Art and Design (Fine Art)

Course summary

Why study this subject? The course will develop your ability to appreciate the visual world and to respond in a personal and creative way. It will also develop you as a creative thinker, fostering the ability to conceptualise. The skills you will develop will be varied. Among them, you will develop a working knowledge of materials, practices and technology in one or more of the disciplines within art. You will analyse and use sources to inspire your own work. You will use learnt skills to interpret, convey and synthesise your ideas and feelings through art, craft and design. Course content Component 1: Personal Investigation (Coursework), 60% of A Level In this component there are 2 elements; practical work and the personal study. The practical work will develop your ability to approach and resolve the issues that emerge as an inevitable part of creating art and design work. You will learn to employ a problem-solving process in relation to your creative activities. This process involves identifying creative areas of interest, undertaking research, developing a range of ideas, development, and possibilities that are then evaluated and realised as a solution. The personal study will require you to research, evaluate, analyse and establish links between your own practical work and the broader art world, both historical and contemporary. It is essential your practical work and personal study interlink. Your study should be a written and illustrated thesis (Min 1,000 words). You will submit a work journal to compliment your study and a visual response to the research in the form of a video. The study could focus on the working methods of artists, designers, architects and crafts workers, and their tools, equipment and materials. Or it could focus on the social, political and theoretical background to works of art, architecture, craft and design. Component 2: Externally Set Assignment (Exam), 40% of A Level The paper for this component will provide you with a choice of questions. You will be given a six-week preparation period. You must submit one final piece unaided and produced under supervision in a period of 15 hours. This timed element will be taken after 14 February in the year of the examination. You will need to produce preparatory work and should undertake investigative preparatory work in your work journals throughout the course.