Art Museum Critical Review

Art Museum Critical Review and Worksheet

When is this due?

You will turn this assignment in as a Word file by uploading it to eCampus. Please see your course calendar in the syllabus for the exact due date and time.

What is this assignment?

The purpose of this assignment is to critically interpret and evaluate art by virtually visiting an art museum. Please note that there are two parts to this assignment. Part I is a critical review paper on one work of art. Part II is a worksheet completed over three works of art.

What do I do on my virtual art museum visit, and which art museums are recommended?

You will virtually visit any art museum’s website for this assignment. You can choose to visit one art museum or multiple museums. Be sure to get the name of the art museum you visit and download pictures of your chosen works of art. Make sure the site you visit is an art museum and not an art gallery or any other type of museum. Take good notes about your pieces. Make sure to choose an art museum that has all the required information you need to write about your chosen pieces. After your virtual visit, complete both Parts I and II. Here are some ideas to get you started:

•The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

•The Louvre in Paris

•The Uffizi In Florence

• The British Museum in London

•The Dallas Museum of Art

•The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth

• Art Institute in Chicago

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York

• Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

•The Centre Pompidou in Paris

How will I submit this assignment?

You will submit the critical review paper for Part I, the art museum worksheet for Part II, and a page with your four images as one Word file. Submit your file with only .doc or.docx file extensions to the dropbox by the due date and time.

What do I do for Parts I and II?

Part I – Critical Review Paper

Select one work of art at the museum to perform a critical review. Select any work of art you like from any culture, any time or period, or in any medium. Use this outline to structure your critical review paper that should be 750 words minimum.

I. Identification/Description Paragraph: Identify your chosen artwork by providing the artist’s name (or anonymous if no artist name is provided), the title in italics, the year the piece was completed, the medium used, the dimensions of the piece if available, and the art museum where the piece is located. Then, describe your chosen work of art to your reader. Provide a description about your piece by creating a visual image with words. In other words, explain the subject matter. Be as descriptive as possible without adding any meaning or interpretation just yet. You will be doing that later in the interpretation paragraph.

II. Visual Analysis Paragraph: Here is where you will perform a visual analysis. Identify and discuss at least three visual elements and two principles of design that the artist utilized within your chosen work. Use the vocabulary terms provided in these instructions. Make sure to identify the vocabulary term by name and fully describe how the artist utilized each visual element and principle of design.

III. Interpretation Paragraph: Using the evidence of the subject matter and the visual analysis, provide your interpretation of your chosen piece. Explain the meaning and interpretation that you come up with - not what the museum, the internet, or even the artist has to say about the piece. What do you think the artist is communicating? What are your reasons for your response? Think about why you chose this piece. What does the piece mean to you? How is it relevant to you? What are you taking way from having experienced this piece? Use this paragraph as the opportunity to share your reaction to this piece and its relevance to you.

IV. Conclusion: This is the paragraph to wrap up your concluding thoughts, insights, and to summarize what has already been shared. This is not the time to introduce any additional information.

V. Works Cited: If you performed any research whatsoever for this paper, be sure to cite your sources on a works cited page. Please use the MLA citation style.

Formatting requirements for Part I – Critical Review paper:

· Your paper for Part I of this assignment should be 750 words minimum . I will take off for anything less.

· Typed, double-spaced, 12-point font using Calibri, Arial, or Times New Roman

· Include standard formatting for a college paper that includes: your name as the header, a title, and page numbers

VISUAL ELEMENTS The visual elements are the visual tools an artist uses to make a work of art.

Line:  Lines can show outline, imply a third dimension, show direction or movement

Shape, Volume, & Mass:  Shape refers to 2 dimensions, for instance, a square.  Mass refers to a sense of bulkiness and/or 3 dimensions, for instance, a cube. Volume refers to containing height, weight, and depth.

Light & Value:  Light reveals form.  Where is the light source?  What is the range of values, from light to dark, in the art you are reviewing?

Color:  How does the artist use color in the art object you are reviewing?  Is it the primary colors only?  Secondary? Tertiary? Is it emotionally soothing or jarring?

Texture and Pattern:  Does the art object you are viewing have actual texture, could you feel it? Or does it have implied texture, suggesting that it is smooth or rough?  Does it have an overall pattern on the surface?

Space:  If your object is architectural or sculptural, it has three-dimensional space.  Try to describe the space.  If your object is two-dimensional, how does the artist imply space, for example, through linear perspective, overlapping of objects, smaller or larger objects, or atmospheric perspective?

