Critical Focus on the Visual Arts
Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2010.
Session: I, June 28-July 16, 2010
Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:30-4:30 PM
Instructor(s): Denise Budd, Michael Schurr
Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Digital Filmmaking, Introduction to Architectural Design and Theory, Painting: The Painted Image, and Photography: The Camera Craft, all offered in Session II.
"I love how the teachers are so passionate about what they are teaching."
–Erica Scaduto, 2009
Course Description
A two-course curricular option that provides a concentrated study of aesthetic concepts for students interested in the visual arts. Both courses meet daily, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
Fundamentals of Film
Michael Schurr
Students explore the feature film as a serious mode of artistic expression and acquire the basic skills of visual literacy. Focusing on the main currents of narrative filmmaking, the course begins with films from the pre-sound era and continues with a consideration of the major trends in film history, including German Expressionism, the modern sound film—virtually invented with Citizen Kane—the French New Wave, and current American independent films. Numerous films are screened as we evaluate the contributions of the many people involved in producing a film, and the debt owed to literary and photographic art.
Problems in the History of Art
Denise Budd
This course covers selected monuments of painting, sculpture, and architecture as well as basic trends and concepts in the history of art. Students learn about art from both the artist's perspective (focusing on materials and technique) and the art historian's perspective (focusing on issues of patronage, context and interpretation), with both ultimately impacting how we view these objects in the modern world.
The goal of this class is to examine specific objects and encourage students to think about formal analysis—understanding the choices artists make, as well as how these objects reflect upon their specific culture and era. Rather than addressing the subject of art history in the traditional survey fashion, this course will be topic-based, examining how different artists in different cultures and time periods treat various subject matter and media.
Class trips include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Frick Collection, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
Instructor(s)
Faculty
Denise Budd
Denise Budd completed her B.A. in English and art history at Rutgers University, and in 2002 received her Ph.D. in art history, with a focus on Italian Renaissance painting and sculpture, from Columbia University. She has taught extensively in the field of Italian Renaissance art as well as in the more general history of art at Rutgers University. Denise is one of the first to hold the position of lecturer-in-discipline in the Core Curriculum program at Columbia, where she has been teaching Art Humanities full-time since 2007. She is continuing the research begun in her dissertation, which focused on the documentary evidence on the life and career of Leonardo da Vinci, in which she has published several articles. In addition to her scholarly pursuits, Denise has participated as a grader for the College Board Advanced Placement exams and has appeared in several documentaries on Leonardo da Vinci, including two for the A&E network.
Faculty
Michael Schurr
Michael Schurr holds an A.B. in art history from Bowdoin College. He has worked extensively in production for film, television, and theater, and in international film distribution. He has also worked as an actor and director and is currently involved in the production of a film based on Wallace Shawn’s play, The Fever, starring Vanessa Redgrave.
Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.
