YOU MUST GO TO ONE OF THESE MUSEUMS IN PERSON.

Art

If you are taking this class online from an area other than Los Angeles, please email me with the museum that you intend to visit.

You will want to bring this sheet of the museum paper instructions with you to the museum so that you won’t forget to list any of the details that I mention here.

In the end, you will be choosing to compare and contrast ONE artwork from the museum, and ONE from your online textbook.

Go to your chosen museum. Select one work of art to write about. It can be something that strikes you as beautiful, interesting or thought-provoking, and hopefully something that spurs thought about another work of art that you have seen in your online text.

In your own words, describe the work of art in detail. Describe the gallery setting in detail and how the object is presented in the museum setting. For example, is it in a case or on a pedestal? Does the object look different in natural light? Mention how it relates to the other objects around it, and describe the surrounding objects carefully, as they are all related in the room’s thematic display. Name at least three other nearby artworks carefully. Be careful to list the date of all artworks discussed.

Compare the work of art that you choose at the museum to something that you can see is very similar or very different from the text. Again, that’s just one artwork from the museum, one from the text. This means that you will write a comparison of the work in the museum to an object in the text, noting stylistic differences or similarities between the two, or perhaps a common subject matter, or a very different use of color or style (artistic technique) between the two works. You might want to get my advice on your selections to be sure that you’re on the right track. Email me with a few museum picks and text comparisons, and I’ll steer you in the right direction.

Discuss the functions of your two chosen works of art, their methods of creation, and focus on what is important or historical about them. Discuss how your selections reflect the culture and the time in which they were created. This means that you must include a bit of history about the country/region that it was created in, and a “taste” of the times (was it made during a period of war, famine, artistic rebirth, etc.) Also, you must include some bibliographical information about the artists.

In addition, provide at least one paragraph in which you give a personal response to the artwork that you saw at the museum. Discuss your reaction to seeing it in person compared to the experience of viewing images in reproduction. Discuss any emotional response you may have to the work.

Do additional research on your artwork. Include information about the stylistic movement that your artwork is identified with (Impressionism, Pop Art, the Baroque, etc.) This is an exercise in viewing art, and understanding its context.

All references must be documented with proper citations. That includes museum placards, the textbook, my notes, or any other written sources such as journals, websites or books. Also provide a bibliography, and format it in Chicago style. If you are unsure how to footnote, just Google “Chicago Footnotes” or “Chicago bibliography,” and numerous help sites will appear.