studio art teaching: atomistic or holistic

National Art Education Association

Studio Art Teaching: Atomistic or HolisticAuthor(s): Maynard GunterSource: Art Education, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Jan., 1985), pp. 17-19Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3192904 .

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Studio Art Teaching: Atomistic or Holistic

In this article . . Gunter analyzes two opposing strategies for structuring and

teaching art education. "Why are

foundations of effective studio art

. . . often structured and taught in a highly atomistic

form? . . . Why not structure and teach basic drawing and

design in a holistic, and therefore highly

appropriate and productive form?"

Maynard Gunter

Wt hatever else may charac- terize the underlying nature of quality studio art works, it seems wide-

ly agreed that all such works are created as functioning organic wholes, not as mere assemblies of unrelated, self- contained parts. They involve balanced systems of highly interactive components that constitute whole works greater than the sum of their elemental parts. As such, the underlying character of quality studio art works is thoroughly holistic in nature.

Given such a nature, why are foundations of effective studio art and art making, i.e., basic drawing and design, often structured and taught in a highly

atomistic form? Learning content is presented as a series of detached, isolated parts, such as perspective exercises, value scales, color wheels, and design elements. These parts are being taught and learned separately, removed from the context of organically whole art works where they must ultimately be applied. Can such atomistic means ever lead to the desired ends of effective holistic art and art making? Why not structure and teach basic drawing and design in a holistic, and therefore highly appropriate and productive form?

Atomistic and Holistic Strategies The preceding views represent two opposing strategies for structuring and teaching studio art. These may be respectively termed, atomistic and holistic.

Atomistic Strategies In an atomistic strategy, simplification needed for teaching and learning of complex wholes of basic drawing and design is obtained by dividing learning contents into various component parts, addressed one at a time. By such piecemeal means, learning content is thus atomistically structured, taught, and learned and later presumed to transfer to the making of art works.

Holistic Strategies In an holistic strategy, the need for content simplification is also recog- nized as is the organic wholeness of such content. It further recognizes that resulting interrelationships among these parts are not only extremely critical but also complex, subtle, and difficult for students to learn. Therefore, content parts are treated simultaneously in organically whole art works where these more difficult interrelationships and various individual parts may all be addressed in context.

By such integrated means, learning content is thus holistically structured, taught, and learned and, consequently, transferred to the making of art works.

Atomistic and Holistic Strategies in the Classroom It is in actual classroom practice that atomistic and holistic strategies can be most fully defined and understood, directly tested and validated, and readily compared. A concrete example of such practice involves atomistic and holistic drawing units graphically illustrated in the accompanying chart. As a basis for comparison, basic outlines for both units are shown in relation to each other and to their common body of content. The atomistic unit is a composite of various atomistic drawing activities typically employed in high school art classes. The holistic unit is a specific drawing unit taught by the author in Art I classes and by others. The common body of learning content represents the complex whole of basic drawing simplified into 11 major parts typically used in basic drawing units.

Atomistic and Holistic Strategies and Content Structures Compared The nature and comparative merits of atomistic and holistic strategies and their resulting content structures can be more fully identified and understood by examining five key factors. Fore- most among these is the way in which the major content parts have been dealt with in each unit.

The atomistic unit. It is evident, from the boxes outlining the 11 atomistic drawing activities, that the total body of learning content has been par- celed precisely with each of the 11, ana- lytically derived parts in the content outline. As such, these activities tend to be abstract, compartmentalized, in-

Art Education January 1985

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dependently designed, and only loosely related and sequenced. Except for the more broadly based still life study at the end, most of them involve narrow art exercises. Thus, drawing content is largely reduced to a set of isolated, detached parts.

This atomistic structure is analogous to a multi-layered club sandwich being sliced with, rather than across, the layers! Piecemeal servings of one detached layer at a time are produced in total disruption of the whole. The intended richness of a complete cross- section is reduced to a series of bland single layers.

The holistic unit. In contrast, it is evident that the total body of learning content has been sliced precisely across the parts in the four holistic drawing activities. Thus, all such parts become available as integrated components of whole art works and art learning activities. Such parts are thus learned in the context of their natural relationships and in increasingly complex works.

The preceding structure is analogous to a club sandwich being sliced across rather than with the layers. The richness of multiple layers is thus preserved. Instead of detached, isolated parts, content becomes integrated within a set of four, progressively complex, fully functioning wholes.

