Analyze an art object using skills of art criticism.
Apply knowledge from course readings to understand issues of style and culture.
Develop lifelong skills for viewing art.
Project Components
Select your object from the list
Review Feldman, Chapter 2, to understand the process for the analysis assignment.
Before writing anything, engage in deep looking: Look at your object intently for about 30 minutes. Scan it from top to bottom and side to side. Investigate small elements and details. Squint at it to de-emphasize the details so that you see only the big patterns. Observe the use of the elements of art: color, texture, line, light and shadow, etc.
During deep looking or just afterwards, make at least one sketch (or map, or diagram) of the object you are studying. You will see a great deal more as you draw an image of the object for yourself. Like the deep looking exercise, this process also slows you down and helps you to notice more things than you might otherwise see.
Finally, write and submit your analysis for grading. Please also submit your study sketch(es)/drawing(s)/diagram(s): they will not be graded, but you will lose points if they are not submitted.
This is not a research paper. Your short art analysis paper (minimum 1000 words or around 10 paragraphs) should use only what you know from what you read in your text and what is on the title cards at the museum. Do not find or use any other sources.
Your discussion should consist of six parts, five of which are based on Chapter 2 of Feldman's book. You should use these five elements (with sub-elements, in the Interpretation section) as the format for organization. You do not need an introduction or conclusion for this analysis.
YOUR VISIT: Note the date, time, and duration of your visit. Make a quick list of the other objects in the gallery with your chosen object.
IDENTIFY: Give the name of the object, the name of the artist (if known), the date(s) of creation, the medium, the approximate measurements, and the location in the museum (Gallery number and general museum section).
DESCRIBE: Write a complete description of the object, but be CONCISE, DIRECT, and TO THE POINT. Describe the piece without being analytical, judgmental, or using interpretation; just look carefully, and tell what you have seen. Write your description in such a way that a person who has read your paper would have no difficulty identifying the object you have described, for instance, if they walked into a crowded gallery and had to pick it out. This