"Their arts classes are extraordinary and the academic program is strong as well." -- Annie H., Parent of 7th Grader
"Their arts classes are extraordinary and the academic program is strong as well." -- Annie H., Parent of 7th Grader
The goal of the Visual Arts Program is to provide students with professional-level training. Our program is unique in that it focuses on the skills essential for professional accomplishment in any visual arts-related field, including digital composition, concept art, film-making, product design, and architecture. Every HSArts graduate wishing to pursue a career in art has been accepted by one or more top-ranking fine-arts universities.
In fall of 2022, HSArts was recognized as an Art Renewal Center (ARC) approved school, becoming one of the few high schools recognized by this prestigious community of talented ateliers, artists and professionals. Visit our page on the ARC website for more information.
Visit our full Visual Arts Gallery to view artwork of our students, teachers, and guest artists.
The fundamental courses for visual arts include chiaroscuro (grisaille), painting (oil painting/acrylic), and sketch (pen art/mixed media). Students also participate in plein air drawing for painting from life once a week.
Each semester, or as often as once a month, our Master Class series brings in different master artists who showcase and conduct demonstrations for our students.
Throughout the course of their studies, students are introduced to the works and techniques of Leondardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Sargent, Zorn, Sorolla, Rembrandt, Bouguereau, Richard Schmid, as well as living masters including Jeremy Lipking, Odd Nerdrum, Steven Assael and the current Atelier movements of works from the artists at institutions like Grand Central Atelier, Florence Academy of Art, and Art Renewal Center.
Students use a limited palette to later progress to a full palette in oil painting techniques including, but not limited to, Alla Prima (Wet on Wet), Open/Closed Grisaille, and Indirect Painting.
HSArts students choose from a variety of art electives, which include Chinese Painting, Handcraft, Calligraphy, Architecture, Animation, Clay, Costume Design, Graphic Design, Film-making, and Video Editing. Students spend the majority of their time, at least 60%, building a solid art foundation through our fundamental training coursework offerings.
Chiaroscuro
Painting
Sketch
(Dylan Z., Grade 6)
(Francis K., Grade 6)
(Owen L., Grade 8)
(Pepper J., Grade 6)
Chiaroscuro
Painting
Sketch
(Pepper J., Grade 6)
(Owen L., Grade 8)
Chiaroscuro
Painting
Sketch
(William H., Grade 7)
(Owen L., Grade 7)
(Kit K., Grade 8)
(Francis K., Grade 6)
Drawing Foundations
Drawing
(Bargue Plate Copy, Essence D.)
(Bargue Plate Copy, Alisa R.)
(Bargue Plate Copy, Hudson C.)
(Bargue Plate Copy, Carmen C.)
Drawing
Painting
Sketch
(Charcoal, Matthew W.)
(Charcoal, Dylan S.)
(Oil Grisaille, Sean Y.)
Drawing
Painting
Sketch
(Painting from Life, Hudson C.)
(Oil Masterstudy, Anika O.)
Original art creation
Students achieve greater creative freedom in utilizing all foundational techniques to create their portfolio, a solid body of work consisting of both drawing and painting.
(Xin L., Grade 11)
(Anika O., Grade 12)
(Xin L., Grade 12)
(Xin L., Grade 12)
Visit our full Visual Arts Gallery for more artwork by our students, teachers, and featured guest artists.
Students will learn fundamental concepts of drawing, including line, value, light, proportion, and composition. They will create multiple works using graphite pencils, charcoal, and pen and ink, while developing the ability to express their observations accurately in their work.
Students will study the characteristics and compositional effects of color in fine arts, as well as the principles and techniques of mixing color. They will develop a mature understanding of color theory and traditional aesthetics as well as the professional skills to apply these concepts to their work.
A fundamental of visual arts and a required component of professional curricula, sketching involves executing a simplistic freehand drawing in a short amount of time in order to capture the general likeness of still life or moving objects.
A visual art form of utmost significance to understanding the material culture of both ancient civilizations and the societies of today, the art of ceramics is closely tied to drawing, sculpting, and design in its history and practical nature. Learning to work with ceramic materials broadens students’ scope of artistic skill and expression.
The signature genre of traditional China, Chinese painting is one of the oldest traditions among the world’s visual art disciplines. Aided by knowledge of East Asian aesthetics and expressive styles, students will undergo practicum in the gong-bi (precise brushstroke painting) style of Chinese art.
Students will create works using watercolor, oil, and acrylic paint, applying prior knowledge of color, perspective, and composition.
A practicum in Adobe suite software in which students create digital images and master image processing techniques essential to the design and media industries.
A practicum in video production/editing, animation, videography, and screenwriting.
The practice of creating decorative devices via a plethora of raw materials and semi-manufactured products. Students apply concepts of color and form, their manual skills, and their creativity to construct self-designed projects.
Students will learn to design stage sets with consideration to performance context, purpose, and stage type. They will design props, scenery, and lighting; produce scaled drawings/models; and construct these pieces for annual showcases.
Grades Offered: 10, 11, 12
The AP Art History course welcomes students into the global art world as active participants, engaging with its forms and content as they research, discuss, read, and write about art, artists, art making, and responses to and interpretations of art. The study of art history invites students to discover the diversity in and connections among forms of artistic expression throughout history and from around the globe.
Grades Offered: 10, 11, 12
The AP Art and Design program consists of three different courses and AP Portfolio Exams—AP 2-D Art and Design, AP 3-D Art and Design, and AP Drawing—corresponding to college and university foundations courses. Students may choose to submit any or all of the AP Portfolio Exams. Students create a portfolio of work to demonstrate inquiry through art and design and development of materials, processes, and ideas over the course of a year. Portfolios include works of art and design, process documentation, and written information about the work presented.
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Chinese (China) 
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