Critical and Contextual Studies: Themes, Concepts and Ideas in Art, Craft and Design

Critical and Contextual Studies: Themes, Concepts and Ideas in Art, Craft and Design

Understanding Art Themes, Concepts and Ideas

  • Recognise the importance and role of themes, concepts, and ideas in art, craft and design.
  • Understand the difference between a theme and concept, and how ideas stem from these.
  • Identify where themes, concepts, and ideas fit within the context of an artwork’s creation.

Various Art Themes

  • Gain familiarity with common art themes such as nature, death, love, conflict, identity, and spirituality.
  • Explore how these themes transcend time and culture, finding presence in historical and contemporary works alike.
  • Understand how themes evolve and adapt, influenced by societal changes, world events, and artistic developments.

Concepts in Artwork

  • Learn about the key concepts found in various art, craft, and design works, such as abstraction, representation, symbolism, perspective, and proportion.
  • Understand how artists implement these concepts to communicate their ideas and intentions.
  • Acknowledge how the same concepts can be interpreted and executed differently across varying art movements.

Generating Art Ideas

  • Discover how artists generate ideas, inspired by their surroundings, experiences, beliefs, and emotions.
  • Recognise the role of research, exploration, and experimentation in the development of art ideas.
  • Understand how artists communicate these ideas through their choice of theme, concept, medium, technique, and style.

Analysing Thematically

  • Develop an ability to read and interpret artworks from a thematic lens, identifying the themes, concepts, and ideas at play.
  • Understand how an artist’s choice of theme can reflect and engage with societal norms, politics and philosophies.
  • Analyse how the artist’s personal viewpoint can influence the choice and treatment of themes, concepts, and ideas in their work.

Applying Art Themes and Concepts

  • Develop your own responses to existing artwork, articulate your interpretations and sentiments.
  • Reflect on themes or concepts that resonate with you and consider how you may incorporate them into your creative practice.
  • Explore the process of generating and communicating your own ideas through the careful selection and application of suitable themes and concepts.