Art History 258
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Campbell 160 |
4-5 pages (double-spaced), due in-class Apr. 19.
Papers may not be submitted by e-mail.
Visit a museum and choose a work of American painting or sculpture produced before 1918, preferably not one covered in your textbook. Take very detailed notes on your selected work of art. Really spend time with this object, sketch it, ask yourself questions about it (refer to the website linked below), go away and come back to it. Aim to have such detailed notes that you could make a copy of it yourself after you leave it.
In order to prepare yourself for this exercise, please visit the following website:
http://www.arts.ouc.bc.ca/fiar/hndbkhom.html
There you will find an extremely useful "Art History: A Preliminary Handbook" by Dr. R. J. Belton. Particularly instructive before visiting the museum and taking notes on your work of art are #6 "Beginning the Assignment," and #7 "Further Basic Questions to Ask Yourself About the Work." Print these out and take them with you to the museum.
Before writing your paper, please read #8 "Some Point for Writing any Essay," #9 "Three Important Acronyms," and #10 "Some Particular Pitfalls to Avoid." Write a 4-5 page essay (double-spaced) in which you carefully describe the work of art and relate it to material covered in class. I do not expect you to do any outside research for this assignment, but if you choose a work from a period that we have not yet discussed, be sure that you have read the appropriate sections in your textbook. Also, if the museum includes explanatory material in the gallery or in a collection catalogue, use proper citation if you use that material in your paper.
Your primary goal is to describe the work of art. Imagine that your reader has never seen it previously. You also should discuss some other significant aspect of the work. It could be a comparison with another work of art in the room, or some aspect of its context or content, such as: how it relates to the artist's biography; the relationship between this work of art and its contemporary historical context; the subject matter, etc. Choose your work of art carefully, so that you are certain that you will be able to deal with the latter part of this assignment.
Before you submit your paper, please be sure of the following.
* #13 on the website: "Ten Final Questions to ask yourself before Submission"
* Title page, with title (not writing assignment #2), name, date, class, etc.
* Double-spaced
* One inch margins
* 10 or 12 pt. type
* Proper citations for materials either quoted or influenced by
Please feel free to come see me if you have any further questions.