Essay On Artistic Literacy

Art: A Blank Canvas and a Judgmental Audience Art, what was once the Mecca of creativity and imagination is now confounded to the prison cell that is academia. “Art” has been loosely defined throughout history and for the purpose of this paper will be defined as an individual’s visual thoughts placed on a canvas by paint or pencil. Artistic literacy will be defined as “knowledge and understanding required to participate authentically in the arts” (NCCAS). The framework for artistic grading at a university level includes: imagination, construction, and reflection. The investigation consisted of multiple interviews over a two-week period in which the subject was observed in their private art studio. The subject, who will be further referred to as “Samantha”, was asked open-ended interview-style questions regarding her personal background, artistic education, and opinion of artistic literacy at a collegiate level. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of artistic literacy from the perspective of an Art Studio major attending the University of California, Davis.

PHASE 1: Enlightenment A blank canvas, cigarette butts, a smock

Beier’s calls upon the notion that modern art needs to be transmogrified rather than for critics to comprehend the process of visual literacy. Beier’s states that visual literacy is a “more recognized fundamental skill” (39) and suggests that artist’s focus on “resistance rather conformity” (39). This idea of artistic resistance would play a major role in the evolution of visual literacy and expand upon the artist’s freedom (Beier, 2013) . Samantha suggest that Beier’s statements are achievable in a setting outside of academia. With the initial screening being the professor, collegiate artists are bound to the professor’s