writing exam

PART I ESSAY, Maximum Word Count 200 (100 points)

You are a wealthy art collector and want to purchase TWO works for your French chateau. Choose one realistic work and one abstract work in the Dayton Art Institute Dicke Wing. Give the name of the artist, the title, date and medium for each of the two works of art you have selected.

Follow the guidelines below to complete your essay. Your essay’s main focus should be the discussion of the visual elements (refer to the Study Terms) in each work; how the visual elements support content and meaning in the work. If the work has a label, you may use the information in the label if it is appropriate to your essay, but it has to be expressed in your own words.

Select ONE realistic and ONE abstract work from the list of works below.

Realistic/Representational Abstract

Wiley, Honorable Augustus Keppel Hofmann, Enchanted Fire

Peto, Mug, Book, Smoking Materials Frankenthaler, Sea Change

Fish, Embroidery Uzbekistan Warhol, Russell Means

Kienholz, Sawdy Raushenberg, Sling Shot

Van Pelt, Louise Nevelson Nevelson, Untitled

O’Keefe, Purple Leaves Yoshitomo, Flying Pup

PART II ESSAY Maximum Word Count 75 (30 points)

Compare and contrast luminist Albert Bierstadt Scene in Yosemite Valley with American Impressionist Childe Hassam, Early Morning Calm. Give a visual analysis of each work, including discussion of the formal elements (refer to Study Terms); how the visual elements support content and meaning in the work.

PART III ESSAY Maximum Word Count 100 (40 points)

Select one object (your choice) from the museum collections in any of the DAI Galleries (i.e., African, Asian, Greek, American, etc.). Describe the object in detail, using formal elements.

Clearly identify the narrative of the work (painting, sculpture) and/or the use of the object (esp. ceramics, ceremonial objects, etc)?

FOCUS your essay on what you OBSERVE through CLOSE LOOKING, and what you can then infer about context/geography/socio-cultural/political context from your observations?

You will need to submit a 5” x 7” photograph or drawing of your chosen works. See the DAI website for restrictions on photographing artwork in the museums. Specifically, you cannot use a flash in the museum. The museum does not allow photographs to be taken in special exhibitions.

Follow the guidelines listed below for essay format:

1 . Your essays should be typed or word-processed, have one-inch margins and numbered pages. Each essay should be double-spaced. Type size 12.

2. Spelling, punctuation, grammar and writing style will count in the grading process! All sources must be cited. Use the MLA handbook, available in the bookstore, library, Online. BE SURE TO INCLUDE A WORKS CITED PAGE. I remind everyone that those caught using large portions of any published research, including websites and audio/visual sources, that do not properly cite in MLA or Chicago Manual of Style will receive an automatic zero. If in doubt, always CITE!

PART IV MATCHING (2 points ea/30 total)

_______ two dimensional

_______ _tenbrism

________ value

________ trompe l’oeil

________ atmospheric perspective

_______ symmetrical balance

________ impasto

________ scale

________ chiaroscuro

_________focus

_________medium

_________proportion

_________composition

_________three dimensional

_________minimalism

a) Relationship of each part to the whole

b) comparative size of an object in relation to other objects

c) thick paint

d) art created on a flat surface, picture plane having height and width

e) light emphasizing form from outside painting

f) technique to depict distance through use of bluish gray tones or blurring

g) visual degree of lightness or darkness

h) materials and techniques that the artist uses to create the work

i) mirror image balance

j) any object that has mass and volume, and occupies space in height, width and depth

k) organization of formal elements

l) a style of painting in which things are painted in a way that makes them look like real objects.

m) a style of art, predominantly American, that dates from the mid-twentieth century, characterized by its rejection of expressive content and its use of minimal formal

n) In drawing and painting, the use of light and dark to create the effect of 3 dimensional, modeled surfaces

o) emphasis or center of interest