Order 421507: Non Western Art History
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art329weektwodiscussionone.docxThe Art Historian - Write a Comparison
The second step in building towards Your Art Journey and Final Paper is doing a Comparison, also known as a “Compare and Contrast”, a fundamental approach to research in art history.
In preparation for this Discussion Board:
· Complete this week’s Readings (see above)
· View: How to Write a Comparison in Art History
· Review: How to Look at Art
· Reread: Just what is a Thesis (in Art History) Anyway?
· Read: The Jumpstart Questions for Week 2 included below for ideas and inspiration.
· View Week Two Study Resources for additional cultural information and art images.
· As you write, refer to the Art Vocabulary for a list of concepts and terms to include
Guidelines for Writing a Comparison Essay:
Choose two specific artifacts or works of art or architecture from the cultures of China, Korea or Japan. One should be either from the art of China or Korea, and one should be from the art of Japan. Write a brief essay that compares and contrasts these two items, following the video How to Write a Comparison. Also see the Rubric for Course Writing Assignments (harvest from Art 329 and put link here)
You may select the works from those illustrated in the course textbook or find another work from these cultures and regions on numerous Web sites. Make sure the image is from a reliable source however, such as a museum site and include the link or cite correctly. Before you begin, read everything here below for more resources in the course.
Remember to include the following elements in your Comparison Essay:
1. Identify the two artworks you will be comparing. Be sure to include complete data on each work. You MUST match the format and content to that provided in the captions under each image in the textbook.
1. Include images of your chosen artworks in your discussion post. Use the Image Icon (little landscape) to embed the image in your post.
1. Describe each of the works, applying at least 5 elements from The Art Vocabulary. Reread Art 329 The Visual Elements and Art 329 Themes of Art from Week 1. Focus on how the artist applies the elements of art and various principles of design. Let us know how these factors imbue the work with meaning and to convey the intention behind the work. Keep in mind your descriptions of the artwork need to be relevant to your thesis.
1. State your comparative thesis: What conclusion can you draw from what you observe or interpret about the works in question based on comparing and contrasting them?
1. Explain why you chose this particular work to represent the art of China, Korea and/or Japan.
1. Provide supporting evidence for your comparative thesis through discussing and explaining the various similarities and differences you find in the objects. These similarities and differences might be in terms of the stylistic or formal qualities, the media or materials used, the purpose or function of the artwork or artifact, the historical era of origin, the cultural or political context in which the work was produced, and so on.
1. Include the theme of each art work. See list in The Art Vocabulary in the Course Resources. Be sure to include why you have designated a particular theme as relevant for each art work. Support your statements with evidence; such as this work presents a political theme, as it was commissioned by [name of ruler] to show his conquest of [region].
Your Comparison Essay will be more than mere description of two works. Be sure to use your observations and findings to define and support the thesis you have developed for this essay. See What is a Thesis (use link above). Move beyond description in your Comparison to interpret the meaning and overall aesthetic effect of each of the works of art under consideration. Such an evaluation of the aesthetic quality of works you have selected might include your opinion of the beauty, elegance, sophistication, delicacy, etc. of the work. Be sure to provide evidence for your judgment.
Other resources to help you with this assignment:
Rubric for Course Writing Assignments
. "Guidelines for Writing a Formal Analysis," - PDF (74 KB)
. Sample: Formal Analysis of a Work of Art - PDF (132 KB)
Jump Start Questions for Week 2:
Consider the following Jump Start Questions in selecting your artworks and in constructing your Comparison Essay. These are provided to motivate your thinking and guide you in developing a response to this topic; you do not need to respond to each question.
. Four of the most significant dynastic periods in the past two millennia of China's history were the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing. While none of these could be said to have been fully responsible for establishing a single, unique Chinese aesthetic, each did make important, even fundamental, changes or additions to that aesthetic and ultimately to China's artistic heritage. How do the works you are comparing represent some of the significant contribution(s) made by these eras, taking into consideration aesthetic concepts as well as particular objects, genres, or styles of art?
. In Korean art, we can single out the Three Kingdoms Period and the Koryo and Choson Dynasties. How do the works you are comparing represent some of the significant contribution(s) made by these eras, taking into consideration aesthetic concepts as well as particular objects, genres, or styles of art?
. Similarly, four significant periods of Japanese art are the Nara, Heian, Momoyama, and Edo periods. How do the works you are comparing represent some of the significant contribution(s) made by these eras, taking into consideration aesthetic concepts as well as particular objects, genres, or styles of art?
