FA 202: WORLD ART HISTORY SPRING 2003

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PAPER INFORMATION

TOPIC SHEET DUE: (Friday, February 28th) new date: WED. MARCH 5
DRAFT DUE: (Monday, March 31st) new date: FRIDAY, APRIL 4
FINAL PAPER DUE: Monday, April 28th
LENGTH: 4-5 pages, typed, double-spaced (NO exceptions)
(NO late papers accepted)

PAPER FOCUS:
 Art is said to reflect (or may actually contribute to) the events, philosophy, culture, and/or social conditions of the society and/or time in which the artist lives and works. The aim of this paper is to investigate a particular work of art within the framework of its historical and/or social context.
The key is to answer this question:
Why did this artist make this work at this time? (See below for more ideas)

CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC:You may choose a work
- from the list included in this site OR
- by any artist/culture on the required slide list (BUT a different work than on the list) OR
- one you find on your own
This is a chance to branch out and find something new and different, and of interest to YOU!

All choices must be approved by Dr. Ivory. This is done by turning in the completed TOPIC SHEET that can be picked up on the table outside Dr. Ivory's office. This is part of the assignment for which you will receive 3 points of the final paper grade. Fill the topic sheet out completely, then make a photocopy of the work you have chosen (even if it is in the text) and staple this to your topic sheet. These must be handed in no later than WED. MARCH 5, but they may be turned in earlier! Only ONE student will be permitted to write on a particular work (no exceptions), so as soon as your choice is made, turn in your topic sheet. A list will be posted outside Dr. Ivory's office when a topic is taken. The topic sheets will be returned to you within a few days. Then . . .

RESEARCH THE WORK OF ART, THE ARTIST, THE TIMES to find out more about the artist, the subject/content of the work, and the circumstances in which the artist lived. If there is no recorded artist's name, consider why this might be so and research what is known about artists in general from that society/culture. You may need to look in subject areas such as history, biography, ethnography/anthropology, and philosophy, in addition to art and art history. A Library Research Guide designed by the librarians to assist you in this research will soon be available. The librarians at Holland Library are informed about your project and will be happy to help you. Have this assignment and your photocopy with you and ask for help only after you have tried first yourself.

IN YOUR PAPER, SUMMARIZE YOUR FINDINGS:
- In the first paragraph, clearly state the specific historical, social, economic, or other factors you feel account for the subject, style, and/or medium of the work - this is your thesis.
- Then, support your assertion(s) through a discussion of relevant aspects, which may include: a careful description of the visual (formal) characteristics of the piece, its medium, content (subject matter), any symbolism the artist uses, the role of the artist at that time, the artist's life experiences, and the relevant art historical or social historical information. Think about the subject - why did the artist choose the particular event, theme, or story? What relevance does it have to the artist's life or the events taking place at that moment in history? Who commissioned the work - for what audience? How does this affect the subject and style? What about the media, scale? What do they tell us about the reasons why the work was made?
- Complete your paper with a brief summary of your main conclusions.
- Reattach the photocopy of your piece!

CREDITING YOUR SOURCES
The ORIGINAL ideas of others must be acknowledged in a proper and acceptable format. So, you need to cite your sources of information and ideas (including those from the Internet - include URL and search engine) and credit specific quotes or passages in the body of your paper, even if paraphrased, with either footnotes or endnotes. Depending on citation format chosen, a bibliography (or Works Cited page) is often necessary. In addition to the manuals available in Holland Library, sample papers are available to examine.

MLA STYLE IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

**PAPERS WITHOUT CITATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!**
Remember: When using library resources, please be considerate of others and careful with the books and journals. They are expensive, and often out of print and irreplaceable. Damage or loss of materials is a serious problem and is taken seriously!


THE USUAL FORMAT FOR A BIBLIOGRAPHY INCLUDES:

Author last name, first name. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.

There are variations on this, but this is standard. The part that moves around most in other formats is the date, which can appear in numerous places. Items in a bibliography are listed alphabetically by author's last name.

PAPER GRADE INCLUDES EVALUATION OF THE FOLLOWING:
(80% on content; 20% distributed among the other areas)

A. TOPIC SHEET - Identification of work to be researched:
Is topic sheet turned in on time? Complete? Photocopy attached?

B. CONTENT: Discussion of artwork/artist/time: Is the nature of the relationship between these clearly stated? Is it explained and supported by the discussion? Is relevant information included?

C. ORGANIZATION/QUALITY OF THOUGHT: Are ideas presented clearly, in organized manner, developed throughout paper? Are there clear and cogent thesis and summary statements, introductory and concluding paragraphs?

D. EVIDENCE OF RESEARCH: Footnotes, bibliography included? Consistently and properly formatted?

E. APPEARANCE/DIRECTIONS (proper length, typed, photocopy attached, etc.)

F. GRAMMAR/SPELLING

NOTE:
1. Spelling, grammar, appearance, organization, and quality of thought all count! They will all be considered in the evaluation of your paper. See above.

