Length: 3 pages of text, double spaced with standard formatting. You will also create an artwork inspired by your chosen topic.
Sources: at least 3 scholarly sources, which do not include your textbook.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of the assignment is to develop your ability to engage an object in terms of its formal attributes and contextual significance. I want to see that you are able to:
a) research a specific artwork as carefully as possible
b) think critically about it and its significance
c) make it intelligible to a non-specialist viewer
OVERVIEW
Select one object from the list posted on Blackboard. If none of the artworks appeal to you, you can chose another from the Chrysler Museum. Find the object’s location, and research it to find the following characteristics:
1) Name of the artwork
2) Location of the artwork(current Museum or Collection)
3) Provenance of the artwork (where it came from)
4) Material the artworkis made from
5) Size of the artwork
6) Date the artworkwas made
7) Best refereed source a reader can use for further research on the artwork. (See note on refereed sources on page
Place this information at the top of your paper. Do not include a title or tile page- just begin your paper with the list of attributes, in the same order as above.The second part of paper should be a formal description of what the object looks like. Use your best analytical toolset (and terms) to convey the shape, volume, rhythm, line, craftsman’s marks, etc. Imagine that the reader doesn’t have an image in front of them, and try your best to draw them a picture with your words.The third part of the paper will be your opportunity to put the object in context. For this exercise, imagine that your piece is on display in a museum and you are writing an explanatory placard that hangs beside it. Bearing this in mind, think about reaching out to an audience who knows very little about art and even less about the historical and cultural framework within which it is situated. Your mission is to make the object accessible, relevant, even exciting to a non-specialist viewer. Discuss the object’s significance in art history, providing background, context, comparisons, and an account of relevant issues. Think about what the piece is and how it connects to wider trends and developments. Remember, as these are intended to explain an object on display in a museum to someone who walks in off the street, it may be useful to provide some essential background on your culture as a means of introducing your piece.
GOOD PLACES TO START
Library: Search the library catalogue for books. Interlibrary loan may be necessary- budget up to a week for a book to be delivered.
Online: jstor.org is a good repository of refereed articles- if you have a very focused topic, this might be a useful place to start. Note that if you aren’t on campus, you’ll need to login through the library server.
Your instructor: That’s right! If you’re having trouble finding information on your piece, drop by my office hours. I will be happy to help.
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
Citations must be used when you employ the thoughts or statements of others.
Footnotes: Use endnotes to describe the source, including the specific page numbers. Footnotes can be added in MS Word via the References tab. Please see the endnote and bibliography guide attached.
Bibligraphy: Use the following format (Chicago 16B), and make sure that it is alphabetized.
Books: DeGuzmán, María. Spain’s Long Shadow: The Black Legend, Off-whiteness, and Anglo-American Empire. Minneapolis, MN, and London: University of Minnesota Press, 2005.
Articles: Fulford, Tim. “British Romantics and Native Americans: The Araucanians of Chile.” Studies in Romanticism 47, no. 2 (Summer, 2008): 225-252.
Book Sections: Ledbury, Mark. “Musical Mutualism: David, Degotti, and Operatic Painting.” In Art, Theatre, and Opera in Paris, 1750-1850: Exchanges and Tensions, edited by Sarah Hibberd and Richard Wrigley, 53-76. Burlington, VT and Farnham, England: Ashgate, 2014.
You may only use refereed sources as references- these are scholarly works that have gone through a peer-review process. This means no websites or class lectures- only books and articles. An article from a print journal that is reproduced online (on JSTOR, for example) is fine to use. In this case, cite as per articles above, and do not include URL.
All work must be your own- plagiarism in any form will result in a zero grade.
GRADE BREAKDOWN
Formatting, Following Directions (10%), Quality of Sources (20%) Correct Identification of Artwork (Date, Culture, Museum, etc.) (10%), Grammar and Spelling (10%), Quality of Discussion, Contextualization, etc (50%)
SUBMISSION:Upload your paper to Blackboard as an MS Word document- either in .doc or .docx format. Do not save it as a .wps or .pdf, or .pages file. Incorrect format/submissions will be marked late- check that the file opens correctly when you submit it.
Painting
Anonymous ,Gabrielle D’estes and one of her sisters, ca 1594,oil on oak 96×125 cm, Louvre. Object Number. R.f 1937-1 French
