Critical Explorations with Tom Csaszar: The Directness of Visual Art
The emotion, thought, and narrative of a visual work of art is taken in all at once by the viewer and reader of the image. This is true whether the visual work is grounded in representing observed details or in abstracted elements of vision, as well as combinations of these.
The power and relevance of a visual artwork—emotionally, narratively, and in terms of visual interest—resides in the structure of the image, the elements and episodes of the work in relation to each other and the whole image. From one work to the next, the accomplishment and careful tuning of one element to the next in a visual work is both poetic and musical.
We will explore these aspects of our artwork in this workshop: first, by looking at and discussing three to five works each person brings in, and second by hands-on artmaking to continue developing our insights.
We will also look at artwork on view in the Cerulean galleries to explore how they are relevant to our work.
Ideal for artists of all levels in all media including oil, acrylic, watercolor, and gouache.
View/download the Materials/Information Sheet
View/download the Cerulean Arts Class & Policy Guide
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Fee: $95
Register by: February 13 (space is limited)
** Sign up with a friend and receive 10% off both registrations. Use discount code ClassWinter26 at checkout.
An artist, writer, and lecturer based in Philadelphia, Tom Csaszar has been on the graduate faculties of the University of the Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for over twenty years. He has written numerous pieces over the last twenty-six years for The Journal of Art, Artnews, Art in America, American Crafts, The New Art Examiner, Sculpture, Title Magazine.com, Artcritical.com and various gallery catalogues. His paintings have been shown regionally and locally for over thirty-five years. A Contributing Editor of The New Art Examiner from 1993 - 2001, he is a member of the International Association of Art Critics, and the College Art Association. He has developed and taught seminars in graduate programs at the University of the Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts since 2000.