. What impact did the arrival of Buddhism have on Chinese art, and then later on Korean and Japanese art? Was the impact immediate or gradual? Consider examples of architecture, sculpture, and painting.
. What are the most notable genres of Chinese painting, and what are their defining features? What influenced each type’s particular development? Are these styles evident in contemporary Chinese art?
. What roles has pottery played in Chinese culture over the centuries? What are some of the more important types of ceramic art, and why have they had such an impact? What are the distinguishing characteristics of these types of pottery?
. The longest lived and arguably the most influential genre of Japanese painting was developed in the Kano school, which extended from the Muromachi period through the Momoyama and Edo periods. What was the Kano school, and what are some of the stylistic and thematic characteristics of paintings of the Kano school?
. How do the works you have selected fit into the evolution of specific artistic styles and trends in Chinese, Korean or Japanese art? How might this work, or works of this type, have influenced what came later?
. How do the artworks you have chosen reflect changes or innovations in the art forms of China, Korea, or Japan? To what extent are these changes or innovations a product of the interaction between art and society?
. In general, what are the most distinctive qualities of Chinese art? of Korean art? of Japanese art?
. How does the Japanese tea ceremony, or cha-do ("way of tea"), relate to the making of art in Japanese culture? What philosophical or spiritual sensibilities do the customs and utensils of the tea ceremony embody? Consider examples of architecture, pottery, and sumi-e ink painting that reflect this sensibility.
. The best known products of the sophisticated secular counterculture of Japan in the Edo period are known as ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." What are the essential characteristics of this famous Japanese art form?
This brief Comparison of two originally selected works of art should be approximately 350 words (minimum) to 500 words (maximum) in length.
To answer this particular question, click the link above. Once you are in the forum, click the “Create Thread” button to view the question again, as well as, create and submit your answer
Week 1 Lecture: Just what is a thesis (in art history) anyway?
Knowing what your thesis is a critical part of writing a good essay or final paper. This can be a challenge in art history, so here is some information that may help you.
A thesis is a point of view about the subject that you are going to prove. It should be original, not something we already know or generally agree upon. It should not be too broad or general.
Here is a good definition of thesis from A Short Guide to Writing About Art by Sylvan Barnett:
“. . .a thesis (a central point, a main idea)..A good thesis is not the assertion of an undisputed fact (“Whistler’s mother was his model in this picture”), nor is it a broad generalization that cannot interestingly be supported (“Whistler’s Mother is widely admired”). Normally a thesis statement names the topic and make as assertion about it that the writer will support with details later in the essay. “ (pg 20, S. Barnet). The example the author gives is “The painting commonly known as “Whistler’s Mother” is full of surprises.”…The essay is largely and effort to persuade us…that the picture is not as simple as it looks or as the common title suggests.”
James Whistler. Arrangement in Grey and Black - Portrait of the Painter’s Mother, 1871, Museé d’Orsay, Paris, France.
Art Vocabulary for World Art 329
This list is intended as a checklist of the pertinent and effective terms to apply in written assignments in this course, such as art analyses, art comparisons, Your Art Journey and Final Paper in this course.
Definitions of these terms are widely available. Many appear in the Introduction, chapters and Glossary of the Textbook.
Review the power point How to Look at Art for examples of how to apply the Visual Elements and Principles of Design.
Art History Terms
Defined in the Introduction
Chronology
Period Style
Iconography
Symbols
Attribution
Patron (who paid for it?)
Themes of Art
What is the artwork about? What is its role in its culture?
Sacred
Political
Stories (historical, myths, etc.)
Daily life
Fantasy
Nature
Art from Art
Visual Elements
The elements we perceive in a visual work of art: what we see
Form
Content (or Motif)
Context (or setting)
Composition
Materials
Medium
Line
Contour and outline
Direction and Movement
Color
Value
Hue
Light and shade
Texture
Pattern
Space, Mass and Volume
Carving and Casting
Relief sculpture
Architectural drawings
Space
Linear perspective
Atmospheric perspective
Isometric perspective
Foreshortening
Overlapping
Representational or naturalistic
Abstract
Nonrepresentational or nonobjective
Principles of Design
How all the Visual elements are arranged, also known as the composition
Unity
Variety
Balance:
Symmetrical balance
Asymmetrical balance
Emphasis
Proportion
Scale
Hierarchical scale
Rhythm