2. Re-attach the photocopy of your work to the final paper.

3. NO plastic covers, please!

4. DOUBLE SPACE, but no extra space between paragraphs.

5. UNDERLINE or ITALICIZE titles of works of art and of books, also foreign words.

COMMON PROBLEMS WITH WRITING/STYLE:
- RUN-ON SENTENCES - too long and convoluted, too many phrases

- INCOMPLETE SENTENCES - no subject, verb, or direct object (where needed)

- VERB TENSE - past vs. present - consistency is important

- IT'S vs. ITS; THERE vs. THEIR vs. THEY'RE, etc. (it's = it is; they're = they are)

- USE OF FIRST/SECOND PERSON - formal papers are generally written in the third person format, unless one is specifically giving an opinion or making a personal comment.


HOW TO BEGIN:
1. Look at the illustrations below, which are in your Stokstad text. From this list of options available you may choose a work to research. THESE ARE THE ONLY IMAGES IN THE BOOK AVAILABLE FOR THE PAPER (Remember, only tone person to a topic.)

17-19 Dirck Bouts, Wrongful Execution of the Count/Justice of Otto III
17-54 Donatello, Equestrian monument of Erasmo da Narni (Gattamelata)
17-75 Gentile Bellini, Procession of the Relic of the True Cross . . . San Marco
18-8 Raphael, Leo X with Cardinals
18-16 Michelangelo, Tomb of Giuliano de Medici
18-55 Cellini, Saltcellar of Francis I
19-1 Rigaud, Louis XIV
19-47 Peter Paul Rubens, Landscape with Rainbow
19-74 Mrs. Freake and Baby Mary
20-2 The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
20-9 Hour of Cowdust
21-1 Garden of Cessation of Official Life
21-3 Ni Zan, The Rongxi Studio
21-5 Qiu Ying, Section of Spring Dawn in the Han Palace
22-13 Hakuin Ekaku, Bodhidharma Meditating
23-8 Tunic from Peru
23-15 Chilkat blanket
23-20 Maria Montoya Martinez and Julian Martinez, Blackware storage jar
23-21 Pablita Verlarde, Koshares of Taos
24-3 Mawalan Marika, The Wawalag Sisters and the Rainbow Serpent
24-6 Asmat mbis poles
25-1 Finial of spokesperson's staff
25-12 Ndop of Shyaam a-Mbul a-Ngwoong
26-10 Jean-Antoine Watteau, the Signboard of Gersaint
26-28 Robert Adam, Anteroom, Syon House
26-37 Benjamin West, Death of General Wolfe
26-38 John Henry Fuseli, The Nightmare
26-44 Jean-Baptiste Greuze, The Drunken Cobbler
26-47 Adelaide Labille-Guiard, Self-Portrait with Two Pupils
27-15 Goya, Family of Charles IV
27-38 Paxton, Crystal Palace
27-52 Hunt, The Hireling Shepherd
27-80 Rodin, the Burgers of Calais
27-97 Jacob Riis, Tenement Interior in Poverty Gap
28-10 Kollwitz, the Outbreak
28-31 Umberto Boccioni, States of Mind: The Farewells
28-61 Hannah Hoch, Dada Dance
28-74 Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, CA
28-81 Julia Morgan, Casa Grande, San Simeon
29-18 George Segal, The Diner
29-22 Jean Tinguely, Homage to New York
29-39 Diane Arbus, Child with Toy Hand Grenade
25-57 Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty
29-65 Ana Mendieta, Untitled work from Tree of Life series
29-72 Sherrie Levine, Untitled
29-86 Baca, The Division of the Barrios
29-91 Hamilton, Indigo Blue
29-82 Smith, Untitled

IF NONE OF THESE "GRAB" YOU:

2. Look at the images on the list of slides required for tests. If any of these artists or works are appealing to you, find a different work by that artist or from that culture.

3. Find an example of something of interest to you.

TO FIND EXAMPLES NOT IN YOUR TEXT:
- browse through the encyclopedias and other books in the "Background Information" section of the Library Research Guide and on the Library's "pink sheet."
- do a subject search on Griffin on an artist or topic that interests you, or surf through the World Wide Web.
- come talk with Dr. Ivory or T.A. Donna Langan about possible topics in your areas of interest.

SO, YOU MAY CHOOSE A WORK FROM THE LIST OR YOU CAN SEARCH OUT SOMETHING MORE EXOTIC YOURSELF. THERE ARE MANY FURTHER POSSIBILITIES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, ASK!!!!!

Be sure to FILL OUT YOUR TOPIC SHEET AND TURN IT IN. The topic is not "officially" yours until it has been approved by Dr. Ivory and your topic sheet has been returned.

NOTE: This is not a biography of the artist OR a formal analysis of the art work, though these, or aspects of them, may well figure into your discussion. This paper should take a broader view, placing the specific work within the context of the times and the life of the artist. Remember, the key question is: Why did this artist create this work at this time??

You will be evaluated on your ability to articulate a thesis (the position you hope to prove - in this case the type of relationship you identify between the artist and his/her times), effectively support your argument with descriptive and other information, and draw reasonable conclusions from your analysis.

Questions? Email: ivorycs@wsu.edu

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