Fine Arts

Uncrowded classes, the facilities of the best university art museum in the country, and courses concerned with art's historical background are all offered to the Fine Arts concentrator; but if the Fine Arts concentrator wants to be an artist he had better seek his training elsewhere.

Working on the theory that appreciation and analysis can be learned by doing, the department last year instituted two new courses: Fine Arts 16, dealing with the Theory and Practice of Drawing and Painting: Fine Arts 17, Theory and Practice of Sculpture. Both proved to be popular and will probably be expanded to larger enrollments next year.

The department is primarily concerned with preparing men for graduate study and eventually teaching posts in universities, positions on staffs of art museums, and for scholarly work in the field of art history.

Necessary Background

Concentrators must take six full courses in the field, but they may usually substitute one or two courses from related fields. They are expected to take Fine Arts 13, Introduction to the History of Art, for the necessary background of survey material.

Within the field are a number of first-rate men who are outstanding authorities on their subjects. Deknatel profoundly knows the modern masters, Conant popularly handles architecture and Rowland, Opdycke, Kuhn and Rosenberg are singled out by their students as interesting, able, and informative in their respective fields.

Fluid State of Faculty

At present the department is in a fluid state in terms of faculty. Several important appointments will probably be forthcoming before 1954, strengthening areas that have for recent years been without any personnel whatsoever.