Art essay

Art Appreciation

Final Essay Crit ical Analy sis

Please read these instructions in their entirety before conducting your visit to an art museum/art gallery and writing the paper. The student is required to complete a visit to an art museum or art gallery and spend some time looking at the collection of works of art. You may complete a physical, in-person visit OR you may complete a virtual visit to an online art museum. Below are links to get you started. You may use a different art museum's online collection if you'd prefer, but it must be an official art museum or art gallery. If in doubt, email me the name of the art museum or art gallery you would like to use, and I will research it and let you know if it will work for the assignment. Art Renewal Center Museum -- https://artrenewal.org/Museum/Home The Louvre -- https://www.louvre.fr/en/selections Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum -- https://www.guggenheim.org/collection-online The Metropolitan Museum of Art -- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection National Gallery of Art -- https://www.nga.gov/ comprehensive list of online collections -- https://artsandculture.google.com/partner

Select two artworks and write a critical analysis paper that compares and contrasts the two works. The primary criterion for selecting the two works is that they must have something in common. The common denominator could be subject matter, methodology used, time period, etc. The two artworks do not necessarily need to be in the same art museum or art gallery. Make sure that you correctly site the source(s) of your artworks. At the end of this document, there are instructions for citing an online image of an artwork.

• Your essay should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document (.docx file).

• Your essay should show that you know, understand, and can effectively use the art vocabulary, themes, and concepts taught throughout the semester. After choosing the works of art, make sure to re-read the relevant chapters from the text to be better equipped at critically analyzing the artworks.

• Points will be deducted for not following the directions, not following the format, for grammatical/spelling/punctuation errors, and unfinished papers. It is imperative that you proofread and correct the paper several times before turning it in.

• The body of the essay should be at least two pages in length. You may write more. The title page, bibliography, and images do not count toward this two-page length requirement.

Paper Format: Title page: Center the information below on the first page. This page does not count toward the length.

Your name Course Name/Number/Meeting Time (online) Date Title of essay (Come up with an interesting one. Do not use “Final Essay” or similar)

Body of Paper: The body should be double-spaced and use a 12-point simple font such as Calibri or Ariel.

Title – Underline your title.

1. Introduction with thesis. You must have a good opening paragraph. In it you should mention the artist(s), the works, and lay out your plan for discussing it. The opening paragraph provides a clue to the structure of your paper that follows. The thesis consists of a single sentence that expresses the overall theme of the paper; it is used to let the reader know what she/he will be reading about. 2. Paragraphs supporting your thesis. In the structure of your paper you should describe, analyze, interpret, and judge the works. Refer to the list of questions at the bottom of this assignment for guidance. Sometimes it is more desirable to write the opening and closing paragraphs after you have written the body of the paper. 3. Conclusion. You must have a concluding paragraph. The closing should summarize what you have written and provide closure to your paper. Justify your conclusions. Explain why you feel the way you do about the artworks based on what you have observed and learned about it. ***The body of your essay must be a minimum of two complete, full pages in length. Remember that the title page, bibliography, and images of the artworks do not count toward that length.

Bibliography and images of artworks: Your essay should include a properly formatted bibliography with entries for all sources – including the images of the artworks – that you used to write the paper. Use MLA format. Your essay should also include images of the artworks that you analyze. Make sure to label these images.

Directions for Writing the Essay

To accomplish writing this essay, use the four steps of art criticism: description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. It is important that you use your own words.

Step 1: Description – What do I see?

For description, you must be objective and carefully make a list of all the things you see in the works. At this point, it is not necessary to guess why things are there or what they mean.

1. What are the names of the artists who created the artworks? 2. What is the media of the artworks? (examples: oil on canvas, bronze, ceramic, etching, lithograph,

drawing, ink on paper, etc.) 3. What are the titles of the artworks? 4. When were the artworks created? 5. What are the dimensions of the artworks? 6. List any literal objects in the artworks that you can see (trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers,

etc.). 7. Identify the elements of form (line, shape, color, value, texture, space, pattern) utilized in the

artworks.

Step 2: Analysis – How are the works organized?

During this step, you are still collecting facts about the elements of form and principles of design in the artworks. In the analysis, you should describe in detail how the artists used those elements of form and principles of design in their works to create effective, interesting compositions and convey meaning in their works. In this step consider the most significant principles of design that are used in the artworks. The principles of design include unity, variety, balance, emphasis, movement, rhythm, scale, and proportion. 1. Explain, in detail, how the artists use these principles of design (unity, variety, balance, emphasis,

movement, rhythm, scale, and proportion.) to organize the elements of form (line, shape, color, value, texture, space, pattern) that you have already identified.

2. Describe in detail how the artists' use of those principles of design affect the overall compositions, messages, and moods of the artworks.

