Fall 2009 Series Descriptions "Truth & Beauty" Painting Itself: Mondays: 9:30 to 12:30PM The emphasis during the morning component of Painting Itself will be on relationships intrinsic to both drawing and painting the figure from life. Individual goals and involvements will be set according to particular concentration, experience and approach. Through this process, we will pursue each person's individual expressive needs in relation to specific drawing, color-value and spatial objectives. Technical considerations including application of color theory will be incorporated as appropriate to the series as a whole and/or to individual concerns, as will critiques. Life models will be present throughout the semester. As a means of defining and contrasting spatial genres relative to working with the model in the studio we will take advantage of Bay Area fall weather by working from landscape at times toward the beginning of the semester. Painting Itself: Seminar & Studio Mondays: 1:30 to 5:30PM Painting Seminar & Studio is the afternoon continuation of Painting Itself. It will include an investigation of theory comprised of readings and discussion on painting from critics, historians and artists, as well as slide shows and critiques. It will also concentrate on studio practice, with perception, visual response, color and spatial concerns related to each individual being identified and explored. Certain spatial genres and their relation to drawing and painting as well as to each participant's identity will be explored. Painting Itself is designed to present the student of painting with core issues related to visual language, individual expressive concerns and technical awareness which will inform the continuity of ongoing studio work through out the week. Photography Itself: (including Associate-Study) Mondays: 6:30 to 9:30 Photography Itself is comprised exclusively of photographers, including cross-disciplinary students who have a primary involvement with photography. The series will concentrate on each person's own characteristic involvement with photography as well as investigating issues of light, lighting, color and tone. These investigations will relate to visual language as a whole and photography specifically. The tension between imagery and formal means will also be explored. The format will be comprised of readings, slide shows, discussion and critiques. Throughout the semester studio activities exploring matters related to the participant's work as well as expressive means will be alternated with seminar related content. Tuesdays: Painting and photography studios open to full-time students Wednesdays: Painting and photography studios open to full-time students Thursday Morning Seminar: "Truth & Beauty" Thursdays: 10:30 to 1:00PM The series theme for fall 2009 and spring 2010 will be "Truth & Beauty." The resonance between concepts of truth and beauty will be explored. Issues related to nature, traditional beauty, the sublime, horror, expression and challenges to the concept of Truth in favor of multiple truths will be explored. Rather than being a chronological history of aesthetics, multiple aspects of aesthetics with particular relevance to the contemporary visual artist will be encountered along with identifying significant positions in aesthetics over history. This will include identifying salient issues in terms of the subject today, with attention paid to problems related to elitism, populism, high and low art and especially to the evolution of each participant's values, his/her commitment to those values, the manifestation of their beliefs as seen through their work. The series will involve readings, discussion, slide shows and references to the participant's work. Photography Theory & Special Projects: Thursdays: 2:00 to 5:30 Photography Theory Seminar continues to explore aspects of theory in photography from writings on or by photographers as well as more general visual theories from related media. Medium-specific concerns will be linked to the overall semester theme of "Truth & Beauty." A specific body of photographic work will be developed by each student in relation to those goals, which will either be in support of other work, or an extension of other work. The form and finish of the body of work will be commensurate with the participants' relation to photography, whether as a photographer per se, or a painting or mixed media student using photography in the pursuit of their work. Discussions of individual photographers, both historic and contemporary, will serve to help concentrate the topic and the participants' intent. Art for Art's Sake: Drawing & Painting: (Including Associate Study) Thursdays: 6:30 to 9:30 Art for Art's Sake is comprised exclusively of painters. The relevance and meaning of painting as a visual discipline will be considered by each participant as a means to better understand and support the substance of their own ongoing work. The importance of painting as a life pursuit, the search for meaningful originality gained over time, and the syntax between visual language and imagery will be investigated. Throughout the semester readings, discussion, slide shows and critiques will be alternated with both monochrome and color life drawing as a means of exploring matters related to the participant's work. These will include spatial, expressive and personal means that will test the participants' relationship to the content of the series and their own identity. Drawing Studio - Problems of Space: Fridays: 10:00 to 1:00PM Knowing drawing, that is sensing and internalizing the issues inherent in drawing as a discipline and as an end in itself fundamental to the San Francisco Studio School program. It is assumed students practice drawing independently and consistently throughout each week. Friday mornings will be dedicated to drawing the figure, concentrating on perception, visual response, and spatial concerns. The emphasis will be on seeing and coming to terms with pictorial space. Drawing as an autonomous discipline will also be developed as will be the relation of drawing to the student's work as a whole. Each student can be comfortable with the particular phase of his or her work within the program as a whole. For those attending, the Friday series is an ongoing proving ground for recognition, advancement and realization of the issues inherent in the program as a whole over time. Visual Studies Workshop: Time/Dates: TBD The Visual Studies Workshop is for first-semester students and is comprised of approximately (5) 1-hour long meetings to become familiar with vocabulary and principles related to the program at large. It is scheduled per student at mutually convenient times. Fridays: Painting and photography studios open to full-time students Saturdays: Painting and photography studios open to full-time students Sundays: Painting and photography studios open to full-time students