creative writer

Assignment 2: Guided Art Tour

This week your Guided Art Tour should focus on all of the following:  Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, and Mannerist Art.

By Friday, May 9, 2014, post a professional, creative presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint or .pdf) of a guided art tour to this Discussion Area.

You will decide what six works of art to include in your tour—be sure to choose at least one from each of the four movements (Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, and Mannerist) toward your total of six works. You must include the following identifying information (if known):

· The title

· The artist

· The date the piece was created

· The original location (city and country)

· The media

In your own words, write a detailed description and analysis on each work of art using the elements of art and principles of design terms listed below (at least 3 of the most relevant art terms per each work of art), as well as specialized vocabulary terms we have learned this week.

Your discussion of each work should include a discussion on the context of the culture by exploring the connections between the appearance and style of the work, and the context, i.e., its meaning to the culture. Think about the culture in which the work was created. What does the appearance of the work tell us about the cultural beliefs? Explore why the terms are significant to mention regarding each work of art. 

Thematic Topic for Week 5: The theme to explore this week is patronage. When discussing art it is important to understand who paid for the piece to be created. This helps us in everything from interpreting symbols and iconography to understanding certain architectural design features. The person paying for a piece of art is called a patron and can be a single person (like a queen), a group of people (like a family), and/or an organization (like a church).  If possible, bring in specific written or visual evidence as to the piece’s patronage. Since we often lack records from this period you may have to make an educated guess about who the patron was and if this is the case please walk us through your reasoning and make sure to connect your assertions back to the visual imagery of the piece itself.

At minimum, your entire tour should be 1200 words.

Elements of Art	Principles of Design
· Line · Color · Value · Texture · Shape · Form · Space	· Balance · Emphasis · Contrast · Movement · Rhythm · Unity · Pattern

Checklist:

· Professional presentation with images included

· Identified six different works of art from this week

· Maps of the original locations

· Description and analysis of each work of art using art terms

· Contextual discussion of each work

· Use of appropriate vocabulary

· Thematic exploration – Patronage

· Reliable and scholarly sources properly cited using MLA style

Formal Description/Analysis and Cultural/Contextual Hints:

After you choose a work of art ask yourself... Do I see line? If the answer is yes, explain the line that you see. Then ask yourself... Do I see color? If the answer is yes, explain exactly what color you see (work your way through all of the terms). If you don’t see a term, explain the lack of that element. For example, if there is a lack of movement in a sculpture, explain why that is significant to the culture. Again, once you find your three terms, tell your classmates why the use of these terms is significant.

If you are showing the spotted horse in Pech-Merle, France, point out that the pattern of the spots is quite interesting. Discuss the significance of mentioning pattern by introducing some of the ideas that you read about this week such as: the dots may be a form of writing or possibly the result of light-deprived hallucinations.

Note: Rubrics provide an explanation for full or partial credit. If any of the criteria listed is not met you will receive a zero for that section.