Step 3: Interpretation – What are the artists saying?

An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning of the works based on what you have learned so far about the artworks and based on what you have learned in the course throughout the semester. 1. What kinds of statements do you think the artists are trying to make? 2. Why did each artist create her/his artwork? 3. What do you think the artwork means? 4. How does these artworks relate to you and to your life? 5. What feelings do you have when looking at the artworks? 6. Why do you think that the artists chose to work in this manner and made these kinds of artistic

decisions? 7. Do you think there are things in the artworks that represent other things (symbols)?

Step 4: Judgment – Are these successful works of art?

After careful observation, analysis, and interpretation of the artworks, you are ready to make your

own judgments. This is your personal evaluation based on the understanding of the works. Consider the following questions: 1. Why do you think that these works have intrinsic value or worth? What is the value that you find in

the works? (For example, it is a beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way that I see the world, makes insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)

2. Do you think that the works have a benefit for others? Do you find that the works communicate ideas, feelings, or principles that would have value for others?

3. What kinds of effects do you think the works could have for others? 4. Do the works lack value or worth? Why do you think so? Could the reason be due to a poor use of

the elements of form or principles of design? Could the subject matter by unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?

5. Rather than seeing the works as being very effective or without total value, do the works fall somewhere in between?

6. Do you think that the works are just ok? What do you base this opinion on? For example - the use of elements of art? Does it lack personal expression? Does the work lack a major focus?

7. Explore your criticism of the works as much as you would any positive perceptions. Realize that your own tastes and assumptions may enter into your criticism.

8. Describe as many positive perceptions as you do negative perceptions.

Additional Questions to Consider:

1. What information can you find to help you begin to develop your own interpretation of the artwork? Are there sources of information other than just the artworks?

2. Do the works of art have an obvious or not-so-obvious function? 3. Do they use symbols to reinforce a message? 4. Do other artworks by the same artist give you a better sense of the meaning of the artworks? 5. What viewer(s) do you think the artist intended the artwork for? What evidence within the work (or

outside) supports that idea? 6. Do you think contemporary viewers seeing the artworks understand it in the same way as did the

viewers for whom the artworks were originally made? Why or why not? 7. What can you find out to help you assess the effectiveness of the artist's choice of medium? 8. What tools, materials, and processes did the artists use? 9. Why do you think the artists chose this particular medium? (Imagine how it might look if executed in

another medium). How might the meaning change with the use of a different medium?

Tips for writing a good paper: 1. You must have a strong opening paragraph. In it you should mention the artists, the artworks, where

the works are on view, and the qualities of the works that led you to select them for analysis. The opening paragraph provides a clue to the structure of your paper that follows.

2. You must have a concluding paragraph. The closing should summarize what you have stated in the body of the essay and provide closure to your paper.

3. Sometimes it is more desirable to write the opening and closing paragraphs after you have written the body of the paper.

4. Justify your conclusions.

5. Explain why you feel the way you do about the artworks based on what you have observed and learned about them.

6. Proofread your paper numerous times before you turn it in.

Mistakes to avoid: A mistake that students often make is to write a paper that is based almost entirely on observation and description. In this type of paper there is very little analysis, interpretation, or critical thinking. While everything that is written may be accurate, it is not a critical analysis. A second error is to write a paper that emphasizes emotional responses to the work. In this type of paper there is emphasis on “feelings” rather than critical thinking. The weakness of this type of paper is that interpretations and judgments are not supported with analysis, but instead are justified because they are simply the opinions of the writer. While everything that is written may be heartfelt and honest, it is not a critical analysis. Remember: Analyze, don’t summarize!

How to Cite an Image/Reproduction of a Work of Visual Art from the Web in MLA Format

To cite an image/reproduction of a work of visual art from the Web, follow this format: Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Artwork. Date artwork created, Name of

Institution or Private Collection Housing Artwork, City Where it is Housed. Title of Database or Website, Publisher or sponsor of Database or Website, URL or DOI. Date of access.

Note about publisher/sponsor: When known, include it if it is not related to the housing institution/collection, is a parent entity of the database or website, or offers the source in additional formats.

Examples: Braun, Adolphe. Flower Study, Rose of Sharon. c. 1854. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Grove

Art Online. http://www.oxfordartonline.com.llibrary.academyart.edu/subscriber/article/img/grove/art/F019 413. Accessed 10 Jan. 2019.

Currin, John. Blond Angel. 2001, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis. Indianapolis

Museum of Art, http://collection.imamuseum.org/artwork/43494/. Accessed 9 May 2007.

Lange, Dorothea. The Migrant Mother. 1936, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Library of

Congress, http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/fsa.8b2951 6/. Accessed 10 May 2014.