PART 1– Assignment Goals: In your readings from Chapters 1-4, you learned about

PART 1–
Assignment Goals:
In your readings from Chapters 1-4, you learned about the “nuts and bolts of art.” Chapter 3 described the different art media (what it’s made out of of) and art methods (how it’s made). In Chapter 4 you learned about how to derive meaning from an artwork. Let’s take some of this new knowledge and apply to your personal life experience in the field.
Instructions:
For this discussion, let’s evaluate what you learned from reading Chapters 1-4. Find (2) “Local” Artworks that you really really like and use the tools covered in the class so far to interpret the artwork. Don’t know where to find art in your life? See the prompt below for more detailed instructions.
Post Guidelines:
All the chapter readings so far have addressed what defines a work of art, the formal elements it an artwork’s specific design, the principles of the artwork’s composition, what and how the artwork was made (its media), and finally how we can derive meaning from a work of art. All of the chapters are interrelated to each other. For example, a work of art’s subject matter can relate to how it’s made ( as seen in 4.2 Tlaloc Vessel. 1440-1469.) Sometimes the way we experience or encounter a work of art adds to its meaning as is the case with 4.9 Olifar Eliasson’s very public The New York City Waterfalls, 2008. Other times the iconography of a work of art can let us know what it means as seen in the case of the 3.31 Arabic Graffiti, from Egypt, that in reads “Revolution is in our veins,” 2012.
But sometimes the meaning of an artwork is unclear without the proper context;as would be the case with 2.4 Paul Klee, Bounds of the Intellect, 1927. The visual iconography doesn’t necessarily tell us very much. The title is kind of hint in the right direction, but what the work “means” is still pretty unclear. This is where research comes into play. After typing the artist’s name, artwork title, and its date into Google I was able to discover that this painting was created while Paul Klee was instructor at the Bauhaus–A German Art School. Paul Klee was the son of a musicologist and he drew parallels between sound and art. The obsessively repetitive lines in in the lower part of Klees’s composition act as a visual representation of sound.
OK, It’s Time to Experience Some Art and Derive its Meaning.
Where to look:If you know of a public work of art that you have seen, on your normal daily commute, that you would like to discuss, feel free to choose this option. Art is everywhere; murals, sculptures, statues, urban art, it is all fine.
No Art nearby? No worries; many local museums have lists of their permanent collections of art. Here are a few locals:San Diego Museum of ArtLinks to an external site.
Museum of Contemporary Museum of ArtLinks to an external site.
Oceanside Museum of ArtLinks to an external site.
But don’t just limit your expectations of where art can be found to formal settings, like a gallery or museum. The links below are to places that art exists that aren’t in traditional museum spaces.Writerz BlokLinks to an external site.
Stuart Collection UCSDLinks to an external site.
Local Muralist: Hugo CrosthwaiteLinks to an external site.
The most important aspect of the art selections you make this week is choosing something you find fascinating. Art is all around you. Just remember to take a deep breath, and try to start to see the things around you in a new way.
How to Analyze Each Artwork:Your formal analysis, of the art you find, will rely on everything we’ve learned about so far in the class to help contextualize a work of art:
Chapter 1 covered how to define works of art in relation to what it is, its relationship to visual culture, and the artist who created it.
Chapter 2 examined how to identify the formal elements, principals of composition, and structural systems (when applicable) of an artwork.
Chapter 3 explored the different media from which artworks are made.
Chapter 4 explored the ways in which we can derive the meaning of a work of art.
Independent research; you will need to be able further your understanding and validate your initial attraction to each artwork through a little digging. Internet research is fine; there a a ton of great resources out there to help you derive the meaning of your choices this week. (BTW subreddits are not good places to find reliable information about art).
We’re going to borrow from the textbook and use this set of questions below to guide your analysis as it relates to CONTEXT.
Who is the artist?
What/How was the art made?
What is the title?
Does the title relate tot he content?
Part 1: Images of the Artworks:
Find 2 artworks you feel inspired by or surprised by after looking at the resources above. Provide an image of each artwork. Embed the image into the body of your post.
Wondering how to embed images? Watch this video:

Part 2: Written Analysis:
Your analysis of the work of art you find should be evaluated in an essay format. Remember you are trying to dig a little deeper than what is on the surface to further your understanding of the artworks you chose.
Choose two Local Artworks from the resource list above or find one on your own. Be considerate of the arts location….If it’s in a public space, the artwork is “site specific,” it has a relationship to the place that it is installed. How does your selected artwork, and how the artwork appears, related to the location where it is?
Include as much of the following information about the image in your essay:
Artist’s name (if you have it)
Title of work, date, size, medium, and subject matter (use some Chapter 3 terms)
Location of the art (city, neighborhood)
First glance (What caught your eye?)
