BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting

What will I study?

Year 1

A well-balanced, progressive and sequential learning path dominates the first year. Students are actively encouraged in their pursuit of learning for its own sake, learning through traditional methods, as well as computing and digital technology. You will develop your confidence and competence in academic study, particularly through the development of oral presentation skills, which will in turn highlight the importance of presenting yourself and your work. This systematic approach of applying general principles and basic knowledge lays the foundation for the ensuing years of academic study, striving to develop the attitudes and skills needed to comprehend and evaluate your intellectual growth. You will be provided with the opportunity to discover and establish a personal, painting language as well as being introduced to a variety of mark making and life drawing processes to help start your exploration of the figure and self-directed themes through the practice of drawing.

Year 2

Whilst the intuitive, creative and problem solving aspects of fine art education are being embraced, the methodologies of good painting practice are progressively developed in your second year. You will develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to define and research a historical context through an extended essay, while preparing a written abstract in preparation for the dissertation in your final year. You will gain an in-depth, personal knowledge of the subject of painting and the development of a highly personal, creative identity. You will understand the need to establish a safe working environment and working practices while considering the realities of professional practice through live project work in the form of a mural project and an end of module exhibition in a public gallery. You will establish, underpin and encourage the transition to independent learning.

Year 3

In the third year you are expected to be critically self-aware and allow opportunities to empower and employ your academic, innovative, creative, practical and technical abilities. All third year modules promote the transition to independent learning. This process is further enhanced by tutorials, which support you in extending the boundaries of your knowledge and developing a rigorous, independent attitude to your work, culminating in a holistic appreciation of the global contexts for fine art painting. All of these modules require you to extend your intellectual and problem solving capabilities and draw upon skills to research, develop and experiment with propositions and solutions with a developing confidence and ability. Additionally, your third year will offer the opportunity to realise your potential and how to produce work to a professional standard.

A highly experienced team with a wide range of interests in art. Lecturers are active in their research field, and have exhibited both nationally and internationally.

Year 1 (Level 4)

AR4905 Introduction to Painting (40 credits)

In this module you will develop your awareness of painting as a unique means of visual communication. Through practical work you will consolidate your knowledge of visual grammar and expand your visual literacy. You will consider how ideas, information and feelings can be articulated, transformed and conveyed through visual systems, processes and conventions. As well as having the opportunity to reflect on historical precedents and draw on your own experiences, you will be encouraged to explore your own aesthetic abilities and visual judgements which will form a fundamental part of your practice. Essential learning in the module is for you to develop an informed awareness and understanding of formal elements such as line, colour, tone and composition. This module will also allow you to explore and investigate a broad range of traditional and contemporary painting processes and practices, placing an emphasis on visual experimentation and recording processes.

AR4906 Contextual Studies (20 credits)

The module will introduce you to a range of major artistic and contextual issues that have informed contemporary practice and to the concept of image analysis and appreciation. You will then be encouraged to develop an awareness of the underpinning ideas and concepts of current fine art thinking. Throughout the module you will gain an understanding of, and practice using, a range of reference sources enabling you to present conclusions orally as well as in a written format. The module will also enable you to develop an appropriate, rigorous work ethic. There will be opportunity for you to work in small groups as well as individually, to focus on developing interpersonal communication and teamwork.

AR4907 Academic and Personal Development (20 credits)

This module will focus on providing, in preparation for further study, a framework for you to become a more effective learner. A range of study and key transferable skills will be explored and developed. Development planning will be integral to the module and you will begin the process of self evaluation through the instigation of a Personal Development Plan. The module leader will offer help and guidance in the instigation and management of your Plan. The cycle begins with a diagnostic assessment of your existing skills through tutorials, moving to the identification of areas for improvement, to action planning, the undertaking of work to address weaknesses and then returning to the assessment of existing skills. The module will also enable you to develop an appropriate, rigorous work ethic. There will be opportunity for you to work in small groups as well as individually, to focus on developing interpersonal communication and teamwork.

AR4908 Drawing Process (20 credits)

Drawing is a fundamental activity to all creative processes. Visual exploration and problem solving underpin and inform the act of painting and as such form a vital form of expression and investigation. This module will develop new ways of observing from prime visual sources, translating into a range of drawing techniques. The module also aims to provide you with the opportunity to develop skills in employing traditional and contemporary forms of drawing. You will be expected to explore and understand the relationship between formal concerns, process, media and the presentation format. Students will explore and develop a personal visual language and develop an individual drawing vocabulary that will support and articulate conceptual expression. In addition, you will investigate the historical and contemporary relationship between drawing and painting.

AR4909 Image Capture and Printmaking (20 credits)

This module introduces you to and provides you with a basic grounding in digital practice and fine printmaking with the intention of underpinning and supporting your image making and painting skills. You will be introduced to the basic practices that underpin digital practice and fine print while having the opportunity to practice and apply print processes such as mono printing, collagraph, silk screen printing, digital photography, scanning and the use of relevant image manipulating software. You will make practical and conceptual links between printmaking, digital practice and painting and discover ways in which the areas can integrate into and expand the possibilities of your studio practice.

