Republic of the Philippines

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR BRANCHES AND
CAMPUSES
SANTA ROSA CAMPUS

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL FOR

READING VISUAL ARTS

(GEED 20093)

BY

Asst Prof. APRILYN CALVARIO

Faculty

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGES
UNIT 1 – VISUAL LITERACY ………………….1

Lesson 1: What is visual literacy? …………………. 1 - 4

Lesson 2: Why visual literacy? …………………. 4 - 5

UNIT 2 – FORMS AND COMPOSITIONS …………………. 6

Lesson 3: Elements of design …………………. 6 - 20

Lesson 4: Principles of design …………………. 20 - 24

UNIT 3 – TWO-DIMENTIONAL MEDIA …………………. 25

Lesson 5: Drawing, methods and materials …………………. 25 - 28

Lesson 6: Painting, methods and materials …………………. 28 - 31
Lesson 7: Printmaking, methods and materials …………………. 31 - 35

UNIT 4 – THREE-DIMENTIONAL MEDIA …………………. 36

Lesson 8: Sculpture, methods and materials …………………. 36 - 39

Lesson 9: Site-specific arts, methods and materials …………………. 39 - 42

UNIT 5 – FOUR-DIMENTIONAL MEDIA (TIME-BASED MEDIA) …………………. 43

Lesson 10: Film, Elements …………………. 43 - 46

Lesson 11: Methods, process, and production …………………. 46 - 52

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 UNIT 1 – VISUAL LITERACY: An Introduction

OVERVIEW:

We have all heard the old saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Learning to
read those pictures gives us advantages in both work and life.

As infants, we learn to read images months before we become verbal and years before
we attempt to become fluent in written language. Have you ever seen a toddler who can
communicate through sign language before learning to speak? From a young age, a great deal
of educational emphasis is placed on teaching children how to identify and read words and
understand their meanings. So we need to learn to identify, read, and understand images – to
become literate in visual language – in order to communicate successfully in our increasingly
image-saturated culture.

Although we are immersed in visual language, few of us stop to consider exactly how it
works or how we might master it. In this course, we will learn how to read, comprehend and
write visual language.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: After successful completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. describe what a 21st century visually literate person is using concept map
2. explain the different elements of visual art that helps in the analysis of what you see
3. examine a visual image using the language of visual arts

COURSE MATERIALS:

Lesson 1: What is visual literacy?

Visual literacy is the ability to read, comprehend, and write visual language. Reading
visual language is fundamentally concerned with vision. Comprehending visual language is
fundamentally concerned with cognition, in other words the interpretation of what is seen. And
writing visual language is fundamentally concerned with action. Because the process of ‘writing’
is bound up with cognition, visual literacy can be thought of as a form of critical thinking. Visual

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literacy is more than what we see, it also investigates the way that we see, that is the biases
and preconceptions that color our individual interpretations of images, and in that way can be
thought of as a form of metacognition.

In a nutshell, visual literacy is the ability to:

1. process and make meaning of information presented in an image
2. communicate our own ideas through principles of design
3. create our own messages that capture our visual thinking in a way that conceptualizes
problems to given solutions.

What does it mean to be able to read and write visual language?

Visual literacy can be developed through three core components: the language of art;
the art of seeing art: learning to look; and the four visual languages: form, symbols, ideas, and
meaning.

1. The language of the art

The first and most fundamental component is the Language of Art, which is the
development of visual vocabulary as a means of objectively describing an image. It is logical to
draw on the established visual vocabulary, the elements of art and principles of design. There
are more than five elements of art and, more or less, eight principles of design (Figure 1). Using
this vocabulary to describe images allows an observer to work toward an impartial and
subjective description what is being seen.

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 Fig. 1. Elements of Arts and Principles of Design

2. The art of seeing art: learning to look

The second component is a six-step process called the Art of Seeing Art, developed for
interpreting images (Figure 2). By following this process, an individual will become equipped
with the tools necessary to comprehend the significance of the forms, ideas, symbols, and
meanings that inhere or arise from any given image.

There are six steps in the ‘Learning to Look’ process: look, observe, see, describe,
analyze, and interpret.

The first three steps—Look, Observe, and See—are the steps by which one ‘reads’
visual language. Looking is akin to skimming. In this step, the viewer quickly surveys the image
and takes in visual information. Observation is an active process, requiring both time and
attention. Seeing uses the observations to create a mental inventory of all the images of visual
elements.

