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Pick ONE WORK that embodies a period you want to talk about. Include a picture of the work.
Prewriting: (Note: you may have to use research to help you with all of the prewriting and drafting parts of this paper)
Find out about your work. Note: you do not have to do all of the following questions; they are intended as a guide and as prompts to your thinking. Do a pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or interpretation. It answers the question, “What do you see? What do you notice?” Have notes about some of the following to use in your paragraphs.
The various elements that constitute a description include some or all of the following:
Form of art whether architecture, sculpture, painting or text
Size and scale of work (relationship to person and/or frame and/or context)
Elements or general shapes within the composition, including building of post-lintel construction or painting with several figures lined up in a row; identification of objects or elements or structures.
For your particular piece, a specific description. For instance, if a painting, of what, what colors, what composition and linear orientation? What design and innovative practice? What lighting? If a text, what characters, what plot points? What setting and symbols? If a building, what elements of decoration and design? What architectural movement? [these questions are just a sample]
Understand how the work was accepted at the time and what it meant to the people of the time.
Understand what the work means now by reviewing the secondary literature written by authoritative sources.
Further Prewriting:
Think more deeply about your work and determine what the features suggest and decide why the artist used such features to convey specific ideas. In the Introduction to Humanities class, analysis may be pointed at the question that we have asked many times: “how does it indicate the value system of the people who created it?”
Determination of subject matter through naming iconographic elements; e.g., historical event, allegory, mythology, portraiture, abstract shapes, etc. References to other texts or outside events.
Selection of most distinctive features or characteristics whether line, shape, color, texture, etc.
Analysis of use of light and role of color.
Treatment of space and landscape, both real and illusionary (including use of perspective); e.g., compact, deep, shallow, naturalistic, random
What the materials in the work and the appearance of the work might mean when put in their context both historically and culturally.
Does the artist’s personal life enrich the reading of the work at all? Has it been used as a distraction?
How does this work accept and reject trends that came before and, thereby, place itself in the longer stretch of art traditions.
Constructing the idea for your thesis:
Using all of the ideas from the other sections of your prewriting, construct your interpretation, also known as your reading, reading is looking at a work as a part of its value-based system, its culture. In your interpretation, you should be able to talk about how the work indicates the value system of the people who produced it.
Works Cited (for the assignment)
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-for-specific-fields/art-history
Barrett, Terry. Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1994.
Here are some notes on pre-writing, structure and drafting. Also, some reminders about the nature of good sources.
If your plan is to describe your work first and then start discussing, you are not on the right track. All description should be used to make some point. Every paragraph should have one single task to perform to support the thesis/interpretation. Your description is the support and development part of that paragraph.
It’s a good idea to have a topic sentence and excellent transition for each paragraph. The better these are, the clearer your thinking is—often.
If you can write out introductory material for every piece of source material you use, chances are you are using pretty good sources. Let me share some examples.
Good example of a source with introductory material: Professor X from U of State posits that this sculpture indicates that this culture started to value the individual; while before they had always portrayed deities only (X 252). [Note how I can introduce the author and some of her credentials in the introductory material.]
Bad example of source with introductory material: About.com reports that this statue is twelve and a half feet tall. [Don’t cite anonymous websites as if they have any authority (authorship means the ability to be cited as authors).]
If you need informational sources, you might be able to say something like the following: This statue, standing twelve and a half feet tall (Dictionary of Classical Sculpture), represents a new direction for the . . . [Don’t say this dictionary “reports” or other human verbs].
Try to have a draft to share with a tutor at least a week before the paper is due (for OC check—which should be the final draft). Usually that draft will have to be changed significantly to fulfill the requirements of the assignment. Come to see me, go to the TLC for tutoring, submit your paper to Smarthinking.
I strongly recommend allotting more time to the database search and getting in touch with Lena, Claire, Michael, or Michelle. They will help you get oriented and started on a good search. However, it does take a lot more time and attention than a Google search.
Format: The format of your mini essay should follow MLA guidelines. Generally speaking, pages should have one-inch margins. The header of your paper should include your last name and page number; this should be in the upper right corner of your paper on all pages. You should use a 12-point standard-style font; Times New Roman. The first page should include your full name, your instructor’s name, the course name, and date (in European style). The title should be centered on the first page. The text of the paper should be justified to the left, and double-spaced throughout the document. The “Works Cited” page should have entries that are alphabetized by the first word of the entry.
Organization: Your paper should have an introduction, a clear thesis, structured paragraphs, and a conclusion. You should use transitions to create a more fluid document. Each paragraph should be complete with support. The paper, as a whole document, should have a clear beginning and end.
Grammar, Mechanics, Usage: Overall, a college research paper is the most formal style of writing you will do. For this reason, your work should be proofread for errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. If your paper is plagued with errors, it will affect your grade. Remember to spell out contractions, avoid the first-person and second person pronouns.
Sources: The purpose of this assignment is RESEARCH, writing, and critical thinking. Your paper is only as solid as the information you use in it. Use resources that are authoritative. General resources are a great place to start, but you want to find websites, journal articles, books, magazines, and other publications that are considered “authorities” on your topic. You can have as many sources as you want, but you must have at least four authoritative sources. Do not use your textbook as a source.
Some sources that would serve well would include books and articles written by experts in the field; you should be able to Google the author and find out their credentials. These credentials could be incorporated into your prose to strengthen your essay. An article from the database that was published in a journal written for an audience of experts. Sources from the Lib-guides.
In 2016, MLA published the 8th edition of its Handbook. Your assignment is to use the 8th edition rules. Avoid plagiarism! See policies about this on the syllabus. There are writing guidelines on the syllabus that apply, too.
There is a list of important reminders to keep in mind as you write your descriptive essay. The reminders are listed below.
In-text Citations: If you have never written a research paper, citing may seem difficult. MLA has one of the easiest forms of citation for text of the paper. As you quote, paraphrase, and summarize information from resources, you must document the source in your paper. MLA format uses in-text citations, which are created by placing the appropriate information in ( ) after the statement that has been quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. The last page of your research paper will be titled “Works Cited” and will include all of the sources you cited throughout the text of your paper; the sources listed on this page should be in alphabetical order. Use the MLA Documentation Guide include in the course as needed.
Length: Your essay should be 1200 to 1500 words in length.
