Bachelor of Fine Art

INTRODUCTION TO THE BACHELOR OF FINE ART PROGRAMME

Curriculum for a Bachelor of Fine Art degree

Course catalogue autumn 2007 (pdf)

Three-year course (180 credits)

The bachelor’s programme in fine art is an original, standalone course which aims to provide individual students with a sufficient grounding in the subject to establish themselves as independent pictorial artists using the skills they have developed.

The major areas of study are art theory, painting, photography and film/video, sculpture/installation/performance, and digital art. Within the framework of these subjects, the course provides an introduction to art-related theoretical subjects, specialisation by means of professionally oriented courses and seminars providing an introduction to artistic tools and methods, and practical work including the student’s own studio work.

On completion of the course, the student will have the necessary skills to apply for a master’s course at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts or another institution. The bachelor’s programme in fine art allows students to develop an individual artistic style as well as an understanding of how their artistic integrity can function as a powerful and integral element of modern society.

The course is varied, complex and flexible, in order to relate to an art scene in constant flux and promote a conceptual understanding of what an artistic creation entails. Emphasis is placed on intellectual, methodological and analytical skills. The technical side of the programme teaches students how to work with and realise their knowledge and ability in many different areas of society. Some parts of the course can be taken abroad via the Academy’s exchange programmes.

The first semester comprises a set of compulsory and elective subjects, while the remainder of the course is more open in structure. The course is based on different working and teaching methods, ranging from lectures to individual work. The students’ practical work is at the heart of the course and is supported by various forms of supervision, both individually and in groups, and by the theoretical instruction which lays the foundations for intellectual development.

Art theory
Art theory includes art history and other humanistic and aesthetic disciplines such as philosophy, psychoanalysis, semiology and media theory, with art theory and aesthetic practice always being seen in relation to each other. The theoretical instruction is intended to develop methodological and analytical skills, as well as the students’ understanding of their own artistic output in society.

Painting
Painting is the two-dimensional representation of artistic subjects. It occupies a unique position as the ‘memory’ of modern art, and plays a basic role in the study of fine art.

Photography and video/film
Photography and video/film are the most prominent two-dimensional forms of representation, both as main components within the media and as documentation and means of expression within art. As a medium for artistic expression they can function both as a tool for representation and as a piece of art in their own right.

Sculpture/installation/performance
Sculpture is the three-dimensional representation of artistic subjects. Problems of space and form are important areas of study.

The way in which installation art has extended the concept of sculpture reveals the need for a wider register of meanings opening the way for multimedia solutions.

Performance/happening is a three-dimensional representation which involves scenic positioning of the subject within the work.

Digital art
Art conveyed through technology. Artists working within this field often take an interdisciplinary approach. The artistic expression can be conveyed via a number of forms from picture editing to robotics. We offer conceptual, aesthetic instruction in data technology, images, video and sound manipulation, 3D modelling, animation, programming, web technology, mobile media, interfacing, various interactive tools and ‘real-time’ technologies. 

Admission
Applicants are required to hold a general university admission certificate and pass an entrance examination. The entrance examination is in two parts. In the first stage, applicants are required to submit a portfolio. A limited number of applicants then proceed to the second stage, which comprises a practical examination completed at the Academy over a week.

All candidates who reach the second stage will be interviewed. Students are admitted to the course as a whole, irrespective of technique and materials used. Approx. 25 students are admitted each year. The closing date for applications is 1 April each year. The entrance examination for the course is held during June. An application form is available to download from www.khio.no, or by contacting the Seksjon for studier og etterutdanning at KHiO.

For students: Individual study plan (pdf)
Please fill out the form and return it to Berit Andresen in the Administration by 15th August 2007.

QUESTIONS

Do you have questions regarding the study programme, please contact the Departement of Academic Affairs

Telephone: (+47) 22 99 55 00

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