The paper should be at least 700 words in length. The goal of this essay is to c

The paper should be at least 700 words in length. The goal of this essay is to critically analyze an artwork. Choose a work of art from the exhibition that stands out to you and describe it.
(At least 700 words, format .doc, .docx, or .rtf)
The question of the paper is intended to be a bit philosophical in the sense of discussing the abstraction of “art” as a general concept rather than being so specific about individual works. However, you may need to mention specific works of art to illustrate what you are saying about art. This essay, as with all of your work in this class must be in your own words. If you quote any source, you should properly cite it using a standard method of documentation (APA/MLA, etc.) including all Internet sources. In this and all papers you write in college, care should be tak
en to write with correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure
5 PARAGRAPH OUTLINE (Paper will be in essay form):
Introduction:
You need to find a hook to bring the reader in.
What is your Thesis?
What are you going to discuss in your paper, so the reader as a vague knowledge of where you are going with your writing?
You need to make sure to list five things, so the reader knows exactly which artwork you are writing about:
Artist Name
Title of the piece The year it was made
What type of medium or mediums were used to create this artwork
Dimensions (Height is always given first followed by width) since we live in the United States, please give all measurements in inches. Testable; 23 x 14 inches OR 23” x 14” both are OK. (H x W x D) –if it is three-dimensional artwork.
Transition sentence.
Visual Elements: (discuss only those visual elements that are in your artwork you have chosen)
Each paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and supporting details, all relating to the thesis.
Line • Shape • Light • Value • Color • Texture • Space • Time and Motion •.
Transition sentence.
Principles of Design: (discuss only those principles of design that are in your artwork you have chosen). •
Each paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and supporting details, all relating to the thesis.
Unity and Variety • Balance • Emphasis and Focal Point • Rhythm • Scale • Proportion •.
Transition sentence.
Opinion: • each paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and supporting details, all relating to the thesis. •
Do you like or dislike the piece and why? • How does this artwork make you feel? • Does it remind you of another artwork you have seen? •.
Transition sentence.
Conclusion: • Reiterate your main points from your introduction but state them using different wording. • The conclusion brings the essay to a logical and appropriate end, summing up the significance of the essay.
Formal/visual elements: • Line: referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point. (Contour, actual, implied, modeling), suggest what; horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines. • Shape: it is an enclosed space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements of art (i.e.: lines, colors, values, textures, etc.). Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width. Geometric shapes – circles, rectangles, squares, triangles and so on – have the clear edges one achieves when using tools to create them. Organic shapes have natural, less well-defined edges (think: an amoeba, or a cloud). (Form, volume, actual mass, implied mass, geometric, organic, positive and negative shapes, figure-ground relationship, shape as icon). • Light: Visible light is part of the spectrum of electromagnetic energy that also includes radio waves and cosmic waves. It undulates wavelike throughout the universe. It bounces off objects and excites cells in our eyes, enabling us to see. • Value: value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a surface. The word relative is significant. The lightness or darkness of a shape is largely determined by its surroundings. (Value contrast, value distribution, value and volume, value and space, value and lighting). • Color: additive color is created using beams of light RGB. Subtractive color is created when white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed surface BRY (hue, value, saturation, additive and subtractive colors, complementary vs. analogous colors, local vs. optical color, color as symbol). • Texture: another element of art is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work actually feels when touched, or the visual “feel” of a two-dimensional work. Take rocks, for Testple. A real, 3-D rock might feel rough or smooth, and definitely feels hard when touched or picked up. A painter, depicting a rock, would create the illusions of these qualities through use of color, line, shape, etc. (actual, implied). • Space: as defined by renowned painters, space is itself an entity having a conceptual framework. It is nothing but the area occupied by an object with respect to its surrounding. It is actually the three-dimensional property of the object. The three-dimensional space around two-dimensional objects could possibly become illusionary when the shading and versatile drawing techniques have been merged superbly. You can estimate physical space with the help of linear measurement. The concept of positive and negative space is very simple to understand. The space occupied by the primary object (and its shadow) is the positive space while the space surrounding it is the negative space. (Overlapping, relative size, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective). • Time and motion: artists through the ages have sought to represent three-dimensional space in two-dimensional art forms as well as to represent, or imply, movement and the passage of time. Only in modern times have art forms such as cinematography and video been developed that involves actual movement and actual time. (Actual motion, kinetic art, implied motion and time, illusion of motion).
