Running Head: ARTHUR WESLEY DOW
Arthur Wesley Dow Nancy Jones University of Florida
ARTHUR WESLEY DOW 2 Introduction Arthur Wesley Dow (1912) states, “The true purpose of art teaching is the education of the whole people for appreciation” (p.1). Dow’s experiences in art education during his years as a young man influenced him to seek out a new way to teach art. The result of his dedication and hard work is found in three books about both creating and teaching art. To better understand the methods of Dow, I researched his history and studied his textbook Composition. This paper will discuss Dow’s influences, motivations, publications, and my personal experience of working through his books. History Arthur Wesley Dow was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts on April 6th, 1857 (“Arthur Wesley Dow,” 2016). Betty Lou Williams (2013) writes about Dow’s education. In 1884, he traveled to Europe to study art at the Academie Julian in Paris. He lived there for 5 years before moving back to Ipswich where he established the Ipswich Summer School of Art in 1891. Dow began the study of Japanese art. In 1893, he became the assistant curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts where he worked with Ernest Fenollosa. Many of Dow’s education theories came from the study of Japanese art and his work with Fenollosa. They remained friends until Fenollosa’s death in 1908 (Williams, 2013). Although, Dow’s education at the Academie Julian and his encounter with Fenollosa influenced his teaching theories and methods, his career in education is what helped spread his ideas. Dow’s career began at the Ipswich Summer School of Art and ended at the Teachers College at Columbia University. In a thirty-year span, he would teach future artists and art teachers his art theories that focus on line, notan (a Japanese term for dark-light), and color. Dow began teaching at Pratt Institute in 1895, and then at the Art Students League in New York City
ARTHUR WESLEY DOW 3 in 1898. He later taught at both schools from 1899 to 1903. He started at the Teachers College at Columbia University as an art education professor in 1904 and chaired the Art Department until 1922 (Williams, 2013). According to Williams (2013), “Dow’s primary artistic concern was to formulize rules of composition and dark and light contrast based on a blending of Asian and Western aesthetics” (p. 108). Dow’s career in art education gave him an ideal platform to express his ideas on composition to training art teachers. He published his books Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers in 1899 and revised in 1914, Theory and Practice of Teaching Art in 1912, and Composition: Understanding Line, Notan, and Color in 1920. His books spread his ideas and methods all over the country. Changing Art Education Dow’s (1912) explanation of academic teaching is, “If the fundamental principle of academic art teaching could be stated in a phrase, it would be ‘First, learn to draw’…” (p. 2) The student of the academy would learn that representation is above all and design comes second, and the goal was to learn to draw. Dow (1912) called his method “Synthetic Teaching” (p. 4). His focus was to teach the three elements of line, notan (dark-light), and color using design. Dow explains, “Skill in drawing will now be sought as a means of expression, not considered as an end in itself” (p. 4). His curriculum is designed to work in stages; first is line, then notan, and finally color. Nature is a typical subject matter, which goes against the academy’s imitation of historical masters. Much of Dow’s book, Theory and Practice of Teaching Art, discourages imitation and encourages power through knowledge of the elements and principles of design. Composition was Dow’s first published textbook. He designed it to go through each element with various exercises. Along with the elements, there are exercises in different compositions. As the book progresses, each exercise pulls knowledge from the previous exercise.
ARTHUR WESLEY DOW 4 The method is scientific and methodical. Dow (1912) states, “The intention has been to reveal sources of power; to show the student how to look within for the greatest help; to teach him not to depend on externals, not to lean too much on anything or anybody” (p. 157). The focus is the knowledge gained and not the end result. My Experience I was inspired by Arthur Wesley Dow’s theories, so I decided to go through Composition using a journal and notes. Before beginning, my assumptions were that there would be a fair amount of drawing with pencil or charcoal, that the exercises would be boring, and I would be able to finish the book in a few days. I am familiar with the modern version of the elements and principles of design. They vary among art teachers but contain very similar ideas. I started at the very beginning of Composition and took notes and did the exercises. His elements seemed similar at first, but his instruction and explanations contained much more detail than I experienced in my personal art education. Line The first element is line. The exercises required Japanese brush and ink. I was not expecting a line exercise with ink. The exercises were fun and took some getting used to. My results felt rushed, but that is probably because I realized that this book was going to push my time limits. Dow covers basics like forms of composition and positioning lines to create harmony. Composition and harmony are points that he stresses often. Notan The first thing to learn is that notan is not shading or a value scale. In the beginning, the work is done with black and white, but no gray. Next, using two values. They can be two grays, black and gray, white and gray, or black and white. Then, three values and more. The notan
ARTHUR WESLEY DOW 5 exercises include line and how to best combine line to create harmony in notan. Each element builds on to the next. Color Dow does note that color theory is still not well understood and that artists, teachers, and critics have varying opinions. He does approach the subject from the view of creating harmony. As stated earlier, harmony is a consistent theme. The classifications of color are hue, notan (value), and intensity. Dow (1912) explains, “This simple classification reduces the perplexities that beset the student, by showing him where to look for the cause of failure” (p. 128). The exercises include a color wheel (Dow does not include orange), scales of notan and chroma, and combining colors to create harmony. It seems tedious, but the study helped me to understand color in a new way. Overall, the study of Composition was challenging and rewarding for me as an artist and art teacher. His ideas and exercises are not extravagant, but simple and meaningful. I enjoyed the logical nature of Dow’s lessons. Conclusion Arthur Wesley Dow has been called the “The pioneer of the elements and principles…” (Walkup, 2001, p. 23). He experienced the traditional academic organization during his studies in Paris, but he must felt there had to be a more efficient and appreciative way. Dow’s desire to change the instruction of art education motivates his actions and through a series of events, leads him to Ernest Fenollosa. With Fenollosa’s influence, Dow created a logical art education curriculum that became popular during his time. His career helped spread his ideas and practice what he believed. I enjoyed getting to know how Dow preferred art to be taught and learned. The
ARTHUR WESLEY DOW 6 effects of Dow’s work are still in the classroom today when art students all over the country study the elements and principles of design. References Arthur Wesley Dow. (2016, February 21). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25th, 2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Wesley_Dow&oldid=706104828 Dow, A. W. (1912). Theory and Practice of Teaching Art (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College, Columbia University. Dow, A. W. (1914). Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers (9th ed.). Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company. Jones, R. L. (1974). Aesthetic education: Its historical precedents. Art Education, 27(9), 13-16 Walkup, N. (2001). Arthur Wesley Dow: The father of foundations. School Arts, 101(1), 23. Williams, B.L. (2013). Japanese aesthetic influences on early 20th-century art education: Arthur Wesley Dow and Ernest Fenollosa. Visual Arts Research, 39(2), 104-115.