Choose the work of a particular artist active between 1960 and the present and write a critical essay on a few selections (3-4 works) of his or her work.  (Alternately, you may choose two artists and compare and contrast 6 works.) 

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VAH 48301

Spring 2018

Professor

 

RESEARCH  PAPER ASSIGNMENT

POST GLOBAL ART HISTORIES

 

DUE:  THURSDAY, APRIL 19 (online & hard copy, 8 typed, double-spaced pages of text)

 

Choose the work of a particular artist active between 1960 and the present and write a critical essay on a few selections (3-4 works) of his or her work.  (Alternately, you may choose two artists and compare and contrast 6 works.)  Your research and your paper topic will examine the artist’s contributions to or participation within a particular style or a movement in art history.

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  1. The course syllabus includes some general requirements for the paper. You would want to consult Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing About Art (pay particular attention to grammar and punctuation guidelines) available in Roesch.  Format your paper using APA, MLA or CMS (Chicago Manual of Style).  You will also receive guides for researching and for writing an art history paper; these must be consulted and used.

 

All papers will include a Works Consulted (Bibliography) page and cite sources   (including page numbers) within the paper.  This will be a formal paper that includes a bibliography and illustrations on pages separate from the 8 pages of text.

 

 

  1. All papers must include illustrations (appended after 8 pages of text & labeled), especially where detailed analysis and important comparisons/contrasts of artworks are presented.  Refer to the images as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc. (in parentheses)  within the body of your text.  Images should be sufficiently large (at least a quarter of a page in size) and clear to be useful to the reader.

 

  1. Be sure to see me, if you have any questions or problems relating to research, approach to the discussion, or writing.

 

  1. IMPORTANT DUE DATES:

 

Preliminary Topic/bibliography: IN CLASS, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 (include  10 references from scholarly sources with at least 2 print, Wikipedia, Artsy, etc. are not a scholarly source – 10 references required for final paper bibliography)

 

Ideas Summary: IN CLASS, TUESDAY, MARCH 2O-  3 page typed summary (do not exceed this limit) of important ideas and connections relating to your selected artists/exhibition based on your research to date.  Begin with a general statement about what you hope the paper will show (i.e., a thesis statement).  It is understood that this may be modified as the paper nears completion.

 

Formulating a topic involves not merely choosing content, but developing point of view.

 

  1. Focus on the images. Devote at least 70% of your paper to discussing the photographs and their meaning. The paper will provide in depth analysis about 1, 2 or 3 works of art by the artist you have selected.  You will provide detailed visual analysis, you will discuss the style, the subject matter, and interpretations of the art.  Your thesis will argue something about the main characteristics of the art and how those main characteristics relate to important historical themes illustrated in primary and secondary sources; will contextualize the material; and will connect diverse artistic and social history to knowledge of political, social and cultural conditions.

 

Remember, you will describe the art thoroughly – how it was made, the materials, the subject matter and content, the interpretation.  Use your visual analysis skills:

 

Critical visual analysis skills:  Describe the formal elements of visual design (line, color, light, composition, form); use the formal elements as tools to describe the visual field under study.  Articulate comparisons of the art with previous art.  Debate the means through which stylistic treatment coheres with subject matter.  Analyze the emotional and intellectual responses from the work of art.  Synthesize historical information that will contribute to understanding the social context for the art work.  Question previous historical narratives and the interests that drive them.  Organize a thesis – an argument – about the work of art; and write a visual analysis of the art.

 

  1. Contextualize the images. Situate your topic in a historical or biographical context, or

in a theoretical framework.

 

  1. Thesis format. State a thesis in your introduction and pull your discussion together in a conclusion.

 

  1. Sources: Make certain there are enough resources (10 references required) available on your topic before you commit to it (2-4 book sources on the artist and/or the art movement are required).  Strive to find primary sources, including original prints, correspondence, writing from the period.  Use only scholarly website sources (Wikipedia is NOT a scholarly website source as the information might be inaccurate – anyone can edit and add undocumented information to a Wikipedia site).  Use the library databases to find peer reviewed, scholarly journal articles.

 

  1. Include images as specified in this handout.

 

Do not hesitate to consult with me at any point while researching, organizing or writing your paper.  You may

submit a draft of your paper to me prior to the final deadline for my comments or suggestions.

 

 

 

 

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