Time and Motion:  Does the art object imply time or a succession of events, for instance, a sunset, or motion, for instance, a sculpture that moves?

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN The principles of design are the organization of the composition or design of the artwork.

Unity and Variety:  Unity is a sense of oneness in the art.  Variety maintains interest or diversity in art

Balance:  Symmetrical balance occurs when both sides of the art object are similar in size or shape.  Asymmetrical balance occurs when the two sides are quite different in the appearance of the objects in the art.

Emphasis and Subordination:  How does the artist draw your eye to the center of attention of the art object?  Is there a focal point? How does the artist make the rest of the artwork subordinate to the center of interest?

Scale and Proportion:  Scale means size in relation to a standard or "normal" size.  Proportion refers to size relationships between parts of a whole, or between two or more items perceived as a unit.  Sometimes these are deliberately incorrect, as in Hierarchal Scale in the art of antiquity.

Rhythm or Repetition:  The repeated use of a color, shape, or line to create expression.

Part II - Museum worksheet

Select three works of art at the museum based on the criteria below. Please note that the three you choose should be different from the piece you chose for Part I. Then, fill in the required information for each piece. Write your responses in paragraph form using complete sentences. Each question’s response should be 300-words minimum. You may go over 300 words. Be sure to look at the student example provided for Part II. You should also use the student example for how long the paragraphs should be for each question.

1. Find an art object dated from the Prehistoric period to the 14th century. The date for this

piece is anywhere between 30,000 BC to 1399 AD.

· Title in italics

· Artist’s name, use “Anonymous” if unknown

· Date of the piece, medium, size of the piece if available

· Provide a detailed description of the piece including the subject matter

· Discuss the Visual Elements and Principles of Design

· Discuss the innovation and expression of ideas

· Identify major artistic developments

· Discuss what you think the artist communicates in this work

· Discuss your personal response to this piece

2. Find an art object dated from the 15th century to the present. The date for this piece is

anywhere between 1400 to present time.

· Title in italics

· Artist’s name, use “Anonymous” if unknown

· Date of the piece, medium, size of the piece if available

· Provide a detailed description of the piece including the subject matter

· Discuss the Visual Elements and Principles of Design

· Discuss the innovation and expression of ideas

· Identify major artistic developments

· Discuss what you think the artist communicates in this work

· Discuss your personal response to this piece

3. Analyze the relationship of art to history by comparing the pieces in questions one and two. Consider each piece’s cultural, historical, and chronological contexts in your analysis.

· Write a paragraph comparing the two pieces from questions 1 and 2.

4. Find an art object that makes a social impact from any time between the Prehistoric era until the 20th century. The date for this piece is anywhere between 30,000 BC to 2000 AD. You will write a critical analysis with a personal reflection that demonstrates comprehension of the social impact the work of art had on the community or the viewer. Consider if the impact of the imagery might be considered as social responsibility regarding political, religious or community ideals or values.

· Title in italics

· Artist’s name, use “Anonymous” if unknown

· Date of the piece, medium, size of the piece if available

· Provide a detailed description of the piece including the subject matter

· Discuss the Visual Elements and Principles of Design

· Discuss the innovation and expression of ideas

· Identify major artistic developments

· Discuss what you think the artist communicates in this work

· Discuss your personal response to this piece

· Provide a critical analysis that demonstrates comprehension of the social impact the work of art had on the community

How will I be graded for both parts of the assignment?

Part I – Critical Review Paper

· Grammar and Formatting

- Followed instructions for page length and formatting – header, typed, spacing,

pagination

- Capitalization, spelling, punctuation, grammar, writing mechanics, etc.

· Identification/Description Paragraph

- Identified the title, the artist’s name, the date the piece was completed, the medium,

the size, and the location of the piece

- Provided a description by creating a visual image with words and identified the piece’s

subject

matter

· Visual Analysis Paragraph

- Identified and discussed at least three visual elements

- Identified and discussed at least two principles of design

- Explained how the artist used the visual elements and the principles of design

· Interpretation Paragraph

- Provided your interpretation of the content within the piece

- Discussed if there was a narrative or any social issues within the piece

- Offered a reason as to why it was created and its relevance to you

- Summarized your reaction to this art object

· Conclusion Paragraph

- Summarized the paper

- Did not introduce any additional content or new information

Part II – Museum Worksheet

- Addressed all the questions and provided comprehensive responses for each of the

criteria