Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
The Painter's Convention: Landscape, still life, figure
Instructor(s): Doretta Miller, Art
What, if anything, do contemporary artists owe to the past? For more than a thousand
years artists in different cultures created images falling into three broad categories:
landscape, still life, and figure. The majority of these paintings followed long-held
cultural traditions and artisan/artist criteria. Today there is little or no consensus
on painting norms; therefore, contemporary painters and students of art must make
individual and informed choices. Students in this seminar will create art as well
as study art and examine paintings in the three categories from various times and
cultures, including contemporary trends. Students will write essays about the various
criteria identified and apply the findings from their research to the creation of
small paintings.
Course Offered