Art history

Introduction to History of Art II: Paper 3

Due April 24, 3-4 pages, 20% of grade

Guidelines

In this paper, we are asking you to expand a visual analysis to 3–4 pages and incorporate other sources into your argument.

While this is not a research paper, we expect you to build on your observation and argument skills and use assigned readings and materials available in the galleries to reinforce your analysis. Please read the prompts carefully to see which additional sources you should consult for each topic. Any information from readings, museums, galleries, or artists should be cited and formatted according to the Chicago Manual of Style.

General advice: Look closely at your chosen work of art. Take nothing for granted. Pay attention to details, composition, representation of light and space, materials, and scale, implied position of the viewer, or implied use by the viewer.

Consider:

· How the parts or aspects of your artwork all come together to create a whole

· The relationship between style, materials, and subject matter

· The individuality of authorship, if relevant

· The context of patronage or display, if relevant

A reminder that two guides to writing about art have been posted for you. One is time-tested, but mostly about painting; it was written by the (legendary) Barnard professor our classroom is named for. The other is more contemporary and deals with a variety of media.

Formatting: All papers should be double-spaced, typed in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins, no extra line breaks after paragraphs.

Submitting: All papers should be submitting electronically to your TA by 2:40 p.m. (the beginning of lecture) on Wednesday, April 24th. Check before you push “send” that you are sending your final draft.

Selfies: Once again, we are requiring you to send a selfie when you submit your paper. However, many of the exhibitions do not allow photographs, so be creative! Take a photo outside the exhibition or in another way that tells us you were there.

Museums and Galleries: Check the opening hours, exhibition dates, and prices before you go. Where applicable, the price of a ticket for a student with ID is listed.

1. Hilma af Klint, Group X, No. 1, Altarpiece (Altarbild), 1915

Oil and metal leaf on canvas, 185 x 152 cm

Guggenheim Museum, Upper East Side, Manhattan

Note: $18 for students with ID

https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/hilma-af-klint

Hilma af Klint (Swedish, 1862–1944) produced hundreds of paintings and drawings (many on a monumental scale) that were rarely displayed publicly during her life. Furthermore, she stipulated that her work should not be shown after her death until twenty years had passed. This complicates the traditional story of abstract art’s origins, which has revolved around slightly later work by artists such as Picasso and Mondrian which will soon be discussed in class.

Group X, No. 1, Altarpiece (Altarbild) is part of her series, The Paintings for the Temple. There is no descriptive caption next to this piece, but read the museum descriptions of the exhibition at the top and bottom of the spiral staircase for context, and listen to the short recording here: https://www.guggenheim.org/audio/track/group-x-altarpieces-nos-1-3-1915-by-hilma-af-klint

How does af Klint abstract from nature in her paintings? What position did she take on abstract painting and its purposes?

2. Frida Kahlo, Self Portrait as a Tehuana, 1943

Oil on hardboard, 30 x 24 in.

Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn

Note: $15 for students with ID. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/frida_kahlo

Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907–1954) used many media to take control of her image, as well as to express her Mexican cultural heritage and her radical political convictions.

How does Kahlo’s 1943 Self Portrait as a Tehuana express “Mexicanidad,” especially in her choice of clothing? You may want to consider adjacent works and objects in the show, as well as other self-portraits or portraits you have seen in the course. You are encouraged to cite exhibition wall text and the assigned reading by Hayden Herrera for this topic.

3. T. C. Cannon, Two Guns Arikara, 1974-77

Acrylic and oil on canvas

National Museum of the American Indian, Bowling Green, Manhattan

Note: Free to the public.

https://americanindian.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/item?id=968

T. C. Cannon (Caddo/Kiowa, 1946–1978) combined a wide range of artistic influences, including Native American and European art. Among the formative experiences of his life was being a U.S. soldier in the Vietnam conflict.

