Essay Guidelines
Sunday 9/10/06 @ 3:30 p.m. & Monday 9/11 @ 11:15 a.m. -
1. As in our Syllabus on the Response-Essay: every student will compose one response-essay to be handed in beginning in WEEK IX, with the first 6 students doing so on WED 10/18, thereafter each group of 6 students will hand in theirs on Wednesdays as of WED 10/25 in WEEK X.
2. Who will be the first 6 students? We'll begin with the 9:00-10:10 a.m. class alphabetically in reverse that is, we start with Patrick W, Cleo W, Becca S, James R, Nate P, & Megan P, who will hand in theirs on WED 10/18. Thereafter as follows:
-- WEEK X: WED 10/25 - Julia O, Nacia M, Jeff M, Alicia K, Kristin K, & Dan K
-- WEEK XI: WED 11/1 - Kelsey D, Katie C, Meta C, Melissa A + Caleb W of the 1:30-2:40 p.m. section
-- WEEK XII: WED 11/8 - Allison W, Ashley T, Angela S, Omni R-M, Cassandra P, & Monica P
-- WEEK XIII: WED 11/15 - Deb O, Heather N, Jill M, Jeremiah McC, Bob McC, & Brittany M
-- WEEK XIV: Thanksgiving Holiday
-- WEEK XV: WED 11/29: Ashley M, Danielle L, Meghan L, Jayme J, Sarah G, & Renee F
--WEEK XVI: WED 12/6 - Josh F, Andrea F, Nolan E, Jean-Pierre D, Hannah A, & Rachel A
3. As for your individual Response-Essay, you will choose to write about ANY 2 art-works (not Literature, nor Music) - that is, paintings &/or sculptures &/or works of architecture (buildings, monuments, ...).
4. On what basis will you choose? Pick what interests/grabs/intrigues you - for whatever reason - from ANY century/centuries - whether from the 1550s or the 1900s or ...-selecting your 2 works from our text.
5. And how will you write about them? Well, certainly with logic and clear sentences forming solid paragraphs. Be both subjective (= explain why you chose the 2 works) and objective using, as jumping-off ideas, such questions as those below. And always name a given work's creator, if known, and identify the historical period, and be sure to explain the art-work's original purpose or intended meaning, with its symbolism, if any. As for the jumping-off points - to which you can surely add your own based on your own reflections/interpretations as well as on any sources (books, web-sites, ...) that you might consult (acknowledge them in Notes &/or Sources) - here are the basic ones, but you don't need to "answer" them as such; just let them help you to focus your attention:
-- The PICTORIAL Arts: In what medium/media is the picture created (acrylic paint, canvas, ...)? What are the picture's important lines/shapes = design, including human or divine figures? How does the picture use color and light? Are there any patterns of any kind - color-wise, shape-wise, image-wise, ...? How is the whole greater than the sum of the parts? ...
-- SCULPTURE: Is it in relief (high or low) or in-the-round (standing on its own)? Of what material/s is it made and formed? What is its texture, and how is that aspect related to what it re/presents? Does it suggest movement or stillness or anything that conveys "life" or animation? Does the sculpture have a relation to the site/setting where it is found (such as a church for a statue or ...)? ...
-- ARCHITECTURE: What is the structure's function/purpose? Of what material/s is it made? What is its design? Is there a significant relation between the exterior and the interior? Does the building/monument employ other arts, such as sculpture &/or painting? ...
-- Your PERSONAL Approach: How would I state/describe/explain my response/reaction to the art-works I've chosen? How was my encounter with the art-works shaped/influenced by the works themselves AND by my own knowledge and life-experience (travel, ...)? ...
-- Some GENERAL Themes: How are WOMEN depicted? How are POLITICAL or RELIGIOUS FIGURES portrayed? How are different SOCIAL CLASSES presented? How does Architecture or Sculpture serve religious &/or political purposes? How does Religious Art reflect a given historical period, or perhaps the artist's own beliefs/values? Is Social Reality (poverty, wealth, ...) dramatized/romanticized/made fun of or presented neutrally/objectively? Does the artist's Style/Technique reflect a conventional attitude for the era or does it display a new approach (= freedom of the brush as to technique &/or freedom of the imagination as to choice and depiction of subject-matter? ... Your own statement of a theme that YOU PERCEIVE in the art-works. ...
Hope the above is helpful, and feel free, of course, to come talk with me for guidance, if you wish. Your Response-Essays should be a delight for you to compose and for me to read - therefore, pieces of cake for us all! (And that should mean excellent grades!)
THURSDAY 9/14 - In response to a question in the morning-class yesterday: You don't have to do a compare/contrast type of essay with the 2 art-works that you will choose. Your Response-Essay could easily be divided into two independent parts with no thematic or other bridge connecting the two. No need to force a connection between something from the 1600s and something from the 1900s, but it might be a good idea to indicate any similarities or differences that strike you as interesting. Just be logical, grammatically correct, coherent, and substantive, with an Introduction (= beginning), Demonstration (= middle), and Conclusion (= end).