Think about how history affects society and then how our society creates or reacts to art. How do our perceptions change as history changes? What is the artist’s role at this time? Are there different reactions geographically? What is the viewers’ role? Compare and contrast two cultures or time periods, one of which must come from beyond the European tradition, focusing on on the tri-fold relationship of art, artist, and viewer. They can be ones we’ve already covered in class or not.
Choose 2-3 artworks/architectures as your main focus (one main artwork from each culture). You will reference (to use as support) at least 3 additional images that back up your thesis. It is easier to think about this process if you determine a theme (nature, war/violence, a specific religion, political propaganda, etc.
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In Class Info, I provide you with lots of resources for quick research and to get an idea about different time periods.
The library also has great resources on journalistic and research data bases. Here is a link for your Works Cited page. Examples:
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Read on... (Adapted from Professor Karen Kleinfelder, CSULB)
Writing on art is no easy matter. Images are hard to put into words and that’s why we practice everyday in class. How do I go about the artworks that are not so easy to simply describe? That’s the challenge. A written analysis must be descriptive and interpretive. It must argue a thesis (a defined point of view) and can be done well with a well informed perspective- research.
Your research can take many different forms. You’ll want to provide a plethora of information but how do you know what’s relevant and what isn’t? You can provide background information on the artist’s life or a particular time period. You can make references to historical events, societal changes, philosophical shifts, or psychological developments. You can quote the artist’s own words, or cite passages from a manifesto, or another art historian’s published works. You can trace specific influences or draw parallels to developments in other art forms, such as music, literature, or dance/rituals/ceremonies. You could look for scientific links, industry, or mathematics. Find a focus and stick with it. Go with the gut feeling.
Do not rely too heavily on any one source for you information. History is essentially a narrative. Consult more than one source on the same subject – you need a well rounded idea of the topic. You need at least 3 sources beyond your textbooks. It’s all about quality not necessarily quantity. If you use books that are too general like coffee table books, your research will be too superficial. You can use them for ideas, but not in depth research. Be professional in your wording and phrasing. Your research should help you keep your reading of the artworks and cultures accurate and informed; it should deepen your analysis and inform the reader on both your outside research should never dominate your own voice.
Make what you have to say about the artworks relevant and pertinent to your reading of the images, your interpretation. Don’t include information that doesn’t in some way tie into your thesis. No filler background. This is a formal analysis and contextual reading of particular culture’s works of art. It’s not a book report. Work from description to analysis, ending with the bigger picture.
Try to be creative in your research and use of related materials. Find art historians’ journals, find writings about the works, not just textbook information. Take what you learn and apply it well. Research will help you in developing your ideas. Now that you have the basics of your non western culture solidified, make meaningful connections. Keep the artworks primary. A good professor once told me that a research paper is not diary account nor a list of facts but it doesn’t have to be dry and emotionally neutral either. The artworks should speak to you and I should be able to read your passion in your essay. Make your case convincing by building your argument carefully and effectively, backing up your points with pertinent references to outside sources and factual evidence. This is your time and your chance to craft a point of view that can provide new insights into how a work of art is seen and “read.”
When writing an analysis of artworks, you cannot build your case merely on hard evidence of scientific facts; art writing is persuasive writing. You need to make your interpretation convincing by building your argument with descriptive writing, persuasive observations, insightful deductions about your culture/images, artist’s intent, and the historical context.
Include descriptions of your chosen artworks. Four criteria come into play here:
a. quality of visual analysis (how well you work the visual)
b. quality of ideas (thesis, premise, or angle of approach)
c. quality of research (how well you cover your cultures, citing sources, quality of sources)
d. quality of writing (structure of paper, sentence structure, tonality, effectiveness of words)
Needs:
Hope this helps...
Writing on art is no easy matter. Images are hard to put into words and that’s why we practice everyday in class. How do I go about the artworks that are not so easy to simply describe? That’s the challenge. A written analysis must be descriptive and interpretive. It must argue a thesis (a defined point of view) and can be done well with a well informed perspective- research.