The second three steps—Describe, Analyze, and Interpret—are the steps by which one
‘writes’ visual language. ‘Describe’ is used to name the Elements of Art and Principles of Design
in relation to the catalogue of visual elements that he or she has created. During analysis the
viewer begins to identify the objects/entities that are present within the image. Ultimately, the
viewer arrives at interpretation by applying the four Visual Languages (Figure 3).

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 It is important to note that ‘Learning to Look’ is a cycle; a viewer returns to looking after
he or she is done interpreting.

Fig. 2. The Art of Seeing Art: Learning to Look

3. The four visual languages: form, symbols, ideas and meaning

The final component of the visual literacy framework is comprised of the four visual
languages. These visual languages aimed to translate the academic disciplines of Art History,
Semiotics, Ideology and Hermeneutics into a form which is more easily accessible to the
general public. Studying the visual languages enables viewers to become fluent in interpreting
images through four distinct methods (or lenses): Forms, Ideas, Symbols and Meaning, which
are defined in Figure 3.

Fig. 3. The Four Visual Languages:

Form, Symbols, Ideas and Meaning

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 To summarize, the language of art, art of seeing: learning to look process, and four
visual languages are the visual literacy framework to develop visual literacy skills. There is a
high degree of interrelation between the three components, for example, a strong command of
visual vocabulary is an essential tool for describing, step four in the Art of Seeing process. The
framework is also scaffolded in structure. It means that, although all audiences, to a degree,
engage with analysis and interpretation, lessons for novice viewers focus on the Language of
Art and Art of Seeing process, while more sophisticated viewers are challenged to engage more
deeply with interpretation through the Four Visual Languages.

SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS/MATERIALS
Learning to Look Across Disciplines: Visual Literacy for Museum Audiences by Kate Blake
(https://visualliteracytoday.org/learning-to-look-across-disciplines-visual-literacy-for-museum-
audiences-by-kate-blake/)
ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENTS:

1. Personal Memes. Create a personal meme describing oneself. There must be at least 3
memes to describe yourself. You may use template available from the internet or create your
own.

2. Concept map. Based on your understanding of the concept of visual literacy, produce a
concept map summarizing the skills, characteristics and qualities of a 21 st Century Visually
Literate Person.

Lesson 2: Why visual literacy?

In an increasingly digital world, we are communicating more with images and less with
words. We are also consuming images at an incredible rate. Images are superseding words as
our primary form of communication. On Instagram alone, 20 billion photos have been uploaded
since 2010. Many of us employ visual language, often without realizing it. Being fluent in the
language of images gives us an advantage at school, at work, and at home. Learning to read

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and comprehend these images are crucial critical thinking skills. Visual literacy and critical
thinking go hand in hand.

Leading researchers, educators, museum professionals, filmmakers, and artists believe

that being fluent in visual language can improve one’s creativity, critical thinking, educational
achievement, empathy towards others and the ability to decipher technology. When people use
their eyes to explore and go through a deep and reflective process and make sense of what
they see, they tend to use their mind in a more creative way. Visual literacy allows for a lot of
creativity. It allows people to be creative and to create whatever they want to create. A visually
literate person can accommodate multiple interpretations and can understand that one can
generate multiple interpretations and so he/she is much more forgiving of other people’s
interpretation of exactly the same thing.

It is for these reasons why our educational system directs its focus on visual literacy
aside from textual and computer literacy. Visual literacy is a fundamental aspect of critical
thinking. It is obvious that a shift must take place in our schools if we are to meet the broader
literacy needs of today’s learners.

SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS/MATERIALS

What is Visual Language? https://www.toledomuseum.org/node/172

Visual Literacy and Creativity https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=TpXAD8KfEUo&feature=youtu.be

Visual Literacy and Critical Thinking https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=2jR8zWqyHBY&feature=youtu.be

Visual Literacy and Education

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QWT-xjVH68&feature=youtu.be

Visual Literacy and Empathy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNm0rZKtXiE&feature=youtu.be

Visual Literacy and Technology

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmVEEjUVpo&feature=youtu.be

ACTIVITIES/ASSESSMENTS:

1. Reflection paper. Why do you think visual literacy matter to you as a student of your course?
How will visual literacy be of an advantage to you as a student? Write your reflection in not more
than 250 words.

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