Richard Klank | PlanetTerp

Information	Review
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 01/18/2022	Professor Klank was an alright teacher. His lectures were confusing and hard to follow. Professor Klank was very nice and always asked for feedback on the texts we would read. I would not have made it through this class without the amazing TA. Although her communication was not the best, she was very understanding and tried her best to connect with the students during discussions. This course might be tricky for students who have a hard time analyzing old texts. But I would not recommend this course unless it is necessary. For discussions, we would have text that we need to read and then pick quotes from the text, share and analyze them to show our understanding. Also, do not buy any of the texts he recommends, you should be able to find all of them online for no money.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting a B Anonymous 03/29/2021	Such a nice guy and he has so many interesting things to say, except he only says interesting things, nothing relating to the class or the books we read. kinda wack and makes the class a lot harder than it should be
Richard Klank Jane Griffo 07/31/2016	Richard Klank is the best art teacher I have ever had. He is knowledgeable, great artist and he is always there for his students. He is one of the most interesting human beings I have ever met in my life. 10 years has past since my graduation and I still think he is the best. The ones who gave him a bad review do not know who he is and must know little about art,for sure.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A+ Anonymous 11/09/2015	I hace known him through a few classes, and both theoretical and studio work. Klank is a materialistic ego maniac with a dwarf complex that has left him baffled for the simple fact that he never made it to anything of artistic worth. It's simple: he made it to the art scene of abstract-expressionism when the movement was well out of the picture and very well saturated. In this sense, he could never possibily be an original artist and he certainly is not one now and will never be one in the future, if you'd assume that there is such thing imaginable for him. Due to these matters, his classes are filled with a thirst for confirmation. He spends hours of lectures trying to convince his students, who mostly are taking the class as a CORE requirement and don't give a shit, that he indeed is a great artist. His overt focus on mystic elements of art is also a result of his inferiority complex; an attempt to add a superficial layer of value to his otherwise dull and unbecoming character. He does have a good eye for art though. If you are an art student and can handle a pompous-for-no-good-reason teacher who would rather talk about himself most of the time, I suggest you befriend him and get his personal opinion on your work. He does not care for technique much but his understanding of color and composition is decent. He also knows the art market somewhat well because he used to buy art for rich people. BS and superficial mysticism as well as an attempt to talk to him about mental illness and the subconscious are the easiest tools to manipulate him with. He's certainly not a leader-type person therefore convincing him that you value his work and life is the key to get him to like you and speak highly of you. He is a bit of a creep but a harmless one nevertheless. Take his class, BS your way, agree with him, praise him, get his critique of your work, but then move on. He's not the kind of a professor that you can benefit from for more than one or two classes.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Anonymous 05/13/2014	Really wish I had gotten to take this course with a different professor. Klank is really unorganized and often changed due dates of assignments and would forget to tell all the sections. He has a terrible attitude and often would ask students for their opinions and then tell them they were wrong. When students expressed distress, he told them to stop trying and that he didn't care if anyone liked him because he had ten-year and couldn't be fired. I wish I had had a professor who cared about his students and his job instead of just being a crappy prof because he knew he could get away with it. This is really disappointing to me because the actual material and readings for this class are really interesting.
Richard Klank ARTT150 nhchoi 05/19/2013	I think this class could have been much more engaging thereby making the students more responsive to the material being taught. I was frustrated with the lack of structure in the class and the elusive requirements listed for assignments, that often times I didn't want to listen to Klank even though a lot of the things he said still rung something inside of me. The course material is very interesting and speaks to things that can be seen around you, but the way it is taught doesn't do the material justice.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A markdonohue4@gmail.com 11/20/2012	I am a business student and was worried going into this class (I only took it as a CORE class). Nearing the end of the semester, I have to say this is one of the greatest classes I have ever taken. If you are in college to actually learn about yourself and the world around you, I think this will be a great course to take. However, I think some students expect a simple outline of what they have to do to get an A in a class and they will do that minimum just to get that much closer to their degree. Not saying there is a problem with that, but that mindset limits learning and the real purpose of higher education. This is where I think most people get frustrated with Klank's teaching method. With that said, the work is not hard at all in the class, as far as work goes its probably one of the easiest classes I have ever taken. You can browse over the readings and say a few words in discussion classes and discussion exams and do fine. BUT this is the class where I have had to THINK the most... I have experienced news ways of thinking that relate to every aspect of my life, not just art.