Critical Differences in Content Servings If the same content is "sliced" into two opposing kinds of servings, what critical differences result? There is a critical difference in the amount of study time and learning context that each kind of serving provides for mastering a given learning content. Consider, for example, the critical matter of value.

Study time and learning context. In an atomistic unit, less than one-half of the time and activities involve value. In most of these, value is learned in narrow exercises including the making of typical value scales. In the holistic unit, all of the time and activities involve value and are in the form of whole art works. The needed practice and exper- ience with given content is still provided, but in a more motivating context and activity. No value scales are involved in any of these activities, yet value experiences are richer, naturally addressed, motivating, and more effec- tively learned. In particular, consider values involved in drawing a ping pong

ball, gray spool of thread, and domino included in the third activity. Such drawings require value scales of im- mensely richness, depth, subtlety, and import.

Repetition with variation. A second critical difference concerns the learning principle of repetition with variation. In a holistic unit, the principle is effec- tively and consistently applied by the content involved. Repetition stems from four successive experiences in the art making process and in most of the 11 parts done across the four unit activities. Variation comes in these activities from differing subject matters and their increasing substance, complexity, and challenge.

Miniaturization. Another critical difference involves miniaturization. In its application, students work small. Thus, instead of 18 x 24 drawings of large objects as in the still life in the atomistic unit, three 6 x 9 drawings of small objects are used. Miniaturization is thus provided by the small size of both paper and subject. What about the much feared student tightness presumed to stem from such work? In actual classroom practice, it does not develop in either students' present or subsequent work. Some kinds of small work are entirely appropriate in art, such as life-sized pencil drawings of small objects.

The extensive use of such miniaturization has proven to be artistically sound, as well as extremely useful and productive. Students can learn the same content faster and easier and with time saved for additional learning activities. Given art students' typical im- patience and artistic underdevelop- ment, miniaturization becomes an extremely valuable learning tool for both needed remediation and additional new areas of study.

Telescoping. In the atomistic unit, content is strung out across several small, separate activities each involving one major content part. In contrast, a holistic unit telescopes all parts into just a few, cumulative learning activities. This provides more economical and effective use of time while allowing parts to be learned in their natural context.

Tempo. It seems readily apparent that the atomistic unit's serving of separate parts produces an unbroken stac- cato of short-term learning activities. Over the span of a unit, these can become tedious and disintegrating to students and teachers alike. In con-

trast, a holistic unit provides a coherent, integrated set of learning activities that are characterized by chang- ing tempos. These begin with a short, allegro paced activity to engage and stimulate. Succeeding activities lengthen and slow until reaching an an- dante or large movement in the last, four-week composition drawing. This slowing tempo is accompanied by a mounting crescendo of genuine student learning and accomplishment that is both integrating and enlivening. Students become more genuinely and deeply involved in art, and their highest aspirations are more fully realized.

Manageable Portions Another critical difference involves the matter of manageable portions. Any complex of art learning content must somehow be simplified and served in appropriately sized portions for student assimilation.

In an atomistic unit, such simplification is readily attained, but in a holistic unit content is structured in wholes. Would this preclude content simplification? It may, but if content were served in simple wholes it may not. For example, in Activity 1, the ice cream cone drawing is a manifestly simple whole, yet it involves nearly all 11 content parts. Thus, these parts are holistically experienced yet simple to handle and learn. But what of the remaining activities that are increasingly complex? Because such progression is essential, simplification must now be achieved by the use of simple increments!

This is achieved by having the incre- ment in any given activity apportioned in relation to what students have already learned. Though particular content increments across holistic activities may seem steep, classroom ex- perience confirms that they remain simple in effect. As students progress through holistic learning activities, new learning builds on past learning, and simplicity is maintained.

