Paragraph 1:
Title of artwork
Location (name of museum, gallery, etc.)
Name of artist/architect (if known)
Cultural context (Name the artist’s nationality. In addition, you may discuss ethnicity, time period (i.e. the Renaissance), political affiliations, or any other aspect of the artist’s culture that may have influenced the artwork.)
Date it was made
Size of artwork
Art form (i.e. photograph, sculpture, installation, etc.)
Style (Abstract Expressionist, Impressionist, Contemporary Art, etc. This can also be characterized as a cultural style, such as Ancient Egyptian, Renaissance, etc.) You should be able to find this on the museum website.
Subject matter (A detailed description of what is literally seen or represented in your own words, no research here, such as a tree on the left and house on the right, square with three stripes for nonrepresentational art, etc.) For architecture, you will instead give a general description of the way the building looks.
Suggested extra vocabulary: Naturalistic, Representational, Non-representational, or Nonobjective.
Paragraph 2:
Medium: Be specific, i.e. charcoal on paper, oil on canvas, wood, etc. Also, describe how the medium is made, such as pigment and a specific binder.
Process/Technique: Describe how the material is manipulated in this particular piece, such as “applied with a brush” or “dripped on canvas”, as well as any solvents or mediums that may be needed. Also, describe how the surface is prepared, such as by using a ground.
Suggested extra vocabulary: additive or subtractive process, impasto, glazing, carving, lost-wax casting, hatching, modeling, chiaroscuro, etc.
Paragraph 3:
2-3 formal elements and how they are used. Be specific- what kind and where in the artwork? Use extra vocabulary, such as implied line or primary colors.
2-3 principles of design and how they are used. Be specific- what kind and where in the artwork? Use extra vocabulary, such as symmetrical balance.
Paragraph 4:
What is the content, or meaning, of the artwork? This can be based on research or personal interpretation.
How do the subject matter, formal elements, and/or principles of design create that meaning? Is there any symbolism?
Identify a theme in your work of art
Paragraph 5:
Impact on Culture/Society: Choose a Role of the Artist that matches your artwork/architecture and discuss how that role applies to that piece.
Vocabulary:
5 extra vocabulary words, highlighted. (Besides formal elements, principles, and other information already listed.) For example, if you were describing the element of color, you could discuss primary colors. Examples for extra vocabulary have been given above for each paragraph. These words should describe qualities that the artwork has, not qualities that the artwork does not have.
Image:
An image of the piece being discussed. (This means an actual image and not a link to it.) You can download or take a screen shot. Also include source for image. Source should be limited to the museum website or library database Artstor.
Research:
Allowed Sources:
Museum website.
City website (for public art).
No Wikipedia or any other sites.
How much research? 1-5 sentences of researched information.
Topics: Research may be based on the following:
Biography of the artist (to be included in Paragraph 1).
Style (Paragraph 1). You may find the artist’s style on the museum website or the online database. Or, you may conduct an online search of the artist’s name and the word “style” and find an academic (.edu) source or museum website that gives you the artist’s style.
More information about the medium or process the artist used.
The meaning of the piece.
Citations:
Plagiarism: You MUST cite any researched information (besides title, date, and artist’s name). Not doing so is considered plagiarism, which is academic dishonesty, and will result in no credit and requirement to fix the essay for re-grading and a late grade.
In-text citations needed within the essay. For example, you may write “According to Smith’s essay on Art of the Americas……” at the beginning or end, or (Smith) or (Smith 21) at the end. Click here: Purdue Owl (Links to an external site.) for formatting guidelines.
Examples of Art Museums (Do not use an art gallery):
The Blanton or Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) in Austin
Museum of Fine Arts Houston (MFAH) in Houston
The Louvre (Paris)
The Guggenheim (New York City) (there are also other Guggenheim museums throughout the world- any will work)
The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) (New York City)
