Focus on a single artwork by one of the artists listed below. •Review the work of all the artists on
the list and select one that interests you. A quick way to review the artists is to do a Google image search.
•Once you have selected your artist, do more intense research and select one of their artworks to
critique.Make sure to do a Google video search to view critiques, interviews, and commentary.•Do not focus on
biographical information about the artist,instead focus on critiquing the chosen artwork. •Follow the directions
in the 5-paragraph outline provided below to help you structure your essay. Your essay can exceed 5
paragraphs if necessarybut must meet the minimum 1500-wordcriteria.•This essay, as with all of your work in
this class,must be in your own words. You are not required to referencea source for this assignment. If you do
quote any source, you should properly cite it using the MLA form of documentation including all internet
sources. Thisessaymust be writtenin MLAformatwith correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure.•An
imageof the artwork selected must be included at the end of your document. (Please see example on page
4),Artists to choose from:Marina Abramović Marlene DumasPaul McCarthy (not Paul McCartney the musician)
Yinka Shonibare Jaune Quick-to-See Smith Ursula Von Rydingsvard Bill Viola Kara Walker Ai WeiweimHank
Willis Thomas
2 Artist Essay5-PARAGRAPH OUTLINE I. Introduction:•Need to find a hook to bring the reader in.•What is
your Thesis•What are you going to discuss in your paper, so the reader has a vague knowledge of where yo
are going with your writing.•You need to make sure to list five things, so the reader knows exactly which
artworkyou are writing about:oArtist NameoTitle of the piece (italicized) oThe year it was madeoWhat medium
or mediums were used to create this artwork (example: oil on canvas,charcoal on paper, marble)oDimensions
(Height is always given first followed by width) since we live in the United States, please give all measurements
in inches. Example; 23 x 14 inches OR 23” x 14” both are OK. (H x W x D) if it is three-dimensional
artwork.•Transition sentence.II. Visual Elements:(discuss only those visual elements that are in theartwork you
have chosen)•Each paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and supporting details, all relating to the
thesis.•Line•Shape•Light•Value•Color•Texture•Space•Time and MotionMentally separate the elements within
the artwork thinking in terms of Line, Shape, Light, Value, Time and Motion, Texture, and Space. In this step
consider the most significant Visual Elements that were used in the artwork. Suggested questions to help with
analysis:oWhat kinds of colors do you see? How would you describe them?oWhat shapes do you see? How
has the artist used shapes within the work of art?oAre there lines in the work? If so, what kinds of lines are
they? Has the artist used them as an important or dominant part of the work, or do they play a different roll?
oWhat role does texture play in the work? Has the artist used the illusion of texture or has the artist used actual
texture? How has texture been used within the work(s).oIs there a light source? If so, how does the artist use
light and value to describe form? •Transition sentence.III. Principles of Design:(discuss only those principles of
design that are in theartwork you have chosen)•Each paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and
supporting details, all relating to the thesis.•Unity and Variety•Balance•Emphasis and Focal
Point•Rhythm•Scale•ProportionMentally separate the Principles of Design: Emphasis and Focal Point,
Balance, Unity and Variety, Rhythm, Scale, and Proportion. Describe how the artist used the Principles of
Design to organize the Visual Elements.Suggested Questions to help with analysis:
3oIs there a focal point? Why?oIs the artwork balanced? Is it symmetrical, radial, or asymmetrical?oIf unity and
variety are evident in the work explain how they are used.oDiscuss how Scale and Proportion is or is not used
in the work.oDescribe how rhythm is or is not used in the work.•Transition sentence.IV. Opinion:•Each
paragraph must contain a clear topic sentence and supporting details, all relating to the thesis.•Do you like or
dislike the piece and why?•How does this artwork make you feel?•Does it remind you of another artwork you
have seen?After careful observation, analysis, and interpretation of an artwork, you are ready to make your
own judgment. This is your personal evaluation based on the understandings of the work.Suggested questions
to help with judgement:oWhy do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth? (For example, it is a
beautiful work of art, conveys an important social message, affects the way the viewer sees the world, makes
insightful connections, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.)oWhat kind of an effect do you think the work could have
for others?oDo you think the use of the Visual Elements and Principles of Design make this work successful or
not? Explain.oHow does this relate to you and your life?oWhy do you think that the artist chose to work in this
manner and made these kinds of artistic decisions?An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning/content of
the work. Content refers to a work’s array of intangible aspects: the emotional, intellectual, psychological,
symbolic elements,and the time and placeor context(context consists of all of thethings about the artwork that
mighthave influenced the artwork or the maker (artist). These would include when the work was made; where it
was made (both culturally and geographically); why it was made; and possibly some other details or
information. Contextualism—looking at the cultural context of an artwork—can deepen and/or improve our
understanding of an artwork, but it may or may not change our first impressions; and itdoesn’t really have an
effect on formal analysis. With some additional contextual information about the time, the culture, and the
maker/artistof an artwork, we can become more informed. All artworks exist in a context—more accurately,all
artworks exist inmultiplecontexts). Based on what you have learned so far about the artwork, what do you think
the artist is trying to communicate?Suggested questions to help with interpretation:oWhat is the artist trying to
communicate in this work?oIdentify any emotional content and explain how it is emphasized.oAre elements in
the artwork representative of other things/symbols (iconography)?oIs there a connection between subject
matter and the techniques and medium(s) used? oWhat cultural influences (Context) are communicated by this
work if any?•Transition sentence.V. Conclusion:•Reiterate your main points from your introduction but state
them using different wording•The conclusion brings the essay to a logical and appropriate end, summing up the
10/15/2020 Order 328357855
https://admin.writerbay.com/orders_available?subcom=detailed&id=328357855 3/4
significance of the essay.
