INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PAPER: Please read the following instructions carefully and choose just ONE of the thematic questions listed below to think about, write about and answer in your comparison. Each question asks you to discuss and compare works of art from the museums, as noted in each specific question, IN PERSON. This assignment requires you to choose and compare three artworks from the Met while answering specific thematic questions about them. It is a research paper, so you should use sources found in the library or on the web; in addition, it is an exercise in looking, selecting, thinking critically, analyzing, comparing, interpreting, and writing.

The art of love, and the love of art.

With Valentine’s Day coming up on February 14, love is in the air! This theme asks you to select three artworks from the Met’s permanent collection which depict some form of love. This may refer to romantic love, or a parent’s love, or sibling love, or love for the divine, or for an animal, or forbidden love, or love for your country, or self-love….or any other type that you may identify in the artwork.

Your challenge here is to select THREE examples from the Met’s collection, which you feel are the MOST EFFECTIVE examples, for reasons you will explain, in communicating the intended message of love. What kind of love is it? How did that artist/culture/period feel about the subject? What is the overall mood of the artwork? Your examples may be in the format of paintings, or drawings, or prints, etc.

Choose works created by THREE different artists and pick THREE that you can contrast in terms of different cultures/dates/periods/styles/etc.

BE SURE TO PICK ARTWORKS from the period we are studying in class, so dates c. 1300 to c. 1840.

As with the other essay choices, consider all aspects of FORM (medium – oil on canvas? bronze casting? Ink on paper made with the etching process? Etc.), color, pattern, composition, texture, and CONTENT (imagery and what it means). What is depicted – a pair of lovers? A family? A secred rendezvous? A Crucifixion scene with mourners? HOW does the artist depict it/them? And most importantly, analyze carefully WHY you selected these works – what is it about the work that drew you to it? Is it the subject matter? The mood? The formal elements? All of the above? Explain thoroughly.

RESEARCH SUGGESTIONS: Start your research by using the Met’s website (www.metmuseum.org) to find out more about your works and their artists. Next, look for books on French painting, or on a specific artist, or on Renaissance/Baroque/Neoclassical painting, or on the process of engraving, or the subject of love in 16th century Italian painting, etc. You should also consult our textbook for general stylistic categories but it does NOT count as one of your five book sources.

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GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The object of this writing assignment is to encourage you 1) look carefully and analyze works of art; 2) carefully select the examples which you feel best explicate the point you wish to make; 3) describe and compare the works so thoroughly that the reader (imagine an “intelligent but uninformed reader”) can conjure up the image in his/her “mind’s eye”); and finally, 4) make a compelling argument for your primary point(s).

For each example, provide a thorough description of the formal qualities of each work: composition and use of positive/negative space, line quality, shape, contour, color, shading, pattern, texture, scale, typeface scale, style, etc. Then give a thorough explanation of the content of the work. Use Stokstad as your guide.

The format of the essay is a “compare-and-contrast” project which asks you to choose a series of examples which you feel best illustrate your points. The assignment asks you to use your skills of perception, description, and critical analysis in addressing the specific issues under examination. The questions address both formal concerns and content issues as they encourage you to closely scrutinize the designs under consideration. Use the guidelines at the beginning of our textbook for defining and explaining formal qualities as needed.

As a “formal” essay, your finished product should be neatly typed and free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. It should be a project which is well-crafted (i.e., you should proceed from preliminary notes to a rough draft through successive drafts which are carefully revised until you have achieved a text which successfully communicates your points in a clear and convincing manner). Try to recreate images of the works you are discussing through your written descriptions. Make the image come alive to your reader through your careful choice of wording and vibrant descriptions.

ILLUSTRATIONS:

Please include PHOTOS to illustrate your examples TAKEN BY YOU (minimum ONE PHOTO of each example; you may also include details if you so choose). Photos must be taken WITH YOUR OWN CAMERA/CELL PHONE – ABSOLUTELY no downloaded photos allowed. Photography is generally allowed in museums WITHOUT A FLASH. If you have trouble getting photos, please see me. Please include a “selfie” of you (looking so happy) in the museum.

