1. Museum Background and Visit Experience (25 points):
This portion should be comprised of information about the museum you selected to visit.
What was your personal experience of walking through the facility?
How did you feel, particularly while taking this course? What senses did this stimulate?
What works caught your eye? Also include a light background on the museum and description of the space and format of the galleries as it pertains to viewing the artworks.
2. Artist (20 points): This portion should be comprised of
information about the artist of your choice as well as why you selected them. Begin with: Who is the artist? Why did you choose the artist – what is generally interesting to you about them?
Additional suggestions for material: date and place of birth and death, family information, lifetime accomplishments, famous art pieces, effects or impact on society, or historical significance3.
Critical Analysis Artwork: Objective Response (30 points):
This portion of the writing assignment should be your own objective critical response to a work of art by the same artist you chose. You must base your opinion on formal elements of art (EOA) and the principles of design (POD) – using this specific vocabulary throughout.
Describe the of the artwork = use descriptive adjectives = a description is what you see in the artwork, NOT an interpretation. provide appropriate background information about the artwork.
Your objective interpretation/POV should be supported through an explanation of HOW the FEA, POD & context support your interpretation. Which media that we have learned about is utilized to create this artwork?
How does the artist’s use of their selected media (material) emphasize and support their content – the meaning of the work? Does it align to your subjective response?
Things to consider: how does the artist’s use of the EOA and POD to emphasize and support their content the meaning of the work? Be sure to not simply describe the work, but rather, elaborate with specific details from the work that illustrate your analysis.
Answering the “HOW” part is crucial to your analysis. It is not enough to just identify the characteristics and list a few historical facts; you have to synthesize the information into a cohesive interpretation.
4. Critical Analysis Artwork Subjective Response (30 points):
This portion should be your own subjective response to a work of art by the same artist you selected. Why did you choose the artwork – what is generally interesting to you about it? What was your initial, subjective interpretation of the artwork?
What is the artwork saying to its audience, to you? What does the artwork mean? Did it change as you found out more about the context of the artwork? What emotions, concepts, or ideas did it provoke in you?
Do not simply describe the work or state whether or not you “like” the work; but rather, elaborate with specific details from the work that illustrate your response. Are there broader thematic messages conveyed by the artwork? What are they?