What identity does Cannon construct in this portrait? With what means? You may want to compare this portrait with others you have encountered during the course, or with the work of Van Gogh, which Cannon especially admired. You may also want to consider the issues discussed in class around the ceramic work of Martinez, as well as around the Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Lin. The excellent Cannon exhibition catalogue, which you can find at Avery Library, is a good resource too.

4. William Kentridge, Kaboom!, 2018

Three-channel HD film installation

Marian Goodman Gallery, Midtown, Manhattan

Note: Free to the public. Exhibition closes April 20.

https://www.mariangoodman.com/exhibitions/william-kentridge-let-us-try-for-once

William Kentridge (South African, b. 1955) addresses themes of violence, history, and time in print, performance, and film. Off of the first room of the exhibition is the eighteen-minute film Kaboom! How does Kentridge use different materials and mediums to construct the film? What effects does he create with these different components and how do they function together as one complete work?

Focus on the film as your primary object, but keep in mind that many of the other works in the show were part of the process. Use this to your advantage to further investigate his materials and techniques. On the website you will find a short video of Kentridge talking about the exhibition and an informative press release from the gallery. Use these resources for background information and refer to them in your essay. You may also want to consider other representations of collective violence you have encountered during the course, notably Goya’s 3rd of May, and Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa.

5. Joan Miró, Birth of the World, 1925

Oil on canvas, approximately 8 x 6.5 ft.

Museum of Modern Art, Midtown, Manhattan

Note: Free with student ID.

https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/5031

By the time Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983) painted Birth of the World in 1925, he had abandoned mimetic realism and moved into a period of abstraction. How does Miró interpret his subject through abstraction? Did he ever completely “break free of nature,” as he claimed? Reference other works in the show if relevant, while keeping chronology in mind.

You may want to consider Miro’s abstract style in comparison with the abstract styles of Af Klint, Lawrence, Martinez, Mondrian, O’Keefe, Picasso, Pollock, and Powers discussed in class.

Before visiting MOMA, you may find it useful to read biographies of the artist linked below. You may cite these resources as well as exhibition wall text and audio.

· https://www.moma.org/artists/4016

· https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/miro/hd_miro.htm

6. Nari Ward, Exodus and Amazing Grace, 1993

Installation with found materials

New Museum, Bowery, Manhattan

Note: $12 for students with ID. Pay-as-you-wish on Thursday evenings.

https://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/nari-ward-we-the-people

This solo exhibition of Nari Ward (Jamaican, b. 1963) highlights the importance of Harlem in the artist’s work and includes the 1993 large-scale installation, Exodus, on view on the third floor. How do its found materials shape your experience of this work and convey the themes of personal memory, history, and displacement?

It will be helpful to consider Ward’s work in comparison with the Powers and Goldworthy work discussed in class, because both artists artists also used found materials, though of diferent sorts.

Exhibition wall text may inform your essay. The audio component is available in the Museum or online here: https://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/nari-ward-we-the-people

7. Maren Hassinger, Monuments, 2018

Eight site-specific sculptures

Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem, Manhattan

Part of the Studio Museum’s inHarlem series

https://www.studiomuseum.org/exhibition/maren-hassinger

Maren Hassinger (American, b. 1947) works across installation, sculpture, and performance, often focusing on themes of nature and community. For this site-specific public art project, she worked alongside a team of volunteers from the Harlem community to gather branches and assemble large-scale sculptures that respond to the landscape of Marcus Garvey Park.

How do Hassinger’s sculptures relate to the park, neighborhood, and city in which they reside? Consider the role of public art and the concept of site-specificity. You may choose to focus on one specific sculpture (since they don’t have names, please provide a picture that clearly identifies it) or you may write about the project as a whole. Refer the exhibition brochure on the Museum’s website as you develop your argument.

You will also want to consider Hassinger’s work in comparison with the monumental work of Lin and the ambiguously monumental work of Goldsworthy, both discussed in the course. The assigned Goldsworthy film will be especially useful.