Potomac High – Introduction to Painting

Mar 2026 · 2nd Semester

This course introduces students to a variety of materials, methods and the techniques of painting. The content examines and analyzes the development of traditional and contemporary painting movements. Color, perception and theory are emphasized. The concepts of personal style are explored. Course topics include 1) an introduction to the development of the art of painting in human culture; 2) a survey of materials and techniques used in painting: historical, cultural and geographic influences; 3) an exploration of traditional subject matter (i.e., the figure, portraiture, still life, landscapes) as well as experimental subject matter; 4) extensive exploration in recording visual data in a variety of paint media; 4) a working study of composition as it applies to the relationship between the three dimensional reality and the two dimensional illusion of the picture plane; 5) an in-depth study of the elements of line, shape, texture and color as they pertain to the illusion of form and space into the picture plane; and 6) a broad examination of the devices painters use to compensate for those qualities of the three dimensional world which are lost in the transition to the two dimensional picture plane. Teacher-student evaluation of work is an integral part of this course.