Art History Essay 

 

Final grade: 35%

Book: Art across time; 4^th edition by Laurie Schneider Adams 

For this essay, you are required to research a topic in the history of art (from the pre-historic period to the early Renaissance) and write a paper which contains a well-defined thesis statement and the logical evolution of an argument. Your paper should reflect not only a high degree of visual and contextual analysis, but must also contain evidence of research and the correct citation of your sources. In addition to the content and quality of your research, writing skills and critical thinking are integral to the success of your essay.

Choose one of the following options to develop your topic:

An overview of a style/period of art:Explore a particular period’s aesthetic or regional style in the early history of Western art (eg: Aegean, Roman, Medieval, early Islamic) using specific works of art to articulate key stylistic features and aspects of the movement in question. Your essay should include visual analyses of specific works/sites as well as an awareness of social and contextual factors in the development of the movement/style you are investigating. It is best to limit your visual analysis to between three to five examples, depending on the focus of your paper.

Thematic or conceptual topics in the early history of Western art:You may choose to explore an idea/theme/concept in relation to examples of key works of art located in one or more periods (ie: the representation of women in Greek sculpture, or a comparison of the different understandings of ‘spirituality’ in the Roman and Medieval periods). This kind of paper is a bit tricky and you should have a clearly defined theme/idea before you narrow down your choices of artists/works through which to explore your topic. Please feel free to come and speak to me or e-mail me if you have an idea and need some feedback. A close reading of one or two significant works of art may be appropriate for this topic as would a comparison of two or more works (but no more than four).

Formatting Guidelines:

Length: 6-8 pages (not including bibliography and any additional visual material)

Format: Double-spaced—12 pt. font size. Stapled. Please DO NOT enclose your essay in a presentation folder or binder. A cover sheet is also not required.

Visual Sources: You must include photocopies of any works of art covered in the essay.

Citation method: MLA (Modern Language Association). APA format is not acceptable for this assignment.

Research expectations:

You should consult 5 to 8 sources depending on quality (At least half of your sources must be text/library based rather than on-line/web-based). Scholarly journal articles located through online databases are considered “text/library-based.”

Note: Your text book does not constitute an acceptable academic source and neither do encyclopaedias (whether text-based or online, such as Wikipedia). As a general rule, scholarly sources can be identified through their presence in peer-reviewed journals and/or the use of footnotes/endnotes to provide readers with further sources for research.

Elements of a good paper

Introduction/Thesis Statement (.5 to 1 page)

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In a paragraph or two (but not more than 1 page), you should introduce your topic clearly, and mention the main points or arguments you will be making. This should include a clear thesis statement, which is a sentence or two that outlines your major argument/perspective, and points towards the final conclusions you hope to communicate through your essay.

Formal Visual Analysis (at least a paragraph for each work of art mentioned)

Referring to specific works of art, you should describe and analyze the major formal elements from each work (citing subject matter, composition, line/form, colour, technique, medium and anything else relevant). You should then compare specific works with other works in your paper and note important differences and/or similarities that are relevant to your overall argument.

 

Social/Historical contextualization

Based on your visual analysis and historical research, you should build an argument around the relevance of each work of art and why you have chosen to include it. How

do specific works of art elucidate key points in your argument? What historical and social factors had an impact on the artist’s approach and/or the reception and that work of art by relevant audiences? Your approach for doing this is as individual as you are, and will largely depend on your reasons for writing the paper. Allow your thesis statement and argument to guide you as to which kinds of historical/social factors should be included in the discussion.

Conclusion (one or two paragraphs)

In the conclusion, you should clarify and refine your argument, summarizing your main points and stating your final conclusions. In some cases, depending on the subject matter, there may be some ambivalence or conflicting factors in the argument—thus, in the conclusion you could perhaps point to other areas that still require analysis, or issues that cannot be addressed due to the limited scope of the topic at hand.

Grading breakdown for papers (out of 35%)

15% Research 15% Writing Skills

5% Presentation

(quantity/quality; appropriate/successful use of research; correct citation and/or paraphrasing of research)

(clear thesis/argumentation; quality of writing and use of?language; ability to clearly communicate key ideas and arguments in an organized way; evidence of critical thinking and/or creativity)

(formatting of paper and bibliography; evidence of proofreading; quality and placement of additional visual materials).

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