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 06/21/2011	Book is a waste of money. I BS'd the field trips and papers but apparently the TA's were all fools and didn't care much. Lecture was as exciting as watching paint dry. Paint that would talk to you every second with "I am now drying. ____% dried". None of the class cuties went to lecture, so it was just a nasty sausage fest that made me want to throw up. Consider taking it with another professor... Verdict: Klank - Jokester.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Lunar01 05/23/2011	This class will involve a lot of BS on your part, just to get that out of the way. The professor will go on a tangent every class so attending or not is up to you. However, the professor will literally read the exam answers on the class before the exams so you should definitely attend the class on those days. Discussions are required because they are a big part of your grade. You will have to make some questions about the readings and you will occasionally have discussion exams but they are nothing too difficult. The class is really easy so you should not having too much trouble if you do all your assignments.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/16/2010	I thought this class was pretty cool. I didn't realize how much theory was in the class, but it wasn't bad at all. The TA grades very easily. There is a LOT of reading to do, which I didn't do, but still managed to do very well in the class. You are assigned to go to museums in DC to see artwork, but I found some of the work interesting so it wasn't so grueling. Buy the books online or used at bookholders. His class might not make sense at first, but I began to understand things he was saying towards the end; the material is so simple, yet abstract. He does talk a lot about his life, which I think he plays up, but he seems to tie his stories into the class material. Overall, pretty good class and a nice teacher.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/19/2010	The guy was average as a professor and in general the class was really easy. Attendance was 33% of or grade. There are assigned seats as if we were all kids in gradeschool again. There are many exhibitions we need to go to over the course of the semester to write 2 midterm papers on. The exams are just his self-defined material on beauty, the spheres of mind, etc.. Everything was just so boring and idiotic in general. To be honest I only went to class because we had a rather beautiful and alluring TA. If she weren't TAing the course there would be no point in going anymore. That's how bad the class is in terms of excitement.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 05/13/2010	What complete BS. Do not take it if you're willing to sit hours on end and listen to his life stories. Every lecture consists of him in front of the class force-feeding the students to accept his ideals. Naturally a theory class is subjective, but prepare to have your opinions deflated into nothing because he's extremely pompous and arrogant. The course itself is complete trash. Utter nonsense words are used to describe the simplest terms. The TA's have no faith or interest in the class. There's ALOT of miscommunication and it's very unclear when assignments are due. The thing about it is that you WILL get an A if you go to these "discussion" exams, and exhibitions. Your paper grade will be based on the mood of the TA. If he's having a bad week, watch out. Midterm and final is okay since they go through all the garbage material with you, so all you have to do is memorize. REALLY difficult to enjoy the class and it's a COMPLETE waste of time. Consider taking Weil for this CORE. Klank is just ...ugh.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an F Anonymous 03/24/2010	Class is just pure nonsense. Everything is so naturally unnaturally idiotic. There are all these garbage terms one has to review, plenty of laughable exhibitions one has to go to, and jokester discussions and attendance that one must attend to avoid losing 1/3 of your grade over. TAs are not only uninterested in teaching the course, but they have the AUDACITY to give 64/90+ ppl a failing grade on the midterm paper. Do not take this class for a core. If you are an art or sociology major.... good luck. May your devastating journey net you a passing grade.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Anonymous 08/21/2009	He seems like a nice and cool guy, but I have problems with his class/teaching style. The TA had little interest in the class and there didn't seem to be much communication with him and Klank. REALLY difficult to get a concrete answer on what exactly the assignments were and when they were due; very unclear. Klank went on tangents ALL lecture then would try to cram in important actual information that was relevant to the class. Very, very difficult to take notes on his class, as most of the class is him telling stories (albeit usually interesting ones).
Richard Klank ARTT150 Expecting an A Anonymous 12/27/2008	The professor is very, very tangential. Essentially, his teaching style involves telling stories about his life, that often don't relate to course material. I also didn't care much for the course material, which was highly conceptual. For example, the class' definition of "form" was "the thing that makes the thing the thing that it is". He's very nice and a lenient grader, but I struggled to pay attention in lecture.
Richard Klank ARTT150 Anonymous 04/24/2008	AMAZING teacher- can make the most boring stuff interesting.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
01/18/2022

