Paper Assignment: Compare & Contrast
Paper Assignment: Compare & Contrast
Specifications:
· Length: 3-5 full pages minimum (5 pages maximum)
· Format: Double-spaced, 1” margins, with page numbers
· Font: 12pt Calibri/ Times New Roman (or a font that is comparable in size)
· Stapled hard copy
· Attach this document to your paper and circle, which option you have chosen for your paper
Assignment: Choose one of the following sets of images to compare and contrast.
Option 1. Coatlicue and Virgin and Child
Aztec, Tenochtitlan, Mexico
Stone, 8’ 6”
Info: (Frames of Reference, p. 46)
Virgin (Theotokos) and Child between Saints Theodore and George, c. 6th century C.E.
Byzantine, St. Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, Egypt
Encaustic on wood, 2’ 3” x 1’ 7”
Info: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/catherines2-2.htm
Option 2. Column of Trajan and Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath
Column of Trajan, Late 1st century B.C.E.
Roman, Forum of Augustus, Rome, Italy
Stone, 131’ tall
Info: Frames of Reference, p. 67-68
Ashokan Pillar at Sarnath, c. 250 B.C.E.
Buddhist, Sarnath, India
Sandstone, 45’ tall
Info: http://journeymart.com/de/india/uttar-pradesh/sarnath/ashoka-pillar.aspx
Option 3. Travelers Amid Mountains and Streams and Monk’s Mound
Travelers Amid Mountains and Streams, c. 990-1030 C.E.
Northern Song, China Hanging scroll, ink on silk, 6’ 9’ tall
Info: Frames of Reference p. 131
Mississipian People, Cahokia, Illinois
Earth, 100’ tall
Info: Frames of Reference p. 12-13
Option 4. Achilles & Ajax Playing a Dice Game and Kamares Ware Jug
Exekias, Achilles & Ajax Playing a Dice Game, ca. 540-530 B.C.E.
Vatican Museums, Rome
Ceramic, 21 in. high
Info: Art History, Vol 1. Stokstad Chapter 5, p. 117-118
Kamares Ware Jug, ca. 2,000-1900 B.C.E.
Phaistos, Crete, Greece
10” tall
Info: Art History, Vol 1. Stokstad Chapter 4, p. 86
Option 5. Atrium and “Ixion Room” of Vetti and Synagogue Interior Wall paintings of Old Testament scenes
Pompeii, Italy, ca. 62-79 C.E.
Fresco
Info: Art History, Vol 1. Stokstad
Chapter 6, p. 180-183
Synagogue Interior Wall paintings of Old Testament scenes
from Dura Europos, Syria, ca. 245-256 Tempera on plaster
Info: Art History, Vol 1. Stokstad Chapter 7, p. 219-220
A note on plagiarism:
If you use more than three words in a row from another source (such as a book, the internet, etc.), you must put them in quotes and cite the author. Plagiarism is not tolerated and will result in a failing grade on the assignment and additional penalties according to EIU policy.
Guidelines:
1. Begin your essay with an introductory paragraph that clearly states your thesis (argument) about the two artworks you’ve chosen, and briefly lists the evidence you will use to support your thesis.
2. When comparing the two works, you might focus on formal qualities, materials/techniques, stylistic traits, practical function, religious significance, and historical/political context to create an overall argument.
3. Make sure to say what the works have in common, as well as what makes them different!
4. End your essay with a conclusion that wraps up your argument and notes the broader significance of these two works in their respective time periods.
5. This is not a research paper, so you are not obligated to include external sources. HOWEVER, you should use class notes and readings to speak in-depth about the works’ cultural significance. If you only rely on visual analysis, your grade will suffer.
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