Covering All Bases Because in Figure 1, the atomistic unit has 11 activities and the holistic unit only 4, the atomistic unit may appear to cover more content. But overlay of the unit outline upon the content outline shows that the same 11 parts are covered by both. Within each of

Art Education January 1985 18



ATOMISTIC AND HOLISTIC STRATEGIES FOR CONTENT STRUCTURE AS ILLUSTRATED IN ATOMISTIC AND HOLISTIC DRAWING UNITS SHOWN IN RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND TO THEIR COMMON BODY OF LEARNING CONTENT

COMMON BODY OF LEARNING CONTENT ELEVEN MAJOR PARTS OF THE COMPLEX WHOLE OF BASIC ORAWING TYPICALLY INCLUDED IN BASIC DRAWING UNITS

VISUAL AWAkNESS LINE SHAPE VALUE TEXTURE PENCIL TECHNIQUES POSG E SPACE CONTOUR RING LINEAR PERSPECTIVE LIGHT A SHADE SUBJECT TYPES

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/^ ,~ IO~GUNIT LEARNING ACTIVITIES IN A SEVEN WEEK SERR-ECEI I I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |. ^ BSERVATn^fiA^ p XP'RESSIVE INE

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H 0 L II S T. I Q R A T N I UN C E IN A LTHE ELEVEN MAJOR CONTENT PARTS AS HOLISTICALLY INTEGRATED COWONENTS IN EACH WHOLE DRAWIG I

'I "SINGLE OBJECT MEMORY DRAWING NESS LINE WSH!^*B t"> ' *lt "* 'APE VAUE EXTRE PENCILTECHNIQUES POS/INEG"

^ SPC OT1R RWN IER ESETV LGTADSAE UJC YE

each of 3 or more sheets of 6x9 paper- Via need to recall Used in delinea- Size. proportion, Via rendering of Via rendering Known ones used. Largely or wholly Involved in mak- Minimal to none Minimal to none Use of still life I ung pencil and no background, students I all past visual ting edges of contour of shapes object's recalled tactile qualities New ones learned precluded when ing initial line depending on on most simple as subject matter chose and draw. as a visually whole ~ perceptions of forms and shapes in outlines of local values in of surfaces or invented as only one object drawing of the student choice objects, partecu- type stemming

entity, one simple object, e.g.. an ice ; closen objects and in treatment object and its varying degrees, including kind, needed with accom- is to be drawn object's shapes of objects.1arly if quite from the smaII cream cone, which they think they can | and to depict of some details parts-must be re- placements, and degree, density, panying psycho- and remaining and forms. flat. Depends on inanimate kinds

st depict from memory only. these an aper. and textures. called and drawn. relationships. and distribution. motor development. paper left blank. student choice; of objects drawn.

2 SINGLE OBJECT OBSERVATION OWRAING VISUAL AWARENESS LINE SHAPE VALUE TEXTURE PENCIL TECHNIQUES POS/NEG SPACE CONTOURDAWING LINEAR PERSPECTIVE LIGHT AND SHADE SUBJET'TYPES- '

-On each of I or more sheets of 6x9 paper-- I --As in the above memDry drawings, the eleven major content parts in the present observation drawings all continue to function in full holistic integration within a single, whole art work. using pencil and no backgrouna nd as N I Ibas on self-selected learning goals derived -Past skil used in the memory drawings continue to be employed here. They are thus sharpened, reinforced, and more fully integrated within a single, organically whole drawing competency for each student. As a result, from self-evaluation of their past memory jj__ such skills have the highest probability of being fully internalized, retained, and transferred.

drains,a ?studênts choose and dr lawa

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New skills andl a progrssively higher ability level are also demanded and employed. These stem from the richer, more precise visual information available through the direct observation of the objects being drawn. RisualNy wAea eatiRy, oRe silei past Rbjcat, e.g., key, which they thT-i the) -The above repetition of previous activity skills being continued here plus the variation of having new objects to draw, a new technique of direct observation, and new drawing skills all combine to promote the most

-can fully depict from direct observation.- effective kind of student motivation as well as student art learning.

3 TRIPLE OBJECT OBSERVATION DRAWING ISUAL AWARENESS LINE SHAPE VALUETEXTURE PENCIL TECHNIUES POS/NEG SPACE CONTOU AING LINEAR PERSPECTIVE LIGHT AN SHAE SUECT TYPES I TETRE PNISUL AWAECNIQES PSNGSPC CONTOUR DRAWING L~-INEAR%PRSPECTIVE LIGHT AND SHADE SUBECTE TYPES...

