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

Coatlicue, c. 1500 C.E.

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

Monk’s Mound, c. 900-1250 C.E.

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

Atrium and “Ixion Room” of Vetti

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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