGN II (3 Credits)

This course will continue to build upon the foundational skills learned in Graphic Design I. Students will continue to utilize Adobe Illustrator in combination with Adobe Photoshop to build their portfolio. The entire Adobe Suite will also be discussed and available. Throughout this course students will develop a better understanding of the design field through a variety of projects. This course will culminate in an exhibition of products designed by students and produced by a variety of online companies.

Prerequisite(s): Take VA-110

VA-211 DRAWING II (3 Credits)

This course is designed as a continuation of Drawing I. Students will further develop their technical skills and understanding of the drawing medium. Color will be introduced to the student with emphasis on life and figure drawing. Image surveys and group critiques are an integral part of this course. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

Prerequisite(s): Take VA-111

VA-221 PAINTING II: INTERMEDIATE (3 Credits)

This course offers theoretical and pragmatic explorations in painting on an intermediate level allowing students to choose acrylic paints or to engage in a special focus on the use of oil paint. Advanced representational and expressive investigations into selected content such as still life, portrait, figure, landscape, and abstraction will be engaged. A variety of mediums, techniques and methods will be covered including blending, glazing, and dry brush. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

Prerequisite(s): Take VA-121

VA-231 SCULPTURE II (3 Credits)

Building on the principles established in VA 131, this course will concentrate on the sculptural method of assemblage, using many different materials. The class will exam the art of professional sculptors working in this method. Students will make presentations on the work of these sculptors as well as creating sculptures inspired by them. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

Prerequisite(s): Take VA-131

VA-341 MODERN ART & THEORY (3 Credits)

Modern art can be confounding precisely because it challenges traditional artistic practices and aesthetic categories. Nevertheless, the immense surge of creative energy unleashed by the innovative techniques and radical aims of the avant-garde are still not exhausted. In this course we examine the development of modern art from its emergence in the 19th century to its dominance in the 20th century. Emphasis will be placed on key artists and movements from the first half of the 20th century responsible for the most distinctive features and claims of the avant-garde. We will also attend to the theoretical implications of these claims for understanding the meaning(s) of artistic modernism.

VA-351 THE FIGURE IN ART (3 Credits)

This course focuses on the figure as a source of inspiration and investigation into the human form. Students will work weekly directly from a live model supplemented through slide lectures and visits to the galleries of The Quick Arts Center. Students will undertake a progressive and integrated study in both wet and dry media that will embrace work with gesture, contour, mass, value, proportion and composition. Paraphrase sketchbook studies after master artists will assist the student in an awareness of major figurative works throughout the history of art. No Prerequisite, but portfolio review by instructor is advised. There is an additional course fee, commensurate with the materials provided for student production.

VA-352 IMAGES OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI (3 Credits)

Franciscan iconography is examined within the context of artistic developments over time, and Franciscan documents that address the curious phenomenon surrounding the representational images of Francis of Assisi. Comparisons of diverse images of Francis will be the focus of our inquiry that reveals a visual history often based in Franciscan literature, yet uniquely aligned with the discipline of secular painting of the time. Post-Reformation images of Francis of Assisi are examined chronologically for content and context as they relate to the continued growth of the Franciscan Order. Iconographical elements of images of Francis that reflect the Franciscan lifestyle are compared and contrasted with images of the secular world of the same time periods, as secular iconography aggressively exerts its influence and tradition upon Franciscan themes and patronage.

VA-361 INDEPENDENT STUDY (3 Credits)

Research in selected topics in art. Designed to allow the student to probe areas of specific interest which lie beyond the coverage normally found in regular course offerings. Faculty approval required.

VA-361B IND ST:ART IN MARKETING (3 Credits)

Research in selected topics in art. Designed to allow the student to probe areas of specific interest which lie beyond the coverage normally found in regular course offerings. Faculty approval required.

VA-361C IND ST:DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY (3 Credits)

Research in selected topics in art. Designed to allow the student to probe areas of specific interest which lie beyond the coverage normally found in regular course offerings. Faculty approval required.