-On 1 sheet of 6x9 paper using pencil and, no background and based on self-selected -As in the preceding two drawing activities, the eleven major content parts in the present triple object drawings all continue to function in full holistic integration within a single, whole art work. learning goals derivedAfromself-evaluation of past observation drawings, stu- -Past skills used in the memory and observation drawings are cumulatively employed here. They continue being sharpened, reinforced, and more fully integrated within whole student drawing competencies and maintaining the dents choose and draw, as visually whole highest probability of full internalization, retention, and transfer. entities within one whole group, 3

-

Increasingly complex3- objects, e.g., I -New skills and a progressively higher ability level are also demanded and employed. These stem from various additional challenges Inc luding the drawing of three objects Instead of one and the use of linear perspective, ping pong ball, gray spool of thread, a full range of local values, and numerous nuances of light and shade. domino, arranged as one group on a dark AANRAA,BBARAIAIRBNIBRNBBIANP I paper base and which they think they | -The prior repetition with variation for effective student motivation and learning continues on in the present activity.

,-can best depict from direct observation | I. NApAB ~ ~ ' BARN..NBA..........NY.BAIRN....Y -T

NL--?-~-UQ-;- I - T - I ___ Ut I I I I- 4 MULTIPLE OBJECT PICTORIAL COPAOSITIO I VISUAL AWARENESS LINE SHAPE VALUE TEXTURE PENCIL TECHNIQUES POS/NEG SPACE CONTOR DRAWING LINEAR PERSPECTIVE LIGHT AND SHADE SUBJECT TYPES

RNSR-AN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~SUBECTATYPERS NAPRYRABl -On a sheet of 9x12 paper and based on -

derived from themes and subjects of 111

-As in all of the preceding drawing activities, the eleven major content parts in the present pictorial compositions all continue to function in full holistic Integration within a single, whole art work. deep personal interest and in view of newly attained drawing levels students i originate and draw a complete pictorial -Past skills used in all of the preceding drawing activities are cumulatively employed here. The sharpening, reinforcement, and integration within whole student drawing competencies continue together with the same high corNAposton. Subject matter is increas- probability of full internalization, retention, and transfer. ingly challenging in amount and complex- Nit, NA.g, peaopl, animNsN. struPcture, and is drawnin an apt exterior or inter- *New skills and progressively higher ability leve1sdare

also demanded and employed. These stem from various additional and steeply increased challenges. Such include shifts from drawing just three simple objects to or setting. All of these are fully drawing many objects of proliferating number anNd wie ranging complexity, from drawing virtually no background setting to drawing a complete pictorial setting, and from the use of purely representational or depictive

depicted as visually whole entities wlth- competencies to those of personal and artistic expression as well. in the whole pictorial coposition. Also, they tre--hat they think they can draw Rwel, bothAR enicAvelyA andAexpressPveIR y, AR Te prior repetition with variation for effective student motivation and learning again continues in the present activity. and what are available to draw via observation, observation sketches, memory, and

-nemory supplements.

?1NR3 NaNA Rn , SARI, Cedar Fas, Ia. AVISUAL AWARENESS LINE | SHAPE j VALUE TEXTURE | PENCIL TECHNIQUES | POS/REG SPACE CONTOUR DRAWING I LIEAR PERSPECTIVE I LIGHT AND SHADE SUBJECT TYPES

these parts, activity descriptions show that as many or more subparts are covered in the holistic unit. This is especially true in view of the interrelationships involved in a holistic unit that may not be addressed in an atomistic one.

Pinpointing Instruction In order to pinpoint instruction on specific content to be learned in a given activity, such content must be clearly identified. This is easily done in an atomistic unit; only one or a few content parts are included in any given activity. In a holistic unit, however, integration of all parts within a single activity may seem to preclude or inhibit

such identification. Nevertheless specific content instruction is given at the beginning of each holistic activity and throughout its course, but on dif- ferent terms. In holistic activities, initial group instruction is only needed for those new learning contents or elements being introduced. For those parts cumulating from prior activities, initial instruction was given at the time of their introduction. Newly added parts in an activity are thus distin- guished from previously cumulated ones.

Students' Holistic Studio Art Education From the preceding comparison of

atomistic and holistic strategies, it seems clear that a holistic strategy provides a highly appropriate means for teaching studio art. Such teaching motivates and empowers students in progressive growth and development in their studio art. Through a growing sense of genuine accomplishment, students become increasingly motivated and personally competent in making art. When such a strategy is integrated with other conditions for effective studio art learning, it provides a potent means for effective art teaching. U

Maynard Gunter is an art educator cur- rently residing in Denver, Colorado.

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studio art teaching: atomistic or holistic

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