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Often the finest artists do not make the best teachers. Many frustrated college students of art know this all too well as they suffer through unstructured classes with inexperienced teachers or graduate student instructors. In these situations, it is easy to blame the teachers. But the problem is largely institutional: most students graduating with MFAs from art schools receive little if any instruction in teaching art. If you find yourself in this predicament as teacher or student, this book is for you. The first book to provide a comprehensive guide for teaching college-level art, <em>The Art of Teaching Art is the culmination of respected artist and instructor Deborah Rockman's two decades of teaching experience. Believing that drawing is the backbone of all of the visual arts, she begins with a complete explanation of drawing concepts that apply to any subject matter, e.g., composition, sighting processes, scaling techniques, and methods for linear and tonal development. She then illustrates these concepts with step-by-step methods that easily translate to classroom exercises. Next, she applies the drawing principles to every artist's most important and challenging subject, the human figure. After an extended section on understanding and teaching perspective that explores illusionistic form and space, the focus of the book shifts to the studio classroom itself and the essential elements that go into making an effective learning environment and curriculum. From preparing materials lists and syllabi, to setting up still-lifes, handling difficult classroom situations, critiquing and grading student artworks, and shooting slides of student artworks, she leaves no stone unturned
E-Book Content
The Art of Teaching Art
Frontispiece: Gustave Courbet. Self-Portrait (The Man with the Pipe), c. 1849. Black chalk on paper, i i-Vi x 8-3/4 inches. WadsworthAtheneum, Hartford. Purchased through the gift of James Junius Goodwin. (1950.605)
The Art of Teaching Art A Guide for Teaching and Learning the Foundations
of Drawing-Based Art
I JeborahA. Acockman Kendall College of Art and Design
OXJFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 2000
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sao Paulo Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 2000 by Deborah A. Rockman Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Design by Charles B. Hames Unless otherwise noted, all student drawings are the work of Kendall College of Art and Design students. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Rockman, Deborah A., 1954— The art of teaching art : a guide for teaching and learning the foundations of drawing-based art / Deborah A. Rockman p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0-19-513079-0 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Drawing—Study and teaching (Higher)—United States. 2. Art teachers—Training of—United States. I. Title. NC59O .R634 1999 741'.O7i'i-dc2i 99-37642 987654321 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
For my mother, my teacher Ella Mae Rockman 1931-1997
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contents
Preface ix Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 3 A Philosophy of Teaching 3 Drawing as the Backbone of Visual Communication 6 Chapter 1 Essential Skills an