Pick a work of art from any time period. It must be a work of art in NYC such as the MOMA, Guggenheim, the Met, or Brooklyn Museum that you could potentially go see after the pandemic. Some research is required for this project. Include a short bibliography or footnote about any research material you have used and make sure any research is properly cited.
You must (50 points):
Upload a digital file to Turnitin in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. (-5)
Email me or include in your paper proof of museum visit. (-10)
List pertinent information such as artist, date, time period, medium, etc. (-10)
Include a copy of all images you are discussing in your paper and proof of your museum visit in your .doc, .docx, or .pdf file submitted through Turnitin. If you are unable to submit the file with images included, please email the images and proof of visit to me. (-5)
Clearly state your artists biography, time period they are working in, medium, formal elements, composition, purpose, and any derived meaning.
Talk about the work of art in its historical context (when it was created, why it was created, how it was created, where it was created, patronage)
Spell check your paper. Significant credit will be deducted for capitalization, spelling, and grammatical errors.
It must be at least 650 words. Any less and credit will be deducted. (-10 or more)
Do not use any larger than 12-point type, do not add more than double spacing, and no fancy fonts; Times New Roman or Arial only.
Use the Common Art History Paper Mistakes handout to properly italicize and capitalize works of art in your paper. Also, your paper will require dates, this handout shows you how to properly date artwork and artists.
Do not put your name, class, my name etc, at the top of the paper, it is not necessary. Do not add extra spacing between paragraphs and your title. It does not make your paper longer. Turnitin records all of this information and attaches it to your paper for you.
Title your paper with the name of your artwork. Underline it and make it bold and italic.
Submit all papers through Turnitin.
Properly cite your sources, no excuses. If you are not familiar how to write a bibliography or how to cite a specific work, visit the NCC Library website. If you used any reference material e.g. websites, museum information cards, books or other material, you must list it in a bibliography or footnote it. (-5)
A note about using websites: You must properly cite the website you use and include a full URL pointing to the specific page you used for your research. I need to be able to copy and paste it and go directly to your research. Some websites are less credible than others. Sites like Wikipedia and Artble often contain inaccurate information and when you use this for your paper, your paper becomes wrong. I would suggest using only books, journal articles, and scholarly websites for your research if you want the best grade possible.
You should (50 points):
Discuss the artwork in the context of other works of art the artist has created.
Discuss one other similar work of art to the one you have chosen. For example, if you chose a Madonna and Child, pick one of the same time (within 10-15 years or from the same area) and compare and contrast it. Why it is similar or different.
Discuss how this image may have been/was seen during the period it was created (e.g. was it in a private chapel, church, home). If there is no research about where the image was originally located, use your imagination and based on what you know, recreate where it would possibly have been.
Organize your work logically. Start with an introductory paragraph introducing the historical facts about the work of art. The second paragraph can give a description of the work of art. The third paragraph can introduce another similar work of art by another artist. The fourth paragraph can address how a work was seen. The final paragraph can be combined with the fifth or stand alone to give your opinion.
For extra credit (up to 10 points):
Use the main artwork discussed in your paper and write an extra paragraph about how seeing it in real life in the context of a museum is different then how you would have seen in when it was created. Use historical and artist biographical details to support this. This must be at least 5 sentences and is in addition to the required word count.
