Course Name: ARTS 45089/ 55089  International Experience: Studio Art - Pastel Drawing: Color and Form

Description: Students will be introduced to pastel and basic color theory while visiting one of the finest collections of pastel drawings in the world at the Musée d’Orsay. Through daily practice, students will draw from observation at the same gardens, cathedrals and landscapes frequented by some of the greatest pastel artists working in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Field trips to the historic Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardins du Trocadero, as well as significant architectural landmarks in Paris will serve as location to create drawings. In addition, trips to the Centre Pompidou, which houses the largest modern and contemporary art collection in Europe, and the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, a vast collection of indigenous art and cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, will expose students to the history of colonial expansion, how indigenous cultures transformed the use of color and form by 20th century artists, and how this legacy informs contemporary art into the 21st century. Readings related to the historical development of art at the turn of the 20th century to the present will be discussed. Each week, one to two days will be dedicated to site visits and/or sketching on location and other days will be spent working in the art studios at the KSU Paris building. 

Students will refer to their journals, sketchbooks, pastel studies and photographs created during field trips to build a portfolio of small to mid-size pastel drawings, that use traditional and/or contemporary approaches to color and form. Students may also explore mixed media by incorporating with pastel on paper an underpainting of water based gouache, graphite and collage material.

Pastel: Located at the edge of drawing and painting, and applied on paper, pastel is a mixture of pure pigment powder, a mineral filler and a binder that solidifies the whole into a solid and compact stick or into a wood cased pencil. It allows artists to work directly with color, much faster than oil paint, and without any drying time. Students will visit La Maison du Pastel, the oldest pastel manufacturer in the world. Their line of Roché pastels are made entirely by hand with over 1800 rich and luminous colors.

Credit Hours: 3

Pre-requisite: None