ARH 301 Fall 1997
Zimmerman
Paper Assignment
You are assigned to write a formal analysis of a painting. Your paper should address all of the points suggested below, but should be presented in an integrated essay format, with an introduction and a conclusion. The paper must be typed or printed on a computer, and should be roughly 4 pages in length. Papers are due in class on Monday, November 24, 1997.
Choose one of the listed paintings. The first group is on the first floor of the HRC. The paintings in the second group are in the Latin American Collection on the second floor of the HRC, to the right after you go up the stairs.
Paintings:
downstairs
1. Radcliffe Bailey. By the River.
2. Robert Beauchamp. Initiation.
3. Tom Blackwell. A Life in Motion II.
4. Elmer Bischoff. Breakers.
5. Donald Roller Wilson. Mrs. Jenkins' late-night dinner in her room. Alone.
upstairs
6. Hector Guiffre. Sin titulo (Untitled).
7. Antonio Berni. Mediodia (Noontime).
Points to address:
- Composition: form, balance, line, repetition or rhythm. How does the artist use these?
- Creation of pictorial space, if any
- Use of color
- Style: In what style is this work? How can you tell, aside from anything on the label? Does the artist seem to be trying to say anything about how we perceive objects, or about the artist's freedom to show things in a different way?
- Finally: how does the artist use all of the foregoing to bring out his subject matter? Does he create an emotional effect?
I will expect these points to be discussed by using technical vocabulary, and by your mentioning specific details of the painting. We've begun to make a start at this in the museum assignment, but this time you are responsible for an entire painting. Think of the kinds of questions you've gotten in the museum assignment, and try applying all of those that seem relevant to the one work. Then combine what you've got into one integrated essay. Make an outline before you start writing. I will be grading you on your answers to the points posed above, as well as on your presentation, which includes both your writing style and your integration of many disparate points and observations into a unified essay. Check your spelling and watch out for misused words.
(To help you get started with this project, you should re-read chapter 2 in your textbook. You may also wish to refer to Sylvan Barnet's A Short Guide to Writing about Art. There are a number of copies of this in the Fine Arts Library, so check a UTCAT terminal to find one in Reference or on Open Reserve.)
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