Principles of design:
Unity and variety: a principle of art, unity can be defined as similarity, oneness, togetherness, or cohesion. Variety can be defined as difference. Unity and Variety are the cornerstones of composition. When they are combined effectively, we can create compositions that are both cohesive and lively. (Grouping, Containment, Repetition, Proximity, Closure, Combining Gestalt Principles). • Balance: in design, balance refers to the distribution of weight or force within a composition. (Actual balance and pictorial balance, symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, horizontal, vertical, diagonal and radial balance, imbalance).
Emphasis and focal point: emphasis gives prominence to part of a design. A focal point is a compositional device used to create emphasis. Both emphasis and focal point are used to attract attention and increase visual and conceptual impact. (Emphasis by Isolation, emphasis by Placement, emphasis through Contrast).
Rhythm: is a principle of art that’s difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you’ve picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to translate that to something you’d see with your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat. A pattern has rhythm, but not all rhythm is patterned. For Testple, the colors of a piece can convey rhythm, by making your eyes travel from one component to another. Lines can produce rhythm by implying movement. Forms, too, can cause rhythm by the ways in which they’re placed one next to the other.
Scale: refers to the size of a form when compared with our own human size. (Hierarchical scale, distortion of scale).
Proportion: is a principle of art that describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to the whole) in a work. It has a great deal to do with the overall harmony of an individual piece.
Defining Art Criticism
Art criticism is responding to, interpreting meaning, and making critical judgments about specific works of art.
Art critics help viewers perceive, interpret, and judge artworks. Critics tend to focus more on modern and contemporary art from cultures close to their own. Art historians tend to study works made in cultures that are more distant in time and space. When initially introduced to art criticism, many people associate negative connotations with the word “criticism.” A professional art critic may be: a newspaper reporter assigned to the art beat, a scholar writing for professional journals or texts, or an artist writing about other artists.
FORMAL ANALYSIS OUTLINE (To be used for Museum/Gallery Essay)
Describe: (Paragraph One) tell what you see (the visual facts).
What is the name of the artist who created the artwork?
What kind of an artwork is it?
What is the name of the artwork?
When was the artwork created?
Name some other major events in history that occurred at the same time this artwork was created.
List the literal objects in the painting (trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.).
What do you notice first when you look at the work(s)? Why?
What kinds of colors do you see? How would you describe them?
What shapes can we see? What kind of edges do the shapes have?
Are there lines in the work(s)? If so, what kinds of lines are they?
What sort of textures do you see? How would you describe them/
What time of day/night is it? How can we tell?
What is the overall visual effect or mood of the work(s)?
Analyze: (Paragraph Two) mentally separate the parts or elements, thinking in terms of textures, shapes/forms, light/dark or bright/dull colors, types of lines, and sensory qualities. In this step consider the most significant art principles that were used in the artwork. Describe how the artist used them to organize the elements. Formal Elements and Principles of Design.
Suggested questions to help with analysis:
How has the artist used colors in the work(s)?
What sort of effect do the colors have on the artwork?
How as the artist used shapes within the work of art?
How have lines been used in the work(s)? Has the artist used them as an important or dominant part of the work, or do they play a different roll?
What role does texture play in the work(s)? Has the artist used the illusion of texture or has the artist used actual texture? How has texture been used within the work(s).
How has the artist used light in the work(s)? Is there the illusion of a scene with lights and shadows, or does the artist use light and dark values in a more abstracted way?
How has the overall visual effect or mood of the work(s)? Been achieved by the use of elements of art and principles of design.
How were the artists design tools used to achieve a particular look or focus?
Interpretation: (Paragraph Three)
An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning of the work based on what you have learned so far about the artwork, what do you think the artist was trying to say?
What was the artist’s statement in this work?
What do you think it means?
What does it mean to you?
How does this relate to you and your life?
What feelings do you have when looking at this artwork?
Do you think there are things in the artwork that represent other things-symbols?
Why do you think that the artist chose to work in this manner and made these kinds of artistic decisions?
Why did the artist create this artwork?
