Need Help?
For individual research help, schedule an appointment to meet with a librarian.
Art Historical Analysis
ART 106 - Art Historical Analysis: The formal writing assignment for this class will be an exercise in art historical analysis. Your essay will present your formal and contextual analysis of one artwork that that you have visited in person this semester at a major art gallery or museum.
You may not select a work that we have discussed in class and the work must fall within the parameters of our course, ie: a Modern or Postmodern artwork from the 20th or 21st century. I do not want 30 papers on Impressionism or Post-Impressionism so I encourage you to choose a work that is representative of a later, 20th C, or 21st C movement like Fauvism, Cubism, Abstract Expressionism or Conceptualism to give a few examples. Most media are fair game but no buildings -- a room like Whistler’s Peacock Room would be fine but an entire structure requires one to cover too much “ground”.
This essay should be 5 to 7 pages in length, (approx. 1250-1750 words), with double-spaced text, in 12pt font and should follow the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style citation method. Your bibliography page must include at least 3 academic sources for your essay in addition to your textbook.
Prof. Weber has provided a separate art criticism rubric that addresses both writing mechanics and formal analysis.
For more detailed instructions, including due dates for your essay topics, academic source list and the final draft of the paper, please refer to the ART 106 Canvas page.