Professor Klank was an alright teacher. His lectures were confusing and hard to follow. Professor Klank was very nice and always asked for feedback on the texts we would read. I would not have made it through this class without the amazing TA. Although her communication was not the best, she was very understanding and tried her best to connect with the students during discussions. This course might be tricky for students who have a hard time analyzing old texts. But I would not recommend this course unless it is necessary. For discussions, we would have text that we need to read and then pick quotes from the text, share and analyze them to show our understanding. Also, do not buy any of the texts he recommends, you should be able to find all of them online for no money.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting a B
Anonymous
03/29/2021

Such a nice guy and he has so many interesting things to say, except he only says interesting things, nothing relating to the class or the books we read. kinda wack and makes the class a lot harder than it should be

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A+
Anonymous
11/09/2015

I hace known him through a few classes, and both theoretical and studio work. Klank is a materialistic ego maniac with a dwarf complex that has left him baffled for the simple fact that he never made it to anything of artistic worth. It's simple: he made it to the art scene of abstract-expressionism when the movement was well out of the picture and very well saturated. In this sense, he could never possibily be an original artist and he certainly is not one now and will never be one in the future, if you'd assume that there is such thing imaginable for him. Due to these matters, his classes are filled with a thirst for confirmation. He spends hours of lectures trying to convince his students, who mostly are taking the class as a CORE requirement and don't give a shit, that he indeed is a great artist. His overt focus on mystic elements of art is also a result of his inferiority complex; an attempt to add a superficial layer of value to his otherwise dull and unbecoming character. He does have a good eye for art though. If you are an art student and can handle a pompous-for-no-good-reason teacher who would rather talk about himself most of the time, I suggest you befriend him and get his personal opinion on your work. He does not care for technique much but his understanding of color and composition is decent. He also knows the art market somewhat well because he used to buy art for rich people. BS and superficial mysticism as well as an attempt to talk to him about mental illness and the subconscious are the easiest tools to manipulate him with. He's certainly not a leader-type person therefore convincing him that you value his work and life is the key to get him to like you and speak highly of you. He is a bit of a creep but a harmless one nevertheless. Take his class, BS your way, agree with him, praise him, get his critique of your work, but then move on. He's not the kind of a professor that you can benefit from for more than one or two classes.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Anonymous
05/13/2014

Really wish I had gotten to take this course with a different professor. Klank is really unorganized and often changed due dates of assignments and would forget to tell all the sections. He has a terrible attitude and often would ask students for their opinions and then tell them they were wrong. When students expressed distress, he told them to stop trying and that he didn't care if anyone liked him because he had ten-year and couldn't be fired. I wish I had had a professor who cared about his students and his job instead of just being a crappy prof because he knew he could get away with it. This is really disappointing to me because the actual material and readings for this class are really interesting.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

nhchoi
05/19/2013

I think this class could have been much more engaging thereby making the students more responsive to the material being taught. I was frustrated with the lack of structure in the class and the elusive requirements listed for assignments, that often times I didn't want to listen to Klank even though a lot of the things he said still rung something inside of me. The course material is very interesting and speaks to things that can be seen around you, but the way it is taught doesn't do the material justice.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
markdonohue4@gmail.com
11/20/2012

I am a business student and was worried going into this class (I only took it as a CORE class). Nearing the end of the semester, I have to say this is one of the greatest classes I have ever taken. If you are in college to actually learn about yourself and the world around you, I think this will be a great course to take. However, I think some students expect a simple outline of what they have to do to get an A in a class and they will do that minimum just to get that much closer to their degree. Not saying there is a problem with that, but that mindset limits learning and the real purpose of higher education. This is where I think most people get frustrated with Klank's teaching method. With that said, the work is not hard at all in the class, as far as work goes its probably one of the easiest classes I have ever taken. You can browse over the readings and say a few words in discussion classes and discussion exams and do fine. BUT this is the class where I have had to THINK the most... I have experienced news ways of thinking that relate to every aspect of my life, not just art.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
06/21/2011

