Writing about Art
Please use some art related concept to show that the essay is about art
Course learning Objective: Gain analytic skills that employ a suitable vocabulary of historical terminology, cultural context stylistic analysis in evaluating the relationship between visual culture and history.
What is this assignment ? One of the most difficult tasks for anyone beginning to study in a specific field is learning the discipline- specific terminology. Think about it: lawyers write legal briefs in very particular ways, so do medical students when writing case studies. In art history, part of what you study is the discipline itself, its methodologies, its fields of study, and its terminology. You may have already noticed that terms like “style” or “form” are used in art history in a different way than in popular culture or fashion. So for your writing assignment, I am going to give you very specific guidelines to help guide you in writing your essay. The most important thing to consider is: have you prepared? Have you done the assigned readings and paid close attention to the terminology learned in the reading quizzes? Have you participated fully in the discussion sections and really used that as an opportunity to learn? If so, good! You have prepared yourself for this next stage. If you have not, you have to do some catch up and review, but you will have another opportunity at the end of the class to do this again. So this stage will be a good assessment of where you are in the class in terms of your learning.
How to complete it successfully: Your assignment is to write a brief paper (500-700 words) making a comparison between the two artworks shown below; one is an Egyptian sculpture the other Greek. You must make specific visual references to the examples shown here. Your comparison should be broken down as follows:
Paragraph 1: Begin with a topic sentence about style in art history. Describe the stylistic differences and similarities between these two sculptures, making specific reference to the actual artworks. You do not need to research the specific works of art, but you should identify which stylistic period the Greek sculpture belongs to. (refer back to the readings if necessary.)
Paragraph 2: Begin with a topic sentence about historical context in art history. Describe the different historical contexts of each sculpture. How is each work characteristic of its respective culture (its cultural, religious, or political beliefs)? Be sure to state how.
Paragraph 3 Begin with a topic sentence that summarizes your main points. Your conclusion must respond to the following two questions: It is clear that the Greeks learned the art of free standing sculpture from the Egyptians but why did they change it? What does this tell us about how different their beliefs and ideas were as separate cultures?