B.F.A. in Studio Art - Painting

Painting

Painting consists of an ongoing dialogue between the present and the past. This dialogue is filled with conflicting visions, concepts and philosophies involving the personal and the political, the individual and the social. It provides the context within which the art object we call a "painting" was and continues to be crafted and viewed.

Lamar University’s painting curriculum includes many opportunities for the development of skill and personal vision. Students are exposed to a variety of approaches to painting including diverse media, historical and contemporary techniques, color theory, the chemistry and physics of paint and painting supports, the presentation of paintings and, most importantly, faculty guidance in the student’s process of self-discovery. Supported by a rigorous drawing curriculum, students work with individually assigned problems in painting toward the achievement of mastery.

Painting instruction at Lamar is undertaken in two studios devoted exclusively to the subject, including individually assigned studio spaces within the Art Building and a separate building on campus, the Art House.

The developing awareness of location of self in relationship to the world in general and to the worldwide network of art are both critical steps in the painting student’s development and are nurtured through required courses in Art History and Studio Seminar. The latter course involves topical reading and discussion in a variety of subjects from the areas of art theory and criticism.

The undergraduate painting study experience culminates in Lamar’s unique senior thesis program involving a series of original works produced by each Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidate, exhibited in the Dishman Art Museum, and defended by the student in a formal written thesis.