RESEARCH:

Please include a minimum of FIVE BOOKS for your paper; you should also include the museum websites as an additional source. As noted, your textbook MAY be used BUT IT DOES NOT COUNT toward your five book sources. You may also include scholarly articles in addition to your five minimum book sources (look on the JSTOR database on the library website; also, the Oxford Art Online database is really useful). You must include footnotes and a bibliography in your paper.

More ideas on types of sources (books or articles) to look for:

Museum special exhibition catalogues
Museum permanent collection texts
Monographs on a particular artist
Thematic texts on a particular period of art history (the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, etc.) or a specific culture (Italian art, French design, etc.)
Texts on artistic techniques (printmaking, like engraving or etching, etc.), bronze casting, textile making, textile printing, book printing, oil painting, jewelry making, gold craftsmanship, etc.)
Texts on thematic subjects (sacred (i.e. religious) painting, portraits, the history of fashion, the history of printing, the history of textiles, etc.
Books about functional objects (i.e. design objects) like clocks

** You must include at least 1 citation (footnote) from EACH SOURCE USED. **
In other words, do not “pad” your bibliography with books you did not look at!

INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED:

For EACH of the artworks you have chosen to write about, please provide the following information, in addition to the specifics asked in your question. Consult the individual wall labels for each work as well as longer text panels for specifics, if necessary.

THE FIVE ID FACTS:

1) Artist(s)’ and/or designer/craftsperson/manufacturer’s name(s), if known

2) Title/name of the work (note: the title of an artwork given by an artist is always put in italics).

3) Date (use “circa” when necessary).

4) Medium/media (and ground, if appropriate), and “original format” (the physical object) of the work. If it is supposed to have a practical function, like a garment, what was it specifically intended to be used for?

5) Art-historical culture and period/movement from which the artwork/artist comes (i.e., French Early Renaissance? German Renaissance? Italian Baroque? French Rococo? etc.). Use your textbook to help identify the art-historical period.

FORMAT FOR THE MUSEUM PAPER :

7-9 FULL PAGES (NOT including illustrations, bibliography and footnotes/endnotes), typed, double-spaced, 1” margins

1) Title page: Title of your paper, your name, date, name of class, and your professor’s name. MAKE IT LOOK MAGNIFICENT.You may include images/photos on your cover page.

2) Page 2: Introduction: Introduce which theme you are going to write about, and which three examples you will use to illustrate your themes. Give a few sentences about the theme, to fill your reader in about the issues and the ideas you have about it. Think about it – why did you pick the theme? What interests you about it? What do you want to tell your reader about it? Try to convince your reader that what you will tell him/her is going to be fascinating, even compelling – really get him/her interested. Run it by a friend/family member to see if they find it interesting.

3) Page 2 to the end: Body of the paper – devote a couple of pages or so to each example. Introduce the example, with artist’s name(s), title (TITLES OF ARTWORKS ARE WRITTEN IN ITALICS), date, medium/media and ground, and the original format of the work if necessary, and finally the art historical period/culture/style of the work. Then, thoroughly describe and analyze each in terms of form and content. Explain why you picked that particular work as a great example of your theme.

4) Conclusion: After describing and analyzing your examples, finish with a good conclusion and don’t forget your “rating” from one to three. Hammer home your theme, and reiterate briefly how your examples clearly illustrate that theme.

5) Bibliography: Your list of book sources (and scholarly articles, if any), listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

6) Endnotes page (unless you use footnotes, which when using Microsoft Word, will appear at the bottom of each typed page, as a “footer).

7) Illustrations: Include your photographs of the three artworks and you “selfie,” attach your museum receipt(s) to your paper, and turn it in on time. Then celebrate your hard work!

