ARH1000 FINAL Essay/Research Paper

This essay/research paper counts as your Final Exam and is worth fifteen (15) percent of your total semester grade.

It is HIGHLY recommended that you enlist the aid of the Student Learning Center and college library to assist with writing this paper.

Click on this link for more info on the SLC:  https://www.palmbeachstate.edu/slc/ Links to an external site. 

Click on this link for more info on the library research resources:  https://palmbeachstate.libguides.com/az.phpLinks to an external site.

The grading rubric is attached here:  ARH1000 Essay Research Rubric.pdf Download ARH1000 Essay Research Rubric.pdf

Choose any of the following pairs of artists that we have discussed in class:  

• Evelyne Axell and Judy Chicago
• Jean Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol
• Jean Michel Basquiat and Gordon Parks
• Georges Braque and Mark Rothko
• Anne Brigman and Carrie Mae Weems
• Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dali
• Keith Haring and Jacob Lawrence
• Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg
• Willem de Kooning and Käthe Kollwitz
• Georgia O’Keeffe and Somaya Critchlow
• Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock

You may choose one work of art from EACH of the TWO artists you have selected (two works of art, total) and write your essay/research paper discussing those two artists and those two works of art. You will discuss the similarities and the differences between the two works of art you have chosen as well as the artists, such as art styles, art eras, subject matter, medium, etc.

WARNING: Be VERY careful when searching for images as many times there are others who emulate the style of the above artists. Make double sure the art you are researching was actually created by the above artists. If in doubt, send an image of the piece of art to me via email and I will confirm (or not) the validity.

REQUIREMENTS:

- write in full paragraph form with complete sentences, do not simply answer/respond to the topics/questions

- if a particular topic/question does not apply to the piece of art you have chosen, you do not have to answer or include that topic/question in your essay unless you think it is important to be stated in your paper

- all papers should conform to MLA or the Chicago style formatting rules for research papers and are to be proofread for spelling and grammar

NOTE:  This is a link to a good reference for the proper way to cite websites:  https://library.unr.edu/help/quick-how-tos/citing-a-website-in-mla Links to an external site.

- no late papers will be accepted, NO EXCEPTIONS, seriously, no exceptions

- this is a combined research and essay assignment of approximately 1,000 (or more) words although most students find they need closer to 1,500 words to do a complete analysis

- you will need to directly quote AND cite AT LEAST four (4) academic sources in this paper

- all sources used are to be accredited and Wikipedia does NOT count as an acceptable source at the college level. Refer to the college library online database for source material; i.e., JSTOR, ARTSTOR, Art Index, as well as online magazines, and prominent museum and art foundation organizations such as:

https://artsy.net Links to an external site. 

https://www.artnews.com/ Links to an external site. 

https://aestheticamagazine.com/ Links to an external site. 

- save the paper as a PDF file and title it:

YOURLASTNAME_YOURFIRSTINITIAL_ESSAY.pdf

(example: DURBAK_D_ESSAY.pdf)

IMPORTANT - PROVIDE A PHOTO of BOTH pieces of art and attach them as separate pages and under the photo, type in the TITLE of the piece of art, and the YEAR the artist created the piece of art.

ITEMS TO LOOK INCLUDE AND DISCUSS:

1.) write a short bio (3 to 4 paragraphs) of each of the artists including:

a.) date of birth, date of death (if still living, state they are still alive)

b.) country where they were born, where they died, other countries they may have lived

c.) significant others, such as spouses, lovers, muses, etc.

d.) art era in which they work(ed), such as Modern, Postmodern, Contemporary, etc. (some artists may have lived long enough to have worked in more than one art era)

e.) art style(s) in which they worked, such as biomorphism, surrealism, cubism, Dadism, Impressionism, Futurism, Pictorialism, Pop art, etc. (some artists may have lived long enough to have worked in more than one art style)

 f.) ALL of the medium(s) in which they worked, such as oil paint, watercolors, tempera paint, sculpture, silver gelatin photography, digital photography, stained glass, etc. (some artists may have lived long enough to have worked in more than one art medium)

g.) artists who influenced THEIR artwork and artists who are/were influenced BY their artwork

2.) LOOK - Take time to look at each work of art.