Book is a waste of money. I BS'd the field trips and papers but apparently the TA's were all fools and didn't care much. Lecture was as exciting as watching paint dry. Paint that would talk to you every second with "I am now drying. ____% dried". None of the class cuties went to lecture, so it was just a nasty sausage fest that made me want to throw up. Consider taking it with another professor... Verdict: Klank - Jokester.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Lunar01
05/23/2011

This class will involve a lot of BS on your part, just to get that out of the way. The professor will go on a tangent every class so attending or not is up to you. However, the professor will literally read the exam answers on the class before the exams so you should definitely attend the class on those days. Discussions are required because they are a big part of your grade. You will have to make some questions about the readings and you will occasionally have discussion exams but they are nothing too difficult. The class is really easy so you should not having too much trouble if you do all your assignments.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/16/2010

I thought this class was pretty cool. I didn't realize how much theory was in the class, but it wasn't bad at all. The TA grades very easily. There is a LOT of reading to do, which I didn't do, but still managed to do very well in the class. You are assigned to go to museums in DC to see artwork, but I found some of the work interesting so it wasn't so grueling. Buy the books online or used at bookholders. His class might not make sense at first, but I began to understand things he was saying towards the end; the material is so simple, yet abstract. He does talk a lot about his life, which I think he plays up, but he seems to tie his stories into the class material. Overall, pretty good class and a nice teacher.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/19/2010

The guy was average as a professor and in general the class was really easy. Attendance was 33% of or grade. There are assigned seats as if we were all kids in gradeschool again. There are many exhibitions we need to go to over the course of the semester to write 2 midterm papers on. The exams are just his self-defined material on beauty, the spheres of mind, etc.. Everything was just so boring and idiotic in general. To be honest I only went to class because we had a rather beautiful and alluring TA. If she weren't TAing the course there would be no point in going anymore. That's how bad the class is in terms of excitement.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
05/13/2010

What complete BS. Do not take it if you're willing to sit hours on end and listen to his life stories. Every lecture consists of him in front of the class force-feeding the students to accept his ideals. Naturally a theory class is subjective, but prepare to have your opinions deflated into nothing because he's extremely pompous and arrogant. The course itself is complete trash. Utter nonsense words are used to describe the simplest terms. The TA's have no faith or interest in the class. There's ALOT of miscommunication and it's very unclear when assignments are due. The thing about it is that you WILL get an A if you go to these "discussion" exams, and exhibitions. Your paper grade will be based on the mood of the TA. If he's having a bad week, watch out. Midterm and final is okay since they go through all the garbage material with you, so all you have to do is memorize. REALLY difficult to enjoy the class and it's a COMPLETE waste of time. Consider taking Weil for this CORE. Klank is just ...ugh.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an F
Anonymous
03/24/2010

Class is just pure nonsense. Everything is so naturally unnaturally idiotic. There are all these garbage terms one has to review, plenty of laughable exhibitions one has to go to, and jokester discussions and attendance that one must attend to avoid losing 1/3 of your grade over. TAs are not only uninterested in teaching the course, but they have the AUDACITY to give 64/90+ ppl a failing grade on the midterm paper. Do not take this class for a core. If you are an art or sociology major.... good luck. May your devastating journey net you a passing grade.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Anonymous
08/21/2009

He seems like a nice and cool guy, but I have problems with his class/teaching style. The TA had little interest in the class and there didn't seem to be much communication with him and Klank. REALLY difficult to get a concrete answer on what exactly the assignments were and when they were due; very unclear. Klank went on tangents ALL lecture then would try to cram in important actual information that was relevant to the class. Very, very difficult to take notes on his class, as most of the class is him telling stories (albeit usually interesting ones).

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Expecting an A
Anonymous
12/27/2008

The professor is very, very tangential. Essentially, his teaching style involves telling stories about his life, that often don't relate to course material. I also didn't care much for the course material, which was highly conceptual. For example, the class' definition of "form" was "the thing that makes the thing the thing that it is". He's very nice and a lenient grader, but I struggled to pay attention in lecture.

Richard Klank
ARTT150

Anonymous
04/24/2008

AMAZING teacher- can make the most boring stuff interesting.