PROOFREAD your paper CAREFULLY; give it to someone else to proof for you as well. ASK A FAMILY MEMBER/FRIEND to proofread your paper. He/she will probably be happy to do it, and it is great to get the feedback. Also, utilize the writing center, which is one of our school’s many great offerings. MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU! (If you use the writing center, please bring written confirmation, and your lowest quiz grade turns into an A!).

GRADING CRITERIA (see the specific grading rubric for this assignment posted on BLACKBOARD):

Your goal: The essay is handed in on time (don’t procrastinate – life is short); meets requirements for length, grammar, spelling, and punctuation (please proofread carefully); is neatly typed, reveals time put into editing and re-editing in order to communicate your points clearly; shows careful consideration of essay topic and understanding of the important points under consideration; provides detailed descriptive analysis and comparison of selected examples; and displays a level of original and critical thinking in choosing and explaining examples which best conveys the points you want to make in a compelling argument.

As a “formal” essay, your finished product should be neatly typed and free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. It should be a project which is well-crafted (i.e., you should proceed from preliminary notes to a rough draft through successive drafts which are carefully revised until you have achieved a text which successfully communicates your points in a clear and convincing manner). Try to recreate images of the works you are discussing through your written descriptions. Make the image come alive to your reader through your careful choice of wording and vibrant descriptions.

Essays will be evaluated using letter grades A, B, C, or D; occasionally plus or minus grades will also be utilized when appropriate. Letter grades will be translated into a number grade by taking the mean of the grade range (A range 90.0 – 100.0 so the mean is 95; A- is 91.5; B is 85, etc.) This assignment offers an excellent chance for you to excel and get an A grade, so proceed accordingly. Consult the grading rubric for specifics.

A REMINDER ABOUT MUSEUM WALL LABELS AND PLAGIARISM:

Since this is a research paper, you will need to cite any and all sources. Any statements or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged as such. Presenting someone else’s work as one’s own is plagiarism, whether it is in the form of an idea or exact language, and constitutes academic dishonesty. Plagiarism may result in a failing grade and may be reported. Plagiarism may range from the use of selected words or phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to entire units copied from books, periodicals, museum wall labels, catalogues, websites, oral presentations, or the work of other students. If you do decide to cite an outside source, use a footnote/endnote or state the source directly in your text. Consult the college website for further information on plagiarism.

The identifying wall labels in museums often provide such information as artist(s) name(s), his or her birth and death dates and nationality/culture, title of the artwork, date the artwork was created, medium, museum identification number, and/or name(s) of donor(s). This information is factual and does not need to be cited in a footnote. However, sometimes museums provide a more extensive wall label which gives a description of the artwork and its meaning – an interpretation of subject matter and symbolism, etc. Since someone – museum curator or other art expert, etc. obviously thought of this idea and had it written down, you need to show that it was not your original idea. If you copy or even paraphrase (put into your own words) any text from a wall label, or from your textbook, you MUST give credit for your source by using a footnote/endnote. Just say, for example, “According to the museum wall label…” or, “As Marilyn Stokstad has noted…” (then footnote with the SPECIFIC PAGE NUMBER FROM THE BOOK).

As noted on the syllabus, you are responsible for generating your own ideas and it is expected that you will behave with integrity. All outside sources and references must be properly cited. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated and will result in university disciplinary action.

For assistance with writing a research paper, go to http://fitnyc.libguides.com/citations
(available on the FIT Library website, under Research).

How to succeed on this assignment: really think about your question, choose your examples thoughtfully, do a CLOSE and extensive description of each, following all directions in your question, consider BOTH formal qualities AND subject matter/content – what might they MEAN? Ask yourself: does it seem like there are any larger socio/political/religious/ historical/symbolic issues brought out by your works that might be analyzed as part of your thematic question? COMPARE the three artworks CAREFULLY, describe and analyze, use Stokstad’s introduction as a guide, present your findings in a paper which is the appropriate length, turned in on-time, uses footnotes/endnotes if necessary to cite wall labels, and results in a finished assignment which is a neat and well-presented product of which you are proud.