Fine Arts Curriculum

The fine arts are studied at WCC in the conviction, developed by philosophers since antiquity, that beauty is always a manifestation of the inner reality of things and is intuited even by those who are not philosophizing. Art is an essential component in God’s plan, being man’s own participation in the disclosure of being, truth and goodness to himself. The fine arts–those that produce things to be enjoyed in their own right, rather than as means to some other end–have evolved through history, deepening their own contribution to human self-understanding. Architecture and sculpture, other visual arts and music, are presented in terms of their principles, with attention to cultural, philosophical, and theological implications.

In the Music curriculum, freshmen are immersed in a lived experience of choral music, learning the integral elements of singing and music-reading through a variety of genres. Later, juniors take up elementary music theory (rhythm, melody, and harmony; tonality; the diversity of forms and styles in both vocal and instrumental music), while compassing a music-historical survey of the Western tradition from ancient Greece to the mid-20 th century. The special role of music in divine worship is addressed via the historical record and the Church’s magisterium.

In the Visual Arts curriculum, seniors become acquainted with the principles and praxis of Western painting, sculpture and architecture from antiquity to the 19th century, along with a more limited exploration of the recent past. The historical development of these art forms is examined in the light of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, all ordered ultimately toward man’s “journey unto God.”

For more information about our Fine Arts curriculum and a complete list of courses, see our Academic Catalog.