Discipline-Based Art Education
Teaching Criticism, Aesthetics, Art History and Art Production
Sep 17, 2009
Discipline-Based Art Education, or DBAE, is a method of teaching and studying art that exposes students to four distinct art disciplines: criticism, aesthetics, art history and art production. Developing knowledge and skills in these four areas allows students to attain a more thorough comprehension of visual arts.
Criticism: Learning How to Critique Art
In order to understand art, students must learn how visual elements and principles are used to compose an artwork. Students can assess the use of these elements and principles by performing a formal critique.
Students will determine how the elements of line, shape, value, texture, color, space and form are used together to create a complete work of art. They will make judgments on the quality of a work of art based on the use of these elements.
Students will also learn about the art principles of balance, emphasis, variety, harmony, movement, proportion, unity and rhythm. They will examine how the art elements are combined to express these different art principles. For instance, a series of wavy lines could be used to create rhythm.
By using the elements and principles to assess a work of art, students develop an understanding of art vocabulary, art composition and overall visual communication.
Aesthetics: Questioning Art
The discipline of aesthetics challenges students to ask key philosophical questions about art. Students may be encouraged to define what is art and what is not art. Students may also be asked to assess cultural influences in the creation of art. Students may also be asked to ascertain if certain works should or should not be included in the art canon, which is the group of artworks that are academically studied.
Asking students to examine their philosophical beliefs in art allows students to broaden their conceptual horizons of what art can be. It also helps them to break cultural barriers that might limit their scope of art appreciation. Students will also find that a strong understanding of art vocabulary is necessary to defend their opinions.
Art History: Understanding How Visual Communication Has Evolved
Students must study art history to develop an understanding of how media, techniques and philosophies of art have evolved over time. Historical knowledge will help students understand why and how artists have produced art over time. Students will also be able to understand current work within a context of the work that has preceded it.
Studying art history also enriches student's lives. Students are able to transcend the boundaries of their town and experience the French countryside at dusk when looking at Monet's work. They are also able to marvel at human feats of construction such as the great pyramids in Egypt. This exposure helps students to contextualize their world and relate to other times and other cultures.
Art Production: Learning How to Create Art
No art education program would be complete without the study of art production. Art production provides a kinesthetic learning experience and allows students to express themselves through a visual medium.
Students should ideally be exposed to a variety of media when studying art production. At the secondary level though, students may opt to take classes that focus specifically on one medium such as ceramics or photography.
A thorough study of art production will include the study of common art terms associated with a particular medium. It will also include in-depth experience with creating artwork using a particular medium or multiple media. At the secondary level, students should gain a good enough understanding of art production to be able to accomplish a work of art on their own. The teacher should act as a guide who helps the student direct and shape his or her work of art.
Art production provides students with an opportunity to express themselves and take ownership in their own studies. For many students, art production creates pride and a joy of expression that instills a love of learning in the student.
Well-Rounded Art Studies
Any thorough art education program should integrate the four disciplines within the studies. Equal time does not need to be given to each discipline, but each discipline must be addressed and a detailed understanding of that discipline must be achieved by the students.
Related Articles:
 |