• What do you notice? Take inventory of everything you see in each artwork.
• Compare the similarities and differences in the works of art; are they Representational, Abstract, Non-representational
• Compare the similarities and differences in the formal theories, contextual theories, and expressive theories of each artwork
• Compare the similarities and differences in the art period was each artwork created: Contemporary, Postmodern, Modern, Renaissance, etc.?
• Compare the similarities and differences in art style of each artwork created: Color Fields, Minimalist, Pictorialism, Pop, Realism, Surrealism, etc.?
• What significant events were occurring to the artists in their respective time periods that influenced the artist to create this work of art, such as World War I, the Great Depression, the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War, the Great Recession, etc., in other words, what going on in the world at this time that might have influenced the artists in creating these works of art?
• Besides the influence of world events, was this work of art influenced by a muse/husband/wife/mistress/significant other, or by personal events in the artists’ lives?

3.) DESCRIBE - Talk about what you see in each work of art using expressive language.

• Compare and explore the similarities and differences in lines, shapes, colors, composition and design, materials, and subject matter, based upon our conversations during class.

• Use expressive language to describe what you see in detail in each work of art. For example, instead of writing, “I see a sky,” write, “I see a dark, foreboding sky full of heavy clouds that sulk across the composition.”

4.) THINK - Interpret and assign meaning to each work of art.

• What stories are taking place?
• What are the settings, or the times and places depicted?
• What is the mood of each artwork? How do you know?
• What is each work of art about?
• What do you think each artist was trying to communicate through the creation of their individual work of art?

5.) CONNECT AND COMPARE - Relate what you see to your own life, or each work of art you have chosen to discuss to the other.

• What does each work of art remind you of? Why?
• How does each work of art relate to an aspect of your own life?
• Compare each work of art to the other work of art you have chosen. How are they similar? How are they different?

In writing this essay, below are pertinent points that you should include as the basis for your Essay/Research paper that are listed below. Not every point will be relevant to your choice of artworks, so only discuss those that are evident.

NOTE: do NOT simply answer these questions as if this is a test as that type of answer will result in an immediate grade of “F.” Write about these points in paragraph form.

a.) Line: do the pieces use outlines, contour lines, or both in each work of art.

b.) Directional Lines: are there any important directional lines in each work of art? If so, describe them.

c.) Implied Lines: are there any implied lines in either work of art? If so, describe them.

d.) Figure and Ground: describe the figure(s) and ground(s) in each of the pieces.

e.) Implied Shape(s): describe any implied shape(s) in each of the pieces.

f.) Implied Light: is there any modeling (light and shadow) in either of the pieces? If so, describe it.

g.) If there are prominent black and white areas, describe the values.

h.) Color: which colors are mostly used; primary, secondary, intermediate?

i.) Are the colors mostly cool, warm, or a mixture?

j.) What are the prominent hues in the pieces and are the palettes restricted or open?

k.) Are the values mostly tints, shades, or a mixture?

l.) Color Harmonies: are the colors monochromatic, complementary, analagous, or triadic?

m.) Concept: what is the conceptual message in each of the pieces.

n.) What emotional effect do the colors of the pieces have upon you as the viewer?

o.) Texture: if there is texture in the artworks, is the texture actual, visual, or a mixture? If actual, where does it exist in each piece and how does it add to each piece?

p.) Pattern: is there any pattern in either of the pieces? If so, describe how it adds to the artwork.

r.) Implied Space: is there any implied space in either of the pieces? If so, describe how it benefits the piece.

s.) What emotional impact does each image have upon you as a viewer and how does each piece relate to your past and present life experiences?

FINALLY: Remember to PROVIDE A PHOTO of the piece and attach it as a separate page at the END of your paper and under the photo, type in the title of the piece of art, and the year the artist created the piece of art.