Assignment Requirements

Essay – The Artists Tools: Drawing as Critical Thinking
Leonardo da Vinci, Self Portrait and Flight of Birds

Leonardo da Vinci. Drawing: Self Portrait and Study of Flight of Birds. 15th century.
Drawing as Critical Thinking

Critical thinking helps us learn, develop new ideas, and formulate theories. Sometimes artists use drawing as a visual process of critical thinking. What is critical thinking? “Critical thinking” has been defined as “self-guided, self-disciplined thinking which attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fair-minded way” (criticalthinking.org). The critical thinking process allows artists to see their subject from numerous perspectives within numerous contexts. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the Renaissance era drawings of artists like Leonardo da Vinci or in the nature studies of Albrecht Dürer (opens in new window). Critical thinking can also be found in the schematic and preliminary drawings of modern artists, including sculptors and architects.

Step 1: Research

Using the ART 110 Research Guide sources or comparable sites, research Renaissance drawings, schematic drawings, and architectural renderings. Many artists who work on a large scale, including earthworks and sculpture, will produce preliminary schematic drawings, but major aritsts of the Renaissance also produced large quantities “cartoons”–sketches used as studies for larger works. Although these drawings were not usually considered art at the time, many did survive and are now proudly exhibited in museum collections.

Step 2: Writing

Essay (800 – 1200 Words)

A. First, insert an image file of the drawing you have chosen to write about. Review the information regarding “thesis statements” in the Module 2 Writing Review. In your own introductory paragraph’s thesis statement, identify the artist who created the drawing, the subject of the drawing, and explain how the artist is using the art as part of their critical thinking process. (For help with writing a thesis statement, visit the Module 2 Writing Skills pages.)

B. In your essay’s body paragraphs, explain what the artist was studying. Begin your draft by considering the following questions: What did this artist hope to accomplish? Were preliminary sketches a normal part of the artist’s process? Was it common in their era or their chosen field, or was this an individual choice. Many artists are famous for their notebooks. Has this artist’s notebooks been published, are are they works of art in their own right?

C. Conclude by explaining why critical thinking furthers this artist’s studies, plans, and goals, and how drawing aids them in this process.

Recommended Research Sources:

The Smithsonian American Museum of Art http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Department of Drawings and Prints
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Materials and Function
Review Picasso’s Artistic Process: PBS Treasures of the World/Guernica

Basic Information for all AP Submissions:

Create a “Works Cited” section that lists your various sources in MLA Style format at the end of your minimum 2-paragraph AP. Be sure you have properly cited any direct quotes you use in support of your own writing. For help with MLA Style citations, visit the suggested links in the ART 110 Research Guide or in our course home page’s Links area.

Step 3: Submit

Before you submit your assignment, review the instructions once again to make sure you have answered the required questions and provide relevant support. As always, the title of your saved file must include the module number and your last name (M1_LastName). Your work should be saved and submitted as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file.

Leonardo da Vinci Image Attribution: Leonardo da Vinci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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