6 Summary

Well done for reaching the end of Week 3, the second week to focus on helping you to understand what study in arts and humanities subjects is like. This week the focus has been on contemporary or modern art.

We all have our ideas about art and most of people have pictures or photographs that are enjoyed, or perhaps have sentimental value like the treasured photograph of a relative.

Often modern art is seen as being either impossible to understand or something ‘even a child could do’. This week has attempted to offer an alternative perspective which enables you to go beyond accepting either your immediate responses or the, often strident, views of those who say such art is worthless. The week has offered the study diamond as a way to think about art in a structured and purposeful way.

In Week 3, you have learned about:

• extending your application of the study diamond to cover the visual arts
• identifying the effects of artworks
• a range of artistic techniques, such as, the use of colour, including four ways in which colour might be used in an artwork
• the use of medium, including some of the ways in which the medium used in an artwork might create an effect on the spectator and convey meaning
• some of the techniques used in sculptures and installations: colour, medium and viewpoint
• the relationship between effects and techniques in a small selection of contemporary artworks
• some of the factors involved in interpreting meaning
• some reactions to artworks shortlisted for the Turner Prize
• further developing your study skills.

You can now go to Week 4 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .