The Painting Concentration embodies the significant cornerstones of studio practice: visual literacy, aesthetic understanding, and technical skills. Painting students explore a broad range of materials, media, techniques, processes, and genres in its representational and non-representational approaches to art making. The Painting Concentration emphasizes current theories, methods, and studio practices found in contemporary painting and the art world.
The Painting Concentration faculty is diverse, spanning a broad range of styles and approaches in both their personal work and teaching. The faculty encourages our students to participate in dialogues with them and with their peers. For more information about Painting Concentration faculty: Professors Jennifer Meanley, Mariam Stephan, and Michael Ananian please visit the School of Art Directory and their websites: jenniferhmeanley.com, mariamstephan.com, and michaelfananian.com.
Although there is a concentration in Drawing and Printmaking, Painting Concentration students must take many drawing courses because the painting faculty thinks drawing is a permanent, essential, and characteristic attribute of painting , fundamental to a painting education and a painter’s practice.
Foundation-level painting courses focus on an understanding of pictorial principles and design using observational drawing from still life, landscape, interior and invented motifs. Intermediate-level courses continue the use of observational painting. At this level through Life Drawing 1 and 2, students study the human body, its structure and form, while also exploring its relationship to broader issues of drawing and painting, such as composition, design and color. Advanced-level courses concentrate on the exploration of ideas and visual imagery to develop and encourage personal expression.
List of Courses
The Painting Area Concentration requires these courses.
At the bottom of this webpage is a “Suggested Course Schedule,” which is a semester-by-semester recommended course of study for the Painting Concentration that can be completed in four years’ time.
UNCG requires a total of 120 semester/credit hours of courses, course in the major and university-required MAC courses, to graduate. For more information and descriptions about each course listed below—and any course in the university—please consult the following link: Undergraduate Course Bulletin.
For students entering UNCG 2025-2026, these core courses are required for the Painting concentration. All other students should check the appropriate Undergraduate Course Bulletin.
- Foundations Program (27 s.h.)
- 4 Art History (ARH) courses above the 100 level (12 semester hours)
- The following required courses (24 semester hours):
- ART 221 – Life Drawing 1
(Prerequisites: ART 220, Intermediate Drawing)
- ART 232 – Painting 1
(Prerequisites: ART 220)
- ART 321 – Life Drawing 2
(Prerequisites: ART 221)
- ART 322 – Variable Topics in Drawing
Prerequisites: ART 220)
- ART 335 – Painting 2
(Prerequisites: ART 232)
- ART 337 – Painting 3
(Prerequisites: ART 335)
- ART 420 – Advanced Drawing
(Prerequisites: ART 220, ART 221, ART 322)
- ART 482 – Capstone Painting
(Prerequisites: ART 321, ART 322, ART 337)
- 2 Printmaking courses from the selection below (Course perquisites in parentheses):
- ART 324 – Screen Printing & Monoprint
(Prerequisites ART 220, Intermediate Drawing)
- ART 326 – Printmaking 1
(Prerequisites ART 220, Intermediate Drawing)
- ART 328 – Printmaking 2
(Prerequisites ART 326, Printmaking 1)
- ART 329 – Lithography 1
(Prerequisites: ART 220, Intermediate Drawing or ART 240 Foundations in New Media and Design 2)
- ART 428 – Etching 2
(Prerequisites: ART 328, Printmaking 2)
- ART 429 – Lithography 2
(Prerequisites: ART 120, Fundamentals of Drawing or ART 140, Foundations in New Media and Design 1 AND ART 329, Lithography 1)
- ART 427 – Printmaking & Drawing Capstone I
(Prerequisites: ART 322 or ART 328)
The Painting Concentration requires four Art or Related Elective Courses. These courses can be in any Concentration of the Studio Art Program, or they may be in Art Education, Arts Administration, Art History, Music, Theatre, Dance, Interior Architecture, Media Studies or any combination of these courses.
Below are some popular Elective Courses:
- Printmaking courses
- Arts Administration courses (Prior permission of the instructor needed).
- ART 322, Variable Topics in Drawing may be taken a second time as an elective course.
- ART 393, Practicum/Internship in Art Careers
- This is an undergraduate course that develops career skills and goals. The supervising instructor and School of Art Director must give written approval. These practicums typical involve a third party or sponsor, in which case that party must approve, too, and include a written agreement of expectations.
- ART 496, Special Problems Studio
- This is an undergraduate independent study course, in which the student may choose the professor with whom they want to work, and with that professor determines the course content, etc. (Prior permission of the instructor needed).
BFA Exhibition Requirement: All seniors enrolled in the BFA Programs must exhibit their work in the annual BFA Exhibition in their last semester at UNCG. These exhibitions occur twice-a-year: the end of the Fall and Spring semesters.
First Year
Foundation Program in Studio Art
Semester I
- ART 105: Foundations Seminar
- ARH 110: Survey of Global Art Histories 1:Paleolithic Era to 1000 C.E.
- ART 120: Fundamentals of Drawing
- ART 140: Foundations in New Media and Design 1
- ART 150: Three-Dimensional Foundations
Semester II
- ARH 111: Survey of Global Art Histories 2: 1000 C.E. to 1800 C.E.
- ART 220: Intermediate Drawing
- ART 240: Foundations in New Media and Design 2
- ART 353: Metal Casting
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
Second Year
Semester III
- ARH Course: Art History, 200 level or higher
- ART 221: Life Drawing 1
- ART 232: Painting 1
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
Semester IV
- ARH Course: Art History, 200 level or higher
- ART 321: Life Drawing 2
- ART 335: Painting 2
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
Third Year
Semester V
- ARH Course: Art History, 200 level or higher
- ART 322: Variable Topics in Drawing
- ART 337: Painting 3
- ART/Printmaking: 1st of the 2 required Printmaking courses for the Painting Concentration
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
Semester VI
- ARH Course: Art History, 200 level or higher
- ART 420: Advanced Drawing
- ART Elective: Printmaking or Drawing or with the Studio Art Program
- ART/Printmaking: 2nd of the 2 required Printmaking courses for the Painting Concentration
- MAC: MAC or UNCG/university required course
Fourth Year
Semester VII
- ART 482: Capstone Painting
- ART Elective: Printmaking or Drawing or with the Studio Art Program
- ART Elective or MAC course
- ART Elective or MAC course
- ART Elective or MAC course
Semester VIII
- ART Elective: Printmaking or Drawing or with the Studio Art Program
- ART Elective: Printmaking or Drawing or with the Studio Art Program
- ART Elective or MAC course
- ART Elective or MAC course
- ART Elective or MAC course