VA-361D IND ST:ARCHITECTURE DESIGN (3 Credits)

Research in selected topics in art. Designed to allow the student to probe areas of specific interest which lie beyond the coverage normally found in regular course offerings. Faculty approval required.

VA-399 SPECIAL TOPICS IN ART (3 Credits)

This course offers students the opportunity for advanced study in either a discipline currently offered at SBU (e.g. drawing, painting, sculpture, art history, etc.) or in an area not currently covered by existing art courses (e.g., mixed media, performance art, video, etc.) in preparation for graduate studies or the workplace. In the former instance, this course may be taken only after the student has met the core requirements of a particular discipline.

VA-399L SP TOP:INTRO TO GRAPHIC DESIGN (3 Credits)

This course offers students the opportunity for advanced study in either a discipline currently offered at SBU (e.g. drawing, painting, sculpture, art history, etc.) or in an area not currently covered by existing art courses (e.g., mixed media, performance art, video, etc.) in preparation for graduate studies or the workplace. In the former instance, this course may be taken only after the student has met the core requirements of a particular discipline.

VA-399M SP TOP:INTRO TO CERAMICS (3 Credits)

This course offers students the opportunity for advanced study in either a discipline currently offered at SBU (e.g. drawing, painting, sculpture, art history, etc.) or in an area not currently covered by existing art courses (e.g., mixed media, performance art, video, etc.) in preparation for graduate studies or the workplace. In the former instance, this course may be taken only after the student has met the core requirements of a particular discipline.

VA-399N SP TOP: AGE OF SHAKESPEARE (3 Credits)

This course offers students the opportunity for advanced study in either a discipline currently offered at SBU (e.g. drawing, painting, sculpture, art history, etc.) or in an area not currently covered by existing art courses (e.g., mixed media, performance art, video, etc.) in preparation for graduate studies or the workplace. In the former instance, this course may be taken only after the student has met the core requirements of a particular discipline.

VA-399O SP TOP: DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY (3 Credits)

VA-399P SP TOP:MIXED MEDIA & DESIGN (3 Credits)

VA-399Q SPECIAL TOPIC:THE CONSPIRACY OF COLOR (3 Credits)

VA-399R SP TOP:NATURE IN ART:PAINTING, DRAWING, SCULPTURE (3 Credits)

Using a variety of mediums such as clay, paint, and natural materials, students will explore and study nature through the art works they create. Both contemporary and historical artworks influenced by the natural environment, botany, weather, geology, fossils, growth, decay, the life within those spaces, and the artists that created them will be presented and discussed throughout the course. Classes will be held both in the classroom and outdoors when the weather permits.

VA-399S SP TOP: INTO TO OIL PAINTING (3 Credits)

This course offers students the opportunity for advanced study in either a discipline currently offered at SBU (e.g. drawing, painting, sculpture, art history, etc.) or in an area not currently covered by existing art courses (e.g., mixed media, performance art, video, etc.) in preparation for graduate studies or the workplace. In the former instance, this course may be taken only after the student has met the core requirements of a particular discipline.

VA-402 CAPSTONE PROJECT (3 Credits)

This is an independent project in art history designed by the student in conjunction with a faculty mentor who approves and guides it. The capstone project is intended to provide majors the opportunity to develop a topic of special interest within art history during their senior year. In particular, it will enable students to deepen their grasp of the techniques, methods, and materials pertinent to their respective concentrations within the major. The projects may vary widely from researching and writing a thesis to curating a gallery exhibit. The result of the project will be publicly presented and evaluated by a faculty committee. The course is required for the art history major.

VA-411 SENIOR SEMINAR/EXHIBITION (3 Credits)

This course will guide students through the steps in preparation of their senior exhibit. The students will also create documentation of their artwork; portfolios, artist statements, papers and resumes. Art contracts and the business of art are also studied.