How are the elements applied in the work? (use some Chapter 2 terms)
How does the overall composition relate a meaning and/or function to you? (use some Chapter 1 terms)
What is around the work (next to, behind, above, nearby, etc.)?
Your internet research. What did you learn about the artwork and the artist who made it?
What is your personal interpretation (this is required if other methods of research were lacking)? Did the research you did enhance the meaning? How do you feel about it (before and after the research)? (use some Chapter 4 terms)
PART 2– Visual Diary: Visual ElementsFor this assignment, you will be creating one Visual Diary and a supporting summary of what you found.
Your collection of photos must be visual representations of specific formal elements of art.
Your summary must identify the medium for each object/image and the formal element for each object/image. Follow the instructions below for the introduction and step by step instructions.
The goal for this assignment is to carefully view the world around you, and to identify visual elements and mediums, in your personal daily life. I guarantee you, they are everywhere! Once you see it, it will be hard to unsee it!Line, light & value, texture & pattern, shape & volume/form, chance, color, time, movement exist all around us in nature and in the things that humans make and build. Look to your surroundings: from the computer you’re working on, to the leaves on the trees! These are all described as Formal Elements of Art, sometimes called the Visual Elements.
For this assignment, please refer to the Canvas Content pages specifically: Analyzing Art: Different Approaches (Chapter 1 Supplemental Materials)Analyzing Art: Different Approaches (Chapter 1 Supplemental Materials) & Analyzing Art: Formal Elements (Chapter 2 Supplemental Material) and/or Chapters 1 and from our required textbook: Exploring Art A Global Thematic Approach.Before you begin, look to the examples from the module and/or textbook, and as you are reading about analyzing art and the formal elements of art look to your surroundings in your home (this project does not require leaving home).
Are you able to identify examples of as the relate to our collective Visual Culture: (Fine Art, Popular Culture, Craft, and or Specific Disciplines like drawing, photography, or sculpture)? I bet you can: A silkscreened print, a drawing, or a painting?-that’s fine art
School pictures of your kids?- that’s photography.
Action figures?- that’s popular culture.
A mask you made?- that’s sculpture.
A car you’ve been working on restoring?-that’s popular culture and sculpture.
Fabrics, a crocheted clothing item, a pot, a handmade basket, or jewelry?- sounds like craft.
Look to your personal items, manufactured items and handmade items.1. Now that you have analyzed these objects in your life, and identified how they relate to our collective Visual Culture (based on the list above and this module), start taking photos of just one formal element (line, light & value, texture & pattern, shape & volume/form, chance, color, time, movement) of your collection using the principles of design/composition (balance, rhythm, proportion & scale, unity).2. After you have collected 9-12 examples of your selected element, make a visual diary of all you have found. You will be creating a collection of photos (see examples below for format & arrangement only). Follow these steps: (1) You will have to take your own photos, (2) arrange them just as you see below. (note: the arrangement can vary in format, square/rectangle/fancy borders) 3. Explain (in text or video) how your images in the collection are examples of the visual element/s that you are describing and what parts of our visual culture these images belong to. In other words; if you are showing us images with the visual element of line, make sure to describe how each image/object creates line, etc. Do the same for medias; be very clear and obvious in your descriptions :)Note: each collection does not have to include only only one formal element. Ideally, we do want just one type of formal element; however, what you can do, is create a a collection all the same type of art and different formal elements (line, light & value, texture & pattern, shape & volume/form, chance, color, time, movement), OR create a collection of various types of art (Fine Art, Popular Culture, Craft, and or Specific Disciplines like drawing, photography, or sculpture) and the same formal element. This will provide a “do-able” challenge!
Example: Below is an example with a few photos (collaged as a single file) all showing examples of the visual element: LINE. You may select any visual element, just as long as all of the images are showing the same visual element. A collection with just one element can appear more cohesive and provide a deeper look into the individual characteristics of the one element.
Guidelines for Submitting this ProjectPlease use this numbered format in your summary. Thank you for this :)Your projects (all 3 points below) may exist in a word doc, jpg, or pdf . You have creative freedom of how this is presented. You can upload your visual presentation and description/self analysis as single or separate documents. (See Submitting Individual Project Assignments for more details).Upload your visual diary based on a visual elements. Don’t have a smartphone or an app that will create a instant layout? That’s ok, use this pc/ Mac friendly website: https://www.photocollage.comLinks to an external site.. It’s incredibly easy! From there, you can paste your jpeg image file into a word doc or upload- depending on how you prefer to send in the work.
List which formal element your diaries display (they have to be based on this week’s module and/or textbook content).
A brief and clear description and self-analysis of how the images you are sharing all fit into our visual culture based on that formal element. This may be typed or video/audio recorded.
How do I record a video using the Rich Content Editor?Links to an external site.Thank you! I hope that through this scavenger hunt, you begin to see the formal elements all around you and that you are able to see the many medias we are surrounded by!