The painting I have chosen to analyze is ″The Harp Lesson″ by Jean Antoine Théodore Giroust, which is located in the Dallas Museum of Art. The following requirements are below: Must be over 1,500 words I. Introduction and Thesis: In the introductory paragraph, tell me which artwork you have selected and why. Give the name of the artist, the title of the work, the approximate dates and the medium. Give a short desсrіption of the artwork and what it depicts, including any relevant story it may show (the ″digital″ wall placard can be very helpful in this regard). Give a thesis for your analysis, which simply put, can be your interpretation of the artwork. It need not be an original interpretation, so long as you proceed, in the next section of your paper, to back up your statements in your own words. Think of it as a ″theory″ which you are setting out to ″prove″. It can also be something as simple as, ″the artist uses heightened contrast and light and shadow to create a dramatic and emotional retelling of this biblical story″ or ″the artist used the new Impressionistic style to convey a sense of movement of the animals in this scene″. You should also include a picture of the artwork here so that your teacher can see what you are talking about. (Hint: if you don′t know what a thesis is, please google it to learn more. If your paper doesn′t have a thesis you will loose points). II. Analysis of Artwork using Elements of Art, Principles of Design and Historical Context: In the next few paragraphs, give a detailed desсrіption of all of the elements of art and principles of design of the artwork AND tell me how the artist′s decisions in this regard support your thesis or interpretation of the work. Topics to cover include: line, shape, space, light, color, texture, time & motion, etc (everything from Week 2-6). Try to avoid talking about how the artwork makes you feel and whether you like it or not but instead stick to the facts and the elements of art and principles of design. This list isn′t comprehensive but should jog your memory on the material we covered the first few weeks of class: Line (variety, outline/contour, implied, expressive, orientation) Shape and Space (mass, positive/negative space, 3D, linear perspective, foreshortening, photographic, digital) Light and Color (atmospheric/aerial perspective, value, chiaroscuro, modeling, highlights, shadow, tenebrism, hatching/cross-hatching, contrast, primary/secondary color, analogous color, complimentary color, pointillism, arbitrary/symbolic color Texture, Time & Motion (actual/visual texture, kinetic art, optical painting) Principles of Design (symmetrical/asymmetrical/radial balance, emphasis, focal point, scale, proportion, pattern, repetition, rhythm, unity, variety)
