Midterm

ART1000 Foundation of Visual Literacy Midterm (due June 8, 2020) 11:59 pm

Summer 2020

Short Essay Questions

The five questions below should be addressed in short essay form, (two to three paragraphs for each question). 150-200 words. After each part of the question is the amount of points given to that portion. If you want all the points address each part.

When I ask for a description I want a good clear visual description.

1. In Ways of Seeing, John Berger discusses Rene Magritte’s painting The Key of Dreams, describe the painting, (5 pts.) How does this painting relate to the “gap” that Berger mentions on page 7? (5 pts.) What is the “gap” that Berger mentions? (5 pts.) The authors of Practices of Looking discuss Magritte’s painting Treachery of Images, describe the painting? (5 pts.)

If this is not a pipe, then what is it? (5 points) Key of Dreams

2. Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

What does the Allegory of the Cave represent? (5 points)

What do the images of “shackles” and the “cave” represent? (5 points)

Today in your own life what things “shackle” your mind? (5 points)

3. Describe Kara Walker’s artwork in detail. What does it look like? What materials does she use? https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s2/kara-walker-in-stories-segment/ (begins at 2:00) (5 points)

Do you think her work relates to the Plato’s Allegory of the Cave? (5 points)

In what ways does it or does it not relate to Plato’s Allegory? (5 points)

This is an example; you should have watched the video already.

4. Describe James Turrell’s Roden Crater Project. https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s1/james-turrell-in-spirituality-segment/ (begins at 39:50) (5 pts)

On page 19 in Ways of Seeing, John Berger states, “The uniqueness of every painting was once part of the uniqueness of the place where it resided.”

Do you see a connection between what Berger is saying about historical art works and their location and what James Turrell is doing in the desert outside of Flagstaff Arizona? Describe and discuss that connection. (5 points)

5. Explain what John Berger thinks happens to an image when text accompanies it. (5 pts)

Is the van Gogh image altered by the accompanying text? (5 pts)

How has it changed? Would a change in font style, size or ink color alter the interpretation further? (5 pts)

This is the last picture that van Gogh painted before he killed himself.

Part one of the midterm: Image/Text is worth 20 points and that makes the midterm worth a total of 100 points.