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Is What You See What You Get? A Postmodern Approach to Understanding Works of Art

September 1, 1996 | Informal/Formal Connections
The contemporary approach to art education focuses on content that is derived from a broad range of the visual arts with an emphasis on what can be learned from works of art. This is a significant departure from earlier aesthetic approaches which led to purely formalist criticism in the classroom. Based on the work of Arthur Danto, the author proposes that teachers develop student abilities to go beyond the visual level of artworks and enable them to gain access to the complexity of meanings that works of art possess. To exemplify this practice, an analysis of Adrian Piper's work entitled I Embody is presented.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Anne Wolcott
    Author
    Virginia Beach City Public Schools
  • Citation

    Publication Name: Studies in Art Education
    Volume: 37
    Number: 2
    Page Number: 69
    Resource Type: Peer-reviewed article
    Discipline: Art, music, and theater | Education and learning science | Social science and psychology
    Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13) | Youth/Teen (up to 17) | Educators/Teachers
    Environment Type: Informal/Formal Connections | K-12 Programs

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