Your research can take many different forms. You’ll want to provide a plethora of information but how do you know what’s relevant and what isn’t? You can provide background information on the artist’s life or a particular time period. You can make references to historical events, societal changes, philosophical shifts, or psychological developments. You can quote the artist’s own words, or cite passages from a manifesto, or another art historian’s published works. You can trace specific influences or draw parallels to developments in other art forms, such as music, literature, or dance/rituals/ceremonies. You could look for scientific links, industry, or mathematics. Find a focus and stick with it. Go with the gut feeling.
Do not rely too heavily on any one source for you information. History is essentially a narrative. Consult more than one source on the same subject – you need a well rounded idea of the topic. You need at least 3 sources beyond your textbooks. It’s all about quality not necessarily quantity. If you use books that are too general like coffee table books, your research will be too superficial. You can use them for ideas, but not in depth research. Be professional in your wording and phrasing. Your research should help you keep your reading of the artworks and cultures accurate and informed; it should deepen your analysis and inform the reader on both your outside research should never dominate your own voice.
Make what you have to say about the artworks relevant and pertinent to your reading of the images, your interpretation. Don’t include information that doesn’t in some way tie into your thesis. No filler background. This is a formal analysis and contextual reading of particular culture’s works of art. It’s not a book report. Work from description to analysis, ending with the bigger picture.
Try to be creative in your research and use of related materials. Find art historians’ journals, find writings about the works, not just textbook information. Take what you learn and apply it well. Research will help you in developing your ideas. Now that you have the basics of your non western culture solidified, make meaningful connections. Keep the artworks primary. A good professor once told me that a research paper is not diary account nor a list of facts but it doesn’t have to be dry and emotionally neutral either. The artworks should speak to you and I should be able to read your passion in your essay. Make your case convincing by building your argument carefully and effectively, backing up your points with pertinent references to outside sources and factual evidence. This is your time and your chance to craft a point of view that can provide new insights into how a work of art is seen and “read.”
When writing an analysis of artworks, you cannot build your case merely on hard evidence of scientific facts; art writing is persuasive writing. You need to make your interpretation convincing by building your argument with descriptive writing, persuasive observations, insightful deductions about your culture/images, artist’s intent, and the historical context.
Include descriptions of your chosen artworks. Four criteria come into play here:
a. quality of visual analysis (how well you work the visual)
b. quality of ideas (thesis, premise, or angle of approach)
c. quality of research (how well you cover your cultures, citing sources, quality of sources)
d. quality of writing (structure of paper, sentence structure, tonality, effectiveness of words)
Needs:
- COVER PAGE: Include the Title of your essay, your name, the date, the semester
- TITLE: Create a title that works for your thesis and research. The title should cue the reader into your idea and your thesis.
- INTRODUCTION AND CONCLUSION: Should capture the reader’s attention and set the tone for the paper as a whole. Make sure you introduce both cultures/time periods. Do not launch into biographical/historical data without first establishing the true subject of your paper. Establish your thesis. Establish how you plan to make connections or interpret. Do no end on too specific a point or too repetitive summation.
- THESIS: Your thesis is the answer to your research question. It tells the reader the main point of your essay. What is a good thesis?
- Answers your question
- complete, unified statement
- precise enough to limit the material
- general enough to need support
- defensible
- not too obvious
- TITLES of artworks, books, magazines, newspapers should be italicized or underlined.
- PAGE NUMBERS (bottom, centered)
- APPENDIX: Photos of artworks DO NOT go in the middle of your essay. They will go in the back of your essay. Two artworks max per page. Every artwork needs a full credit line and source citation.
- CITATIONS: This same professor also told me that citing one’s sources is not a defensive move so much as the way in which scholars generate further research. Your reader must be able to retrace your steps. Any quotations MUST be put into quotation marks accompanied by a citation including page number. Paraphrase simple facts like dates and locations- they still need citations though. Only quote when there is something about the passage – something about its content or phrasing – that is needed verbatim for you to make your point effectively.
- SOURCES: You need at least 4 sources, 2 of which can be from a .com source. All other sources need to be from books, journals, scholarly essays....
Hope this helps...
