This course aims to introduce students to the full range of materials and processes of painting. It provides opportunities for substantial skill development through extensive studio practice of different genres including portrait, landscape, still life and abstraction. The course also consolidates the technical expertise in painting including the understanding of the material quality of paint, the consideration of different painting supports, health and safety issues as well as the efficiency of studio practice.

The course also puts emphasis on examining how ideas and images are represented and explore how they relate to individual expression as well as social interpretation. Students will have opportunity to investigate the fundamental formal languages of painting through different exercises and will gain a solid understanding of the connection between form and content. Studio practice will be supported by lectures and tutorials, which purpose to investigate the debates surrounding the role of contemporary painting. Regular class discussions will also be held to examine the work of art by contemporary painters in terms of their cultural context and stylistic concern. At the end of the course, students will be equipped with preparation skills to discuss in oral and written forms the conceptual and visual elements in their paintings.