REQUIREMENTS: For your term paper, visit the websites of the National Gallery of Art (NGA) a in
Washington D.C, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) @ in NYC, the Art Institute of Chicago a, OR
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art @ and write a paper that is 5-7 pages, double spaced, 12pt font,
and in Times New Roman.
If you choose to submit a 5-page paper, that means you need to write 5 pages of text and an additional
page dedicated to your citations.
You must find ONE piece of artwork from any time period that catches your attention. You may choose a
painting, sculpture, architecture, photograph, print, or mixed media (really, any piece of artwork) at the NGA
or the MET.
It is easier for the flow of this assignment to use headers where you see fit. I recommend splitting your
paper into two sections: Formal Analysis and Historical Context.
Formal Analysis
Include the piece’s title, artist, medium, and date. Please analyze your piece by discussing the visual
elements and principles of design ** note: sometimes works of art will not have all of these elements, so do
not stress, just make sure you’re writing a proper formal analysis**
1. Consider the characteristics that you see and how it comes from a specific time period.
2. Give a detailed description of the piece:
1. What are the lines? Shapes? 2D/3D?
2. Describe the size and placement of objects/figures.
3. Describe the use of color and explain how those colors create mood/tone.
4. Talk about the texture? Does it create mood? Or does it mimic reality?
Historical Context
Include the content of the artwork
A
1. Explain the type of subject matter and genres-is it about a biblical narrative, allegorical, history, still
life, etc. What time period is it from?
2. Explain any symbols (people, objects, colors, placement can be symbolic).
.
What is the historical or cultural significance?
1. Does your piece convey a social, religious, or political message?
2. Define the purpose of objects/figures.
Talk about your opinions on the piece. Why did you pick this artwork, and what does it mean to you?
Why do you think this piece is important to society?
Have fun with this paper. Even think outside of the box!
Resources:
Check out this video to learn more about how to do a formal analysis:
Read this article on tips for writing an Art History Paper: https://www.thoughtco.com/write-an-art-history-paper-182925 2
