Humanities - Subject Matter Assignment

Subject Matter Assignment Details

1. Andrea Mantegna – The Adoration of the Shepherds

2. Wassily Kandinsky – Autumn in Bavaria

3. Vasily Kandinsky – Black Lines

Directions

points	description
.5	a subjective statement has been included
.5	a preference for one of the works has been established
1	rationale for the choice has been made clear
1	the realistic work has been properly identified
.5	the term realistic has been underlined
1	the abstract (or semi-abstract) work has been properly identified
.5	the term abstract (or semi-abstract) has been underlined
1	the nonobjective work has been properly identified
.5	the term nonobjective has been underlined
2	the realistic painting has been described
2	the description reinforces why it was determined to be realistic
2	an elements or principles term has been used and underlined that supports the realistic description
2	the abstract (or semi-abstract) painting has been described
2	the description reinforces why it was determined to be abstract (or semi-abstract)
2	an elements or principles term has been used and underlined that supports the abstract (or semi-abstract) description
2	the nonobjective painting has been described
2	the description reinforces why it was determined to be nonobjective
2	an elements or principles term has been used and underlined that supports the nonobjective description
5	objective reasoning has been used to connect the preference for the opening statement to the the choice of subject matter (realistic, semi-abstract, abstract, nonobjective)
.5	the appropriate term has been underlined
30	total point possible

In the first paragraph identify the one from the set that most appeals to you and why it appeals to you. Do not use terminology (like color) in this portion. Using terminology will make the statement invalid. But, make sure terminology can be applied to support the reasons for choosing it in the conclusion. It may be best to write this part after completing the rest of the assignment, but it needs to be presented first.

In the second paragraph identify each painting. One of the works is realistic, one is nonobjective, and one is either semi-abstract or abstract. Use the terms.

In the third paragraph describe the first work (what the painting looks like). Discuss what makes it realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Do not use the definitions, but describe the objects within the painting using terminology from the elements or principles lesson that supports why it is realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Make sure that when it is completed it is not so general that it could be applied to many works rather than this specific one.

In the fourth paragraph describe the second work (what the painting looks like). Discuss what makes it realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Do not use the definitions, but describe the objects within the painting using terminology from the elements or principles lesson that supports why it is realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Make sure that when it is completed it is not so general that it could be applied to many works rather than this specific one.

In the third paragraph describe the third work (what the painting looks like). Discuss what makes it realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Do not use the definitions, but describe the objects within the painting using terminology from the elements or principles lesson that supports why it is realistic, semi-abstract, abstract or nonobjective. Make sure that when it is completed it is not so general that it could be applied to many works rather than this specific one.

The last paragraph will reference the choice from the first paragraph. What about the fact that it is realistic, abstract (semi-abstract), or nonobjective contributed to your choosing that work? Underline this term in this concluding paragraph as well. How did the way it looked (use one of those four terms) contribute to that choice? Again, it may be best to develop this paragraph before actually writing the beginning paragraph.

Sample of what the assignment should look like.

While each of these works holds interest in very different ways, my favorite is Rachel Ruysch’s “Flowers in a Glass Vase”. The contradiction of a painting that is so accurate that it seems one could reach out and touch the flowers, with the fact that these flowers all bloom at different times of the year is intriguing. This is especially interesting given the year in which it was painted, 1704, and the place in which it was painted, the Northern Netherlands.

“Abstraktes Bild (1986)” painted by Gerhard Richter is nonobjective. ‘’Flowers in a Glass Vase” painted by Rachel Ruysch is realistic. “The Basket of Apples” painted by Paul Cézanne is semi-abstract.

In “Abstraktes Bild (1986)”, Richter has presented colors layered over other colors, so that some colors show through the other ones. The work is not restricted to one visual gesture. The red area on the left is broken up. The blue area on the right is less broken. The polychromatic splashes in the middle surround the most dominant line in the work. There is much to see in this nonobjective work, but nothing that suggest anything more than textures, colors, lines and shapes. Still, draping almost seems like sheets of emotion spilled out for all to see.

The cleverness of Ruysch in her still life, “Flowers in a Glass Vase”, requires some background research. The textures are so clearly presented that it seems we can feel the soft petals. Each flower and insect is presented so realistically that one could believe this sat in her studio as it was painted. But that was not the case. In this sense it is not capturing reality, but it is being presented realistically. Note the difference.

To understand the uniqueness of Cézanne’s “The Basket of Apples” also requires some observation and a bit of research. The title states that these are apples, but Cézanne presents them so that they look more like fuzzy peaches. The bottle is also not presented realistically, as the smoothness expected is mitigated by the jagged, rough edge, making it less organic in its shape. The most interesting aspect of the work is how Cézanne presents perspective. It doesn’t quite work in this painting. Without knowing more about it one might conclude that it is an inferior work. But it was the recognition that an artist was not bound by the constraints of reality that prompted Cézanne to make the table tilt as if the apples might roll right off and the bottle overturn, making this one of the first works to break the convention in its semi-abstract manner.

While each work has its own attraction, it is the dichotomy of the Rachel Ruysch work is the aspect which made it the most intriguing for me. Painting a work so realistically, while presenting a work that could not exist (in her time) presented a curiosity to better contemplate her approach, the time period in which she painted, and the sheer beauty of the work in its entirety.

Terms that can be used for the assignment.