Instructions
Select two works of art and write a 7 – 10 page compare and contrast essay. You can visit any museum(s) or select works from their online collection. Apply Formalism and at least one other method that we covered in class to your analysis.
Methodology
Art historians use different methods to help them select a particular frame of reference or to determine their arguments when analyzing works of art. In short, your frame of reference should be determined by a specific method or a meaningful combination of methods. For this paper, you should use Formalism in conjunction with at least one other method. It is up to you, but you may want to use Formalism to determine your arguments and any other method from the list to establish your claim.
We covered the following methods:
Formalism – stresses the significance of form over content. That method utilizes discussion of formal elements that include: line, shape, space, color, light, and dark; balance, order, proportion, pattern, and rhythm; the final arrangement made by the artist is called the composition.
Biography – approaches works of art in relation to the artist’s life and personality. We covered the following ideas when we utilized this method in analyzing art: authorship and issues relating to the artist’s self-image.
Iconography – focuses on content (the meaning of the subject matter) rather than on form. It interprets the function and purpose of the selected pieces (such as the meanings of motifs, signs, and symbols used in the work). This method includes three stages:
– describing the work of art using formal elements
– identifying the described elements using sources (usually texts)
– interpreting the symbolism of identified elements using more sources
Marxism – considers the economic, cultural, and social context of art. We covered the following ideas when we utilized this method in analyzing art: alienation, social class, and division of labor.
Feminism – predicates that gender is an essential element in understanding the creation, content, and evaluation of art. We covered the following ideas when we utilized this method in analyzing art: issues relating to gender equality, social norms in relation to gender, motherhood, reproductive rights…
Psychoanalysis – a method based on Freud’s study of mental disorders and their physical manifestations. We discussed: the Oedipal Phase; the Primal Scene, and the oral phase in a child’s psychosexual development. In addition, we also discussed Lacan’s Mirror Stage.
Structuralism – an approach to the human sciences (emerged in the late 1960s) based on semiotic, which studies language as a sign system. Saussure’s ‘theory of the sign’ defined a sign as a relationship between the signifier (word, image, gesture..) and the signified (idea). We discussed the issues in relation to understanding and representing reality; constructing gender, and de-contextualizing existing signs.
Structure
Kerry Walk from Writing Center at Harvard University pointed out that a compare and contrast essay is not just a mechanical exercise in which you first state all the features that A and B have in common, and then state all the ways in which A and B are different. She continued that the compare and contrast essay should make a point or serve a purpose. This is the context within which you place the two artworks you plan to compare and contrast; “it is the umbrella under which you have grouped them.”¹ In class, we referred to such a point as a claim (or a frame of reference). It should be clearly stated in your thesis.
Introduction
You should start your introductory paragraph by providing basic information about each work of art (include the full title (italicized), the name of the author, the year and place of creation, and other relevant details, such as medium and style). Then, introduce the context within which you place the two things you plan to analyze. Finish with the thesis statement that contains a frame of reference (claim) and a list of arguments discussed in the body of your essay.
Body
Make sure that each body paragraph develops only one idea! For this essay, the first two body paragraphs will be descriptive and the rest will be expository. Expository paragraphs will help you develop your arguments. An expository paragraph has the following layout:
A TOPIC SENTENCE communicates the main idea of the paragraph. EVIDENCE refers to factual information relevant to the paragraph’s main idea (it must be cited). EVALUATION explains how the main idea of this paragraph relates to the main point of your essay or the frame of reference stated in your thesis. A CONCLUDING SENTENCE clearly states your point about the idea you are developing in the context of your thesis.
Since you are writing a compare and contrast essay, you need to arrange your expository paragraphs in sections or groups of paragraphs with similar main ideas. There are two basic ways to organize the body of your paper:
-In block-by-block you discuss all of A, then all of B
-In point-by-point, you alternate points about A with comparable points about B
Conclusion
Restate your thesis and summarize your points made in concluding sentences in your body paragraphs.
Research
This paper requires research. You need to look up books, articles, and/or reliable websites and select at least six reputable sources. You will then compile them all into a bibliography. You should examine the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. You should also search for information using the CCNY library databases including CUNY+, JSTOR, Art Full Text, etc. You may also search through Google Scholar. To properly select sources for your paper, please consult – Guptill, Amy. “Secondary Sources in Their Natural Habitats.” In Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence.College at Brockport, SUNY: Open SUNY Textbooks. Accessed July 3, 2018. https://milnepublishing.geneseo.edu/writing-in-college-from-competence-to-excellence/chapter/secondary-sources-in-their-natural-habitats/
*You cannot use Wikipedia or non-academic websites.
Style
-Always italicize titles of works of art
-Use Simple Past tense to describe the artist’s actions, e.g., Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa in the early 1500s. The art object is usually discussed in Simple Present tense, e.g., the painting shows a half-length portrait of a mysterious woman.
-Include images of art objects and capture them properly following this model:
Figure #. Author, Title of the work in italics, year. Medium, dimensions. Collection.
Figure 1. Nancy Graves, Dingbat, 1988. Cast, patinated bronze with painted elements, 8’ 5” x 34” x 6’ 2” (243.8 x 86.3 x 188 cm). Private collection.
Notes and Bibliography
You must use proper footnotes or endnotes, following the Chicago Manual of Style. On a separate sheet of paper, you must also write a bibliography. Failure to cite or name your sources is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. For the proper style of notes and bibliography, visit https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20180216124500_717_11.pdf
Be aware that The Chicago Manual of Style does not provide explicit guidelines for citing information from museum labels, yet, this type of information must be cited. Below is a sample for you to follow:
Note:1. Museum label for Vincent van Gogh, Olive Trees, 1889, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 28 January 2011.
Bibliography: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Museum label for Vincent van Gogh. Olive Trees, 1889. New York, 28 January 2011.
*Information on museum labels changes, so it is often a good idea to provide the date when you accessed the information.
Readings
CCNY Libraries. “Art: References.” Accessed June 7, 2018. http://libguides.ccny.cuny.edu/art
Guptill, Amy. “Secondary Sources in Their Natural Habitats.” In Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence.College at Brockport, SUNY: Open SUNY Textbooks.
Guptill, Amy. “Listening to Sources, Talking to Sources.” In Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence.College at Brockport, SUNY: Open SUNY Textbooks.
Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. “Step 4. Evaluate.” In The Art of Thinking: a Guide to Critical and Creative Thought. New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2001.
The Art Story, Modern Art Insight. “Art Theory and Art Critics.” Accessed July 12, 2018. https://www.theartstory.org/section_critics.htm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” Accessed July 12, 2018. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/
