sculpture

HUMN 1201

Dr. Cecile de Rocher

Critical Essay: Image Analysis

Due by 11:59pm on 11/8 in GeorgiaVIEW

Principle

For this assignment, you will write an essay explaining why you like two images. Choose two pieces of art from the list on this sheet. Examine them carefully, and write an essay. Why do you like them? Please focus your comments on the art itself, not on your own self. Use only the lecture materials (PowerPoints, handouts, scripts, films, classroom notes) and the textbook as your sources.

Technique

For the introductory paragraph, explain which images you will discuss, who made them, from what period they come, and what figure numbers they have. Sum up in a sentence what makes you like this artwork. You may use the pronouns “I” and “me,” but not “you.”

Refer to the artist initially by full name, then only by last name (except Italian masters, such as Leonardo). Use italics and capitalization for titles, which you may abbreviate afterwards. (Most ancient and medieval pieces are untitled.)

For the body, discuss 2-3 aspects of the pieces that prompt a positive response. Do not simply explain what the piece depicts. Instead, analyze elements of the art that make it appealing to you. If you have trouble thinking of anything to say, ask me for help. Hint: Talk about the art. Don’t discuss yourself too much or overuse the first person (“I” and “me”).

Discuss art in present tense: “Mary holds the infant Jesus on her lap.” If you refer to the Judeo-Christian-Islamic deity, capitalize the “G” in “God.” Use at least four (4) vocabulary terms in the essay, and use boldface for these words to help me spot them.

Do use the textbook and make an MLA-style bibliography (Works Cited). You may quote, paraphrase, or summarize, but furnish the page number. In an essay this short, please do not use block quotes. For the conclusion, make some observations about the art or about your reaction to it.

Do not use other sources (including Internet). I will deduct points for any material that comes from a non-class source, and I will report plagiarism to the director of Student Conduct.

Format

Write 500-750 words, double spaced, in twelve-point Times New Roman font. Use the same format (MLA) as usual. Give the essay a good title, but don’t underline it, and don’t put it in quotes.

Evaluation

Have aesthetics in mind and analyze the art, but do not express at length your personal opinions or feelings. Your reaction to the art must come from the piece itself, and I will evaluate your essay on how well you explain. Use the vocabulary learned in class. Observe the conventions of essay composition: organization, development, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation. Proofread carefully for errors. You may ask me or the Writing Lab faculty any questions about what you’ve written, but do so before the due date.

1.6 Hall of the Bulls 1.8 Venus of Willendorf 1.32 Statue of Khafre 2.12 New York (Attic) Kouros 2.13 Kroisos (Anavysos) 2.14 Peplos Kore 2.16 Kritios Boy 2.22 Temple of Hera 3.3 Parthenon 3.4 Lapith and Centaur 3.6 Equestrian Group 3.11 Spear Bearer 3.19 Hermes Carrying Infant Dionysus 4.6 Capitoline Wolf 4.19 Atrium, House of the Silver Wedding 4.25 Augustus of Prima Porta 4.27 Pont du Gard (Aqueduct) 4.34 Pantheon 5.2 Citadel at Mohenjo-Daro 5.4 Siva as Nataraja 6.9 Anchor 6.10 Chi Rho 6.11 Good Shepherd 7.4 Christ as the Good Shepherd 7.6 Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes 7.10 Hagia Sophia, interior 7.12 View of the Apse in San Vitale 7.13 Emperor Justinian 7.14 Empress Theodora 7.17 Christ Pantocrator 8.15 Mirador in the Alhambra 8.20 Qur'an page 8.21 Mihrab 9.3 Folio verso 9.16 Adam and Eve Reproached by the Lord 9.17 St. Sernin, exterior 9.19 St. Sernin, interior 9.23 Reliquary of Charlemagne

10.3 St. Denis 10.6 Notre Dame de Paris 10.7 Notre Dame de Paris 10.9 Chartres 10.12 Sainte Chapelle 10.22 Scenes from the Life of St. Francis 11.7 Madonna Enthroned, Cimabue 11.8 Madonna Enthroned, Giotto 11.10 Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints 12.2 Giovanni Arnolofini 12.4 Merode altarpiece 12.5 Ghent altarpiece 12.6 Biblia Latina 12.16 David, Donatello 12.17 David, Verocchio 12.18 David, Michelangelo 12.21 The Holy Trinity, Masaccio 12.27 Primavera, Botticelli 12.28 The Birth of Venus, Botticelli 13.3 The Last Supper, Leonardo 13.4 Mona Lisa 13.6 Madonna of the Meadow 13.8 (ABC) Philosophy (School of Athens) 13.9 Pietà 13.11 David, Michelangelo 13.12 Moses, Michelangelo 13.14 Creation of Adam 13.15 The Last Judgement 13.23 Venus of Urbino 13.24 Entombment 13.28 The Last Supper, Tintoretto 13.34 Perseus Holding the Head of Medusa

Cunningham, Lawrence S. et al. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities. 9th edition. Vol 1. Cengage, 2018.

HUMN 1201: Expressions of Culture

Dr. Cecile de Rocher

Vocabulary

This list includes most words that we will cover. Learn them as we discuss elements of art and literature. You will keep this sheet, so you may write definitions, notes, or additional terms on it.

abacus ascetic aesthetics aisle ancient anthropomorphism apse arcade arch buttress Byzantine, Byzantium capital caryatid catharsis circa classical column colonnade Composite contrapposto Corinthian cuneiform Doric English sonnet encaustic entablature epic fluting flying buttress foot, poetic forum fresco, buon fresco secco frieze genre Gothic hijab iambic pentameter icon imam Ionic

Italian sonnet keystone lay, Breton Madonna Mannerism medieval metope Middle Ages minaret mosaic muezzin myth naturalistic nave Neolithic Paleolithic pantheon perspective Petrarchan sonnet pietà Qa’aba Qur’an relic relief reliquary Renaissance representational Romanesque Shakespearean sonnet Sonnet springer stylized stylobate tesserae transept transubstantiation triglyph trompe l’oeil vault vernacular volute voussoir ziggurat

Body paragraph example: (Make clear which remarks are yours, and which are the authors’.)

Successful work (body paragraph):

I like that Piero della Francesca’s Jesus has triumphed over humiliation, pain, and death. The textbook authors explain that “Christ, transcendent in his expressionlessness” climbs from the grave unnoticed by the dozing guards (405). I find it ironic that the wounds in His hands and side seem barely more than scratches, unnoticed and apparently painless. The authors note that even the landscape is revived by the resurrection (404), and the PowerPoint presentation points out the contrasts in the scene: awake and asleep, earth and sky, sterile and blooming. This fresco, or painting made on wet plaster, is almost life sized, and we learned in class that it looks like the view out of an open door, an event that we see happening in real life instead of representing the distant past. The Corinthian columns are trompe l’oeil, an optical illusion that adds to that effect.

Less successful work:

I like the Capitoline Wolf sculpture. I have a dog who looks a lot like the wolf. Gertie and I do everything together. We go for walks and throw the tennis ball. She drinks from every stream or puddle she sees. She barks at every bunny, squirrel, and cat. I would be lost without her. If Gertie had puppies, she would guard them carefully. She’s a sweet dog most of the time, but if a car pulls up, Gertie rushes to the door barking. Nobody will mess with her! In summation, this sculpture is awesome.