Art--Study and teaching

This inquiry will address some of the inequities that exist regarding women in the
visual arts and art history, and how that impacts art education practice. The influence of
popular visual culture on the construction of gender identity, and differences between the
sexes in areas of learning and creativity, will be considered. Teaching strategies
developed by educators, which lead towards greater gender equality in art education, will
also be discussed.
Finally. because my experiences as an art teacher and my current artwork have lead to
this gender related research. this discussion will include a brief autobiographical section,
a thorough description and analysis of my artwork, and my major artistic influences.

The purpose of this study was to compare the aesthetic tastes of
subjects with formal design training to the aesthetic tastes of the
general population. The Graves Design Judgment Test was used as the
Design Knowledge set of data in this correlational Ex post facto
study. The visual art stimuli were chosen by a panel of art experts
using dual 7 point bipolar scales for realism and design. Visual art
stimuli were reproduced from various worldwide gallery and museum
collections. A diverse set of art stimuli subject matter was used to
minimize content preference by subjects. A multivariate analysis of
variance, a correlation matrix, regression analysis, and principle
components were used to statistically discern a significant difference
between the groups studied. The group with a high cognate knowledge
of design showed a preference for non-objective or abstract art more
than the group without cognate design knowledge. Analysis of variance found a significant difference at the .05 level between the two
groups' preferences for non-objective art but revealed no significant
difference at the .05 level for either group's preferences for
realism. The results of this study are consistent with earlier art
preference research describing differences in trained and untrained
subjects' preferences.

Style development in painting is an important aspect in the
maturation of the artist. In the propulsive theory, inspiration
and critical control dictate the development of the
work of art. In the finalistic theory, the final image is
cognated in pre-production and dictates the work. Emphasis
on style development is necessary in the college art studio.
It is the single most important aspect in personal growth
and success. Influences on style development include: a
consistency in the work, the physical act of painting, media,
psychological integration with personal expression, societal
or technological stimuli, personality, and originality. A
program to foster style development stresses a professional
association between student and instructor where roles are
defined, and freedom in the studio exists. Students write
contracts to determine objectives and projects. Galleries
and alternative spaces provide additional areas for expression.
The program is complemented by indivualized readings,
peer discussions, critiques, and written evaluations.