http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/33.92ab( What it looks like)
Its supposed to be your own opinion mostly.
Formal Analysis
You are to analyze one work of art of your choice from the Metropolitan Museum of Art that dates from the time periods covered in class. You will use this work of art to develop a paper that uses a formal analysis as a process to arrive at a fuller understanding of the cultural meaning of the artwork. You are not to rely on illustrations or reproductions since the goal of the assignment is to directly and analytically experience a work over a period of time. You may choose a work of art that was covered in class or appears in the text, but please understand that your analysis must go significantly beyond the lecture or text based material for full credit on the paper.The body of the paper must be typed and double spaced with 1” margins and its text should range from 4-6 pages (1450-1900 words) not including images. Use a separate title sheet that lists the following for the work of art of your choice: the title of the work; the artist’s name (if known); the date of the work; the medium; and the measurements (most of the information regarding the artwork can be taken directly from the label in the museum). In addition, you must provide an image of the work of art discussed in the paper, and images for any subsequent works of art referenced. These images must be fully labeled with all of the pertinent information as listed above. Your paper should begin with a fully formed introductory paragraph that establishes the themes of your paper and provides an overview of the topics you will be covering. It should end with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the content of your paper. At the end of your paper there should be a work cited / bibliography page that lists the sources you’ve used alphabetically. There should also be citations in the body of your paper whenever you have used a source for information. You may use any citation style (MLA, Chicago, etc.) so long as you use it consistently. Number your pages and staple them together. It is a good idea to have your name appear on each page in case of accidental separation. You should also back up your paper on a flash drive or disk for safekeeping. Please remember to back up your paper frequently as you’re working on it; power outages and/or computer crashing are not permissible excuses for lateness. You are responsible for proof reading your paper to have it free of basic errors in spelling, grammar, and syntax. If you are in doubt of anything please contact me, and I would be happy to look over a rough draft of your paper.
You should have two concerns for the work of art you discuss in your paper and each should be about equal in length and consideration. The better papers will combine the two into one process. The first concern is a formal analysis and the second is placing the work and its formal qualities into relation to the culture as you have come to know it through your course text and the lectures. This is not a research paper, rather it is an assignment to make you think and use the basic materials of the course in an integrated fashion. I do not discourage further research but only a minimal amount of sources are required. Please use your own judgment when determining how many sources to use. If you feel like you have a strong background on the work you select, you may use only the museum label / museum website, the text, and your notes as your sources. However, you’re going to want to give a complete overview of the work of art and must touch on its most notable aspects – if you can’t do that with only the aforementioned sources, you must do additional research. Online sources are permissible so long as they are scholarly in origin (they should end in .edu or derive from the museum website). Wikipedia should NOT be used as a source for this paper: though you may use wiki to inform your research, their content ultimately cannot be trusted and must be verified through a more reputable source.
Formal Analysis:
As one of the major components of this assignment is viewing a work of art in person, briefly describe the condition and setting of this work. Is the work unfinished; has it been restored; are there chips, surface cracks, discoloration, etc. Think about how the setting of the work may impact your reaction to it. Is your work shown in close proximity to another work that may detract attention away from it; how is the lighting; can you approach the work unimpeded or is it surrounded by glass? Briefly comment on whether the condition and/or setting play a role in your reaction to the work. If the condition and setting seem good and do not obviously interfere with your appreciation then simply state it as such.
You may begin your formal analysis by describing the composition of your artwork. You will be submitting an image of your work, but pretend you are describing it to someone who has never seen it before. What has the artist represented? How has the artist arranged his/her forms? Additionally, for your formal analysis you will want to treat the visual aspects of a work of art (color, line, gesture, space, etc.) as a means to reveal a greater understanding about the meaning of the work itself or the intentions of the artist/culture. You can assume the artist had control of his/her processes and made conscious decisions regarding them, even if those decisions were predetermined by cultural conventions and historical obligations. Naturally, you will not be able to treat every formal element given the page limitation of this paper so it is up to you to select those visual aspects that seem to be the most significant and to fully develop a discussion about them. Please avoid using value judgments, i.e. avoid such comments as “great,” “poor,” etc., except where you fully explain an issue. It is not sufficient to simply call the modeling of color “good” but rather you must explain what is there and how it is used. Always refer to specific examples from the artwork to illustrate precisely what you mean.
Historical/Cultural Context:
Consider the ways in which the physical properties and the emotional impact of the artwork can be related to the culture and time in which it was produced. What characteristics of the culture seem to be present both physically and emotionally in the work? How do you know? What values in the society do you feel are communicated through the work? Is there a narrative or story represented in your artwork? Mythological and religious narratives are especially popular during the time periods of our studies as are reenactments of historic events. If so, briefly describe who and what have been represented and the event that is happening as it relates to the story. Similarly, if you select a portrait you may describe the significance of the person represented, the accomplishments of their life, or what the painting reveals of their personality or social status. Also, work to identify the style of the artwork. How does the work appear stylistically to be a part of the time period/art movement from which it comes? Use the intro slides from class powerpoint presentations to guide you in this regard. It is probably a good idea to ask me if you’re unsure to which style your artwork belongs, as this should be a major part of your cultural analysis. You may also chose to tell me a little about the artist responsible for the artwork of your selection, but only if it is relevant to the content of your paper. For instance, it may be useful to reveal the artist’s place in the scheme of things, his/her impact on the art world as a whole, common themes or subject from his/her art, and stylistic influences. Please avoid heavily biographical details regarding the artist’s early life and training, as the focus of your paper should always remain on bringing about a deeper understanding of your selected work of art. Are there any other cultural, religious, geographical, or socio-political values that need to be explored? All these questions are essential to ground your work within one particular place and time, and are another way to analyze and uncover the meaning behind a work of art.
Additional Museum Assignment: Reflection Essay
In addition to the paper assignment, which should be formal, I would also like for you to write a brief essay of 1-2 pages describing your personal experiences in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This essay should be handed in slightly before the term paper on April 9th and proof of attendance should be attached to it. This essay should be proofread, but otherwise can be informal in appearance and content: it is a chance for you to lighten up your writing tone and have fun with a writing assignment. For this assignment, you shouldn’t just list everywhere you went in the museum and every artwork you viewed. Rather, it should consist of a series of reflections about your museum experience, whether that is your overall impression of the museum itself or its exhibits, or a personal reaction to some of the artwork you viewed. This part of the assignment need not be submitted to turnitin. It will ultimately count for around 2% of your grade (the value of a “double” assignment).
Useful Links / Resources:
SCCC Library:
http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/Students/library.asp
SCCC Arts Databases:
http://libguides.sunysuffolk.edu/content.php?pid=267488&sid=2207680
Use ARTstor for images, Jstor for articles
Metropolitan Museum of Art:
http://www.metmuseum.org/
***Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
For Thematic Essays and useful background information
Google Advanced Search:
Type in .edu in site or domain tab to obtain only scholarly sources
