Art Analysis of Perseus frees Andromeda by Piero di Cosimo. One three- to four-page paper will require all students to write a prolonged visual, formal, or iconographic analysis of a single artwork based upon original data collected from first-hand observation. This assignment is based on a virtual visit to an art museum (you are NOT required to physically visit any public spaces). Strong papers will blend personal response and reflection with critical analysis and interpret the selected artwork with respect to concepts learned throughout the course of the semester. For the sake of this class, no biographic or historical analyses will be accepted. The key elements to critical thinking expected from this written assignment include: use of careful, precise language to describe the artwork observed; an integration of descriptive and analytical statements about the object that steer the reader; the demonstration of an awareness of the elements, principles, and fine art media in use; clear reasoning about interpretations drawn from the looking process; presentation of alternative questions raised by the space and object when appropriate; use of art-historical interpretive approaches to engage with the object. This paper serves as the final evaluation for this course. WHAT IS VISUAL ANALYSIS: “Visual analysis (sometimes called formal analysis) is an organized verbalization of the visual aspects of an artwork. Visual analysis usually begins by describing the formal elements that compose an image (such as line, shape, color, and texture), noting how the parts relate to one another and to the image as a whole. Visual analysis goes beyond mere description by organizing the relevant visual elements around a main idea or interpretation. Visual analyses can include research on technique (how the visual elements were created), style (how they appear within a certain tradition), and iconography (what they mean culturally and historically).”[1] HOW TO WRITE A VISUAL ANALYSIS PAPER: For this paper, you are asked to write a prolonged analysis of a single artwork based upon the visual data. Your brief analysis of the selected artwork should be set within your broader knowledge of the elements of art and pictorial culture, as they have been introduced over the course of the semester. Papers should have a clear, central thesis that is supported by what can actually be seen within- and read from the chosen artwork. Failure to include a clear, one-sentence thesis statement in the introductory paragraph will result in the deduction of one letter grade (10 points). While visual analysis is based on description, pure description should be kept to a minimum. Additionally, this is NOT a research paper. Your time should be spent looking closely and often at the art object itself rather than researching or reading on the work, its artist, the art movement, etc. For the sake of this class, no biographic or historical analyses will be accepted. Moving From Description to Interpretation: Once you have selected your artwork, start by itemizing what can actually be seen – description. From here, you want to consider what those details mean – interpretation. Be careful to use all of the details found within the artwork to support your interpretation. For instance, if I were looking at Jean-August-Dominique Ingres’ Apotheosis of Homer (1827) I see a human figure with wings. Based on this information alone – human-like figure with wings – I might assume that this is a representation of a Christian angel. However, the additional iconographic information – the winged figure wears a wreath of leaves on her head, holds a palm frond that stretches the length of her left arm, and is frozen in the act of crowning the man seated before her with a golden laurel wreath – cues me to the fact that this is a representation of either the ancient goddess Nike or the personification of Victory. This interpretation can be further supported by other details within the image such as the Ionic, classicizing temple with Greek-language text in the frieze that visually defines the limits of the painting’s background. You are NOT expected to do an iconographic analysis for this paper. For the purpose of this class, you are only required to consider how meaning is created through the formal elements and to develop a very simple thesis communicating your interpretation. For example, if my thesis was “Gauguin uses the element of color to create heightened emotion in his painting Vision After the Sermon (1888),” I would focus my paper on the psychology of color; the specific unnatural colors used in that painting; I might discuss Gauguin’s flattening of space and subject as a means of placing emphasis on the color; and I would think about the subject of the painting and question (always offer an answer. It’s okay if it’s “wrong”) why the artist would want to create a heightened/tense emotion in this particular scene – what does it add to the story as I am able to interpret it? SELECTING AN ARTWORK: Be sure to select an artwork that appeals to you visually and that you want to further examine. Your selected artwork should likewise be identified [title (italicized), artist, date, materials, and dimensions] in your opening paragraph – preferably within the first two sentences. PAPER STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS: BY WHAT CRITERIA WILL MY PAPER BE EVALUATED? Your paper should be 900-1100 words, or 3-4 pages, in length. Please limit your papers to 4 pages; a too-long paper needs more assertive revision to clarify the main thesis and supporting arguments. Use 11.5 or 12-point Times or Times New Roman font. Double space your text and use 1” margins. No cover page is necessary and a reproduction of the work need not be included. In the top right corner of the first page include your name, date, and section number single spaced. Proofread your paper before submission. One point will be deducted per spelling/grammar error up to ten points. Papers should follow proper paragraph formatting and paper mechanics.
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