Art Appreciation

For this assignment, you are to discuss the form, content, and subject matter of a work of art and how they relate to each other. Select a work of art: Select ONE of the following listed works of art. Analysis papers submitted using a work of art other than one of those listed will not be accepted. 1. The Approach of Krishna. c. 1600 – 1670. Pahari region, India. Basophil style. Fig. 18.10, pg. 309. 2. Thomas Cole. The Oxbow. 1836. Fig. 21.6, pg. 365. 3. Vincent van Gogh. The Sower. 1888. Fig. 21.29, pg. 384. 4. Pablo Picasso. Violin, Fruit, and Wineglass. 1913. Fig. 22.17, pg. 403. 5. Diego Rivera. The Liberation of the Peon. 1931. Fig. 23.18, pg. 423. Any paper submitted that does not analyze one of the works listed above will be returned for re-submission. Introduction: In the first paragraph, called the introduction, you will include: An identification of the work of art you selected: The name of the artist, the title (which is underlined or italicized every time you use the title in your paper), date, and medium. Your initial interpretation of the subject – what is this piece about? A very brief visual description of the work. Thesis statement – usually the last line or so of your first paragraph clarifying the type of paper you are writing. What is this assignment, therefore your paper, about? Description: Your formal analysis should include a description of the piece using terminology (Visual Elements and Principles of Design in the order they are listed in the outline provided), and details of the work that have led you to come to some understanding of what the artist is communicating. Your analysis should have a sense of order, moving purposefully through your description, from one term to the next, with regard to each specific element. How do the visual elements and principles of design work within the work of art to create the meaning you are addressing? Remember that your analysis should not be just a mechanical, physical description. Please use descriptive language and adjectives to describe your work. To aid in writing a formal analysis, you should think as if you were describing the work of art to someone who has never seen it before. What do you see? When your reader finishes reading your analysis, she/he should have a complete mental picture of what the work looks like. This section is the most important part of this assignment. Conclusion: Your conclusion should consist of a restatement of your thesis and your initial response to the piece. After your analysis, has your initial interpretation of the meaning changed? If so, in what way? If not, how has your analysis reinforced your initial interpretation?