4Georgia O’KeeffeNew York Street with Moon1925Oil on Canvas48.03” x 30.32”
5formal/visual elements: •line:referring to a continuous mark, made on a surface, by a moving point.(contour,
actual, implied, modeling), suggest what; horizontal lines, vertical lines, diagonal lines•shape:it is an enclosed
space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements of art (i.e.: lines, colors, values, textures, etc.).
Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width. Geometricshapes -circles, rectangles, squares,
triangles and so on -have the clear edges one achieves when using tools to create them. Organicshapes have
natural, less well-defined edges (think: an amoeba, or a cloud).(form, volume, actual mass, implied mass,
geometric, organic, positive and negative shapes, figure-ground relationship, shape as icon)•light: visible light
is part of the spectrum of electromagnetic energy that also includes radio waves and cosmic waves. It
undulates wavelike throughout the universe. It bounces off objects and excites cells in our eyes, enabling us to
see. •value: valuerefers to the relative lightness or darkness of a surface. The word relativeis significant. The
lightness or darkness of a shape is largely determined by its surroundings. (value contrast, value distribution,
value and volume, value and space,value and lighting).•color: additive color is created using beams of light
RGB. Subtractive color is created when white light is reflected off a pigmented or dyed surface BRY (hue,
value, saturation, additive and subtractive colors, complementary vs. analogous colors, local vs. optical color,
color as symbol)•texture:another element of art is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work
actuallyfeels when touched, or the visual"feel" of a two-dimensional work. Take rocks, for example. A real, 3-D
rock might feel rough or smooth, and definitely feels hard when touched or picked up. A painter, depicting a
rock, would create the illusions of these qualities through use of color, line, shape, etc. (actual, implied)•space:
as defined by renowned painters, space is itself an entity having a conceptual framework. It is nothing but the
area occupied by an object with respect to its surrounding. It is actually the three-dimensional property of the
object. The three-dimensional space around two-dimensional objects could possibly become illusionary when
the shading and versatile drawing techniques have been merged superbly. You can estimate physical space
with the help of linear measurements. The concept of positive and negative space is very simple to understand.
The space occupied by the primary object (and its shadow) is the positive space while the space surrounding it
is the negative space.(overlapping, relative size, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective)•time and
motion:artists through the ages have sought to represent three-dimensional space in two-dimensional art forms
as well as to represent, or imply, movement and the passage of time. Only in modern times have art forms
such as cinematography and video been developed that involves actual movement and actual time. (actual
motion, kinetic art, implied motion and time, illusion of motion).principles of design:•unity and variety:A principle
of art, unity can be defined as similarity, oneness, togetherness, or cohesion. Variety can be defined as
difference. Unity and Variety are the cornerstones of composition. When they are combined effectively, we can
create compositions that are both cohesive and lively. (Grouping, Containment, Repetition, Proximity, Closure,
Combining Gestalt Principles).•balance:In design, balance refers to the distribution of weight or force within a
composition. (actual balance and pictorial balance, symmetrical balance, asymmetrical balance, horizontal,
vertical, diagonal and radial balance, imbalance).•emphasis and focal point:Emphasis gives prominence to part
of a design. A focal point is a compositional device used to create emphasis. Both emphasis and focal point
are used to attract attention and increase visual and conceptual impact. (emphasis by Isolation, emphasis by
Placement, emphasis through Contrast).•rhythm:is a principle of art that's difficult to summarize in words.
Assuming that you've picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to
translate that to something you'd see with your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat. A pattern has rhythm, but
not all rhythm is patterned. For example, the colors of a piece can convey rhythm, by making your eyes travel
from one component to another. Lines can produce rhythm by implying movement. Forms, too, can cause
rhythm by the ways in which they're placed one next to the other.•scale:refers to the size of a form when
compared with our own human size. (hierarchical scale, distortion of scale).•proportion:is a principle of art that
describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to the whole) in a work. It has a great deal
to do with the overall harmony of an individual piece.
Sample Solution