Year 2 (Level 5) AR5906 Painting Language and Identity (40 credits)

In this module you will build a greater understanding of painting as a unique means of personal expression. You will be expected to research and discover themes that will sustain your practice while allowing personal development and begin to question the formal and conceptual potential of the tools and processes that you will be using. Through consultation with the module Leader you will generate a self-instigated assignment from which you will develop, produce and evaluate a body of work based on a personal theme. You will also form a growing visual identity and develop a self- motivated attitude to your work. Work generated from this module will form the basis of an exhibition in a public gallery.

AR5907 Painting Critical Study (20 credits)

This module will enable you to develop a deeper understanding of the subject of painting, including the history, broad cultural context and the meaning and consequences of current developments. You will be asked to apply this knowledge to the development of your own studio work. A structured and informed approach to research forms a vital part of the creative process and in this module you will develop a research methodology based upon two distinct strands of study - the history and cultural development of painting and the study of universal creative and aesthetic principles. The ongoing study, understanding of painting history and research principles established in this module will underpin your work throughout the rest of the fine art painting course. In this module you are asked to research the work of a contemporary or historical practitioner and study the context in which they work/worked. It is also an opportunity for you to analyse and reflect on the work of others nd to apply knowledge gained to your own practice.

AR5908 Career, Studio and Gallery Practice (40 credits)

This module allows you to investigate the practical aspects of setting up a studio/work environment considering the realities of professional practice through studio visits and visits to artist led exhibition spaces. You will raise your understanding of relevant health and safety, studio ergonomics and other important functional concerns as well as developing an understanding of the network of artistic agencies and professional support mechanisms.
Through attending a series of lectures, workshops and visits you will generate a Reflective Journal which will aid the transition to establishing yourself in the future as an independent, confident practitioner. In addition to this you will apply your existing painting skills to a live mural project and organise and present your work for exhibition in a public gallery. The focus in this module is on developing self-sufficiency, understanding and knowledge of how to source and access support agencies. You will also acquire a greater appreciation of the potential of a self reflective practice that suits your specific, individual needs as a practitioner while considering how your practice can be applied to live project work and exhibitions.

AR5909 Drawing Personal Development (20 credits)

This module enables you to focus on your attitude to drawing and the personal drawing practices that underpin and inform your painting. You will be encouraged to investigate drawing in relation to the development of your own concepts and themes. You will also explore in-depth, the relationship between drawing media, process and techniques with support from the study of contemporary drawing practice. Through the creation and production of a visual, drawing identity and the use of related materials you will investigate drawing and its relationship to you and your work. You will also be encouraged to demonstrate a theoretical understanding of fine art drawing practices, aesthetics and their relationship to your work.

Year 3 (Level 6) AR6905 Painting Major Study (40 credits)

In consultation with your tutors and based upon your research, you will be required to produce a cohesive brief which develops and explores in-depth a subject of your choosing. This process offers you the opportunity to focus clearly on a theme or subject of personal/professional interest/importance. During this process you will be required to undertake significant research and establish a rigorous and structured approach to the realisation of your ideas.
This module is a synthesis of the modules you will have undertaken during previous study and as such you will be expected to extend your intellectual problem solving and challenge yourself both technically and conceptually during its realisation. You will be encouraged to seek innovative, creative solutions within your work and question established working methodologies. You will also be required to understand the broader cultural contexts within which your ideas are being developed. This module offers the creative environment in which having reached a level of sustained independent learning and development, you can make a definitive personal statement through your practice. The resultant work will demonstrate a convincing awareness of the public showcase and of your own potential as a professional painter. The Painting Major Study is expected to be seen as a culminating statement and mark a point of arrival in your journey towards a recognisable artistic identity.

AR6906 Critical Study in Context (40 credits)

This module enables you to expand and critically evaluate your previous understanding of fine art painting and reference your own study, while embracing national, international and global contexts. It provides the opportunity for a detailed and analytical investigation allowing you to identify and further research your own painting concerns while exchanging ideas with peers and tutors and ultimately working to arrive at a particular focus for your study. You will need to explore and investigate ideologies, philosophies and methodologies and where appropriate historical, political and/or environmental factors. Essentially the study will provide evidence of your critical, reflective practice. This will firstly be articulated in an abstract from Painting Critical Studies module in level 5 and then developed through to a proposal and dissertation in this module.

AR6907 Professional Presentation (40 credits)

This module will synthesise your established practical and theoretical skills to provide you with an overview of how to use a range of presentation forms and exhibition techniques. At this level you will be expected to exhibit your work to a highly professional standard, to analyse and synthesise information about your practice and to make a verbal presentation of your work. Your verbal presentation will be supported by a document that evaluates your Painting Honours Project stating your references, influences, intentions, development and outcomes. You will also apply and extend your aesthetic principles and judgements to make a portfolio of presentation and publicity material that clearly identifies your artistic strategies and goals. A presentation pack will include an artist's statement, CV and selected images of your work with relevant supportive information.