Learning Activity

Background to the assignment: When we study culture, we are trying to identify the underlying values that are being expressed. Art offers us a very clear example of how cultures express ideas and values, and this assignment will ask you to look at Renaissance portraits with this in mind.

Description of the assignment: Go online and look at the following three Renaissance portraits: (1) Jan van Eyck, Man with a Red Turban (1433); (2) Domenico Ghirlandaio, Old Man with His Grandson (c. 1490); and (3) Raphael, The Woman with a Veil (1516). Pick one of these portraits and write a two-paragraph essay that (a) describes the painting in your own words, and (b) demonstrates the values and ideas of the Renaissance that are displayed in this painting. Make sure you connect your essay to the ideas discussed in the textbook. Your answer should be between 250-300 words. (Include your word count.) Value = 50 points.