Vincent Van Gogh and Yinka Shonibare

Vincent Van Gogh was from the Netherlands (a.k.a. Holland or Dutch area) during the late 1800’s. What was happening there at the time? What was life like during that time in northern Europe?

Yinka Shonibare is from both England and Nigeria and is alive today. What contemporary issues or happenings might you write about to ‘set the scene’ for the reader?

5 pts

1 page
Describe the ROLE of ART in society during this subject/historical era.

For example: What does a work of art mean to the average citizen? Does it have religious, spiritual, secular or commercial value? Who owns the art? Where is it displayed and why? What purpose does the art serve in this context?

We all work within a context. Any art we see was created in a setting. What did the art ‘do’ in that setting? If something was occurring, did the art: Ignore it? Champion it? Challenge it? Explain it?

Example: During the early 1900’s during and between the World Wars, some photography documented battles and prisoners, while other photography gave a glimpse of escape through fantasy. The role or purpose of the art could be very different during the same time and place. Find facts and then expand using your own sense of possibility, similar to the way we have been writing our opinion posts based on keen observations. Think about the scene you describe in part A, then, in part B, explain to the reader ‘how the art functions’ within the scene.

C & D. CHOOSE TWO WORKS OF ART FROM THE ERA DESCRIBED IN PART A.

5 pts

1 page
Describe Artwork #1

C1. Describe work #1 in terms of three (3) art elements and two (2) design principles.

C2. Discuss the artist for work #1: (who, what, where, when, how and why…)

C1. If you have chosen a sculpture, then perhaps you would write about SHAPE, VOLUME and MOTION as art elements that are important to a 3D piece. Are the shapes geometric and sharp-edged? Or organic and curvilinear? If you filled up the sculpture with water in your mind, would the volume of water be large or small? How do these elements convey a sensibility?

You might choose BALANCE and SCALE as design principles to discuss the way the sculpture feels or makes an impression on the viewer. Is it asymmetrically balanced so it feels like it is about to fall over? Is it light and airy? Is it solid and imposing? Is it huge or tiny compared to a human? How do the principles help to carry and express a feeling?

C2. A small paragraph detailing the basic facts about the artist should be included here.

You do not need to go into great detail; simply provide the reader a way to understand the artist.

ART ELEMENTS: LINE, SHAPE, VALUE, VOLUME, MASS, COLOR, TEXTURE, SPACE, TIME, MOTION

DESIGN PRINCIPLES: UNITY, VARIETY, BALANCE, FOCUS, RHYTHM, SCALE, PROPORTION

5 pts

1 page
Describe Artwork #2

D1. Describe work #2 in terms of three (3) art elements and two (2) design principles.

D2. Discuss the artist for work #2: (who, what, where, when, how and why…)

D1. If you have chosen a painting, then you could write about COLOR, TEXTURE and VALUE as art elements important to a 2D piece. Just as you did in the opinion posts, explain how the elements function for the viewer. What kind of colors? Bright or muted? What kind of texture? Calm-smooth or crazy-rough? What do these characteristics bring to us as we view the artwork?

You might choose UNITY and VARIETY as design principles to discuss the way a painting is constructed to carry a feeling or expression from the artist to the viewer. Is the piece so unified that it almost boring? Is the piece so full of variety that it is almost chaotic? How does each principle cause us to feel about the piece or the artist’s message?

D2. A small paragraph detailing the basic facts about the artist should be included here.

You do not need to go into great detail; simply provide the reader a way to understand the artist.

5 pts

1 page
Compare and contrast the two works of art.

E1. Contrast the physical/formal properties such as the art elements and design principles.

E2. Contrast the reasons for creating that the artists may have chosen (artist’s philosophy).

E3. Contrast the ways in which the art might be perceived/received by the public/viewers.

Because this section only needs to be a page in length, you can be direct.

E1. If you remember “The Piano Lesson” artworks that were compared and contrasted in an early lecture, we looked at LINE, SHAPE and COLOR in both pieces of art. Then we looked at BALANCE and RHYTHM in each piece. By doing this, we get a deeper sense of how a work of art is constructed by each artist to convey different sensibilities about the subject matter.

Even when art is ‘abstract’ and one can’t identify ‘what it is’, we still get some sort of sense from a piece of art. Communication occurs on a NON VERBAL level using VISUAL, SPATIAL and even ENERGETIC perceptions. We perceive, interpret, accept or reject, but we are affected by the experience.

E2. You looked into each artist in sections C & D. Use this to ponder what each artist may have intended as he or she created each piece of art.

E3. Some art is calm and doesn’t challenge a thing. Other art can rattle people’s cages! What does each of the pieces you chose seem to do? Why? Are there reasons you chose these examples of art?

SUMMARY: In good practice, summarize your findings in a small paragraph to finish the paper.

5 pts

1 page
References/Citations/Bibliography: No less than 5 sources; no Wikipedia.

Provide electronic visuals, especially if images are not found in the textbook.

Cite the visuals in your work using APA style.

Use APA style for references/sources/citations.

(See sheet that refers to Purdue and Yale websites for more citation information)

Remember that The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, ArtScope, The National Archives, The Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art are just a few of the many online sources you have been introduced to in this course. Do your best to find reliable sources for your information. The field of art is always in motion; many facts and opinions are just waiting for your discovery and connection.

Use the documents provided as a guide for APA style.

Just as is listed in the WRITING section in Blackboard, these are the three important items:

1. Format:

Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5″ x 11″)

with 1″ margins on all sides. APA recommends using 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

No title page is needed. Sections should be labeled A-F as indicated above.

(A 5 page paper yields approximately 2100 words)

2. In-text citations:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/

3. Reference List for books and/or electronic internet sources:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

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