Judgment: (Paragraph Four) after careful observation, analysis, and interpretation of an artwork, you are ready to make your own judgment. This is your personal evaluation based on the understandings of the work(s). Here are questions you might consider:
Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth? What is the value that you find in the work(s)? (For Testple, it is a beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way that I see the world, makes insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)
Do you think that the work(s) has a benefit for others? Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling or principle that would have value for others?
What kind of an effect do you think the work could have for others?
Does the work lack value or worth? Why do you think this is so? Could the reason you find the work lacking come from a poor use of the elements of art? Could the subject matter by unappealing, unimaginative, or repulsive?
Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall somewhere in between? Do you think that the work is just o.k.? What do you base this opinion on? The use of elements of art?
Lack of personal expression? The work lacks a major focus? Explore your criticism of the work (s) as much as you would any positive perceptions.
Formal/visual elements: • Line: referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point. (Contour, actual, implied, modeling), suggest what; horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines. •
Shape: it is an enclosed space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements of art (i.e.: lines, colors, values, textures, etc.). Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width. Geometric shapes – circles, rectangles, squares, triangles and so on – have the clear edges one achieves when using tools to create them.
Organic shapes have natural, less well – defined edges (think: an amoeba, or a cloud). (Form, volume, actual mass, implied mass, geometric, organic, positive and negative shapes, figure-ground relationship, shape as icon). •
Light: visible light is part of the spectrum of electromagnetic energy that also includes radio waves and cosmic waves. It undulates wavelike throughout the universe. It bounces off objects and excites cells in our eyes, enabling us to see. • Value: value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a surface. The word relative is significant. The lightness or darkness of a shape is largely determined by its surroundings. (Value contrast, value distribution, value and volume, value and space, value and lighting). • Color: additive color is created using beams of light RGB. Subtractive color is created when white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed surface BRY (hue, value, saturation, additive and subtractive colors, complementary vs. analogous colors, local vs. optical color, color as symbol). • Texture: another element of art, is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work actually feels when touched, or the visual “feel” of a two-dimensional work. Take rocks, for example. A real, 3-D rock might feel rough or smooth, and definitely feels hard when touched or picked up. A painter, depicting a rock, would create the illusions of these qualities through use of color, line, shape, etc. (actual, implied). • Space: as defined by renowned painters, space is itself an entity having a conceptual framework. It is nothing but the area occupied by an object with respect to its surrounding. It is actually the three-dimensional property of the object. The three-dimensional space around two-dimensional objects could possibly become illusionary when the shading and versatile drawing techniques have been merged superbly. You can estimate physical space with the help of linear measurements. The concept of positive and negative space is very simple to understand. The space occupied by the primary object (and its shadow) is the positive space while the space surrounding it is the negative space.
(Overlapping, relative size, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective). • Time and motion: artists through the ages have sought to represent three-dimensional space in two-dimensional art forms as well as to represent, or imply, movement and the passage of time. Only in modern times have art forms such as cinematography and video been developed that involves actual movement and actual time. (Actual motion, kinetic art, implied motion and time, illusion of motion).
Principles of design:
Unity and variety: a principle of art, unity can be defined as similarity, oneness, togetherness, or cohesion. Variety can be defined as difference. Unity and Variety are the cornerstones of composition. When they are combined effectively, we can create compositions that are both cohesive and lively. (Grouping, Containment, Repetition, Proximity, Closure, Combining Gestalt Principles). • Balance: in design, balance refers to the distribution of weight or force within a composition. (Actual balance and pictorial balance, symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, horizontal, vertical, diagonal and radial balance, imbalance). • Emphasis and focal point: emphasis gives prominence to part of a design. A focal point is a compositional device used to create emphasis. Both emphasis and focal point are used to attract attention and increase visual and conceptual impact. (Emphasis by Isolation, emphasis by Placement, emphasis through Contrast). • Rhythm: is a principle of art that’s difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you’ve picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to translate that to something you’d see with your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat. A pattern has rhythm, but not all rhythm is patterned. For Testple, the colors of a piece can convey rhythm, by making your eyes travel from one component to another. Lines can produce rhythm by implying movement. Forms, too, can cause rhythm by the ways in which they’re placed one next to the other. • Scale: refers to the size of a form when compared with our own human size. (Hierarchical scale, distortion of scale). • Proportion:is a principle of art that describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to the whole) in a work. It has a great deal to do with the overall harmony of an individual piece.
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