Weekly Assignment: Spring Break Edition (Wk 6)

Over break, sketch three pieces of art -- giving yourself at least 10 minutes to view and record each work. These may be pieces that you visit in a museum, a local gallery, or find on the street; or they may be pieces you find online.

Whether your sketches are excellent or clunky, use them to help you patiently view the work. Let your interest guide you. Take the time to really see each piece. We'll discuss your experiences when you return.

Weekly Assignment: David & David (Wk 5)

David, Donatello, 1440s

David, Michelangelo, 1501-1504

Consider the following as topics for discussion and investigation. How are the two figures similar or different? How does each relate to the Biblical story? In what ways do they look back to Greek or Roman figures? (Note: You don't have address all of these questions).

Image Bank: The 15th Century

Image bank for the Early Renaissance in Italy and the North 

The study guide for this period

The assignment calendar from now until spring break

Image Bank: Scenes from the life of Jesus

Here are examples of the four scenes we spent time working with (downloads a pdf).

Weekly Assignment: Art News Round-up (Wk 4)

Look over the "Art News" sites on this blog for a story from the art world that you think is interesting or important. Then, read the entire story. Paste a link to the story in a comment, copy a sentence from the article that you think best summarizes the article, and then write a brief write-up (75-100 words) to summarize. Tell us about the aspects of the story do you find most important or interesting or essential.

For example:

www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/nyregion/rembrandt-drawings-on-display-at-the-bruce-in-greenwich.html

"Rembrandt used drawing in the 17th century the way 21st-century artists use photography: to record people, places and things, and as source material or preparatory studies for his works." An exhibition of drawings at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT gives insight into Rembrandt's process as an artist and teacher. The exhibition includes studies for some of his more famous paintings. He also used drawings and prints to train apprentices in his studio. Besides these insights into his process, the article also describes some of the difficulties of authenticating drawings and crediting the correct artist.

Weekly Assignment: Writing about an image (Wk 3)

Select one portion of one of the images below. Include this cropped selection in a word document (see Jason if you face technical difficulties). Bring this to class on Thursday. (I have included a higher resolution version of the first image).

The Effect of Good Government in the Country

The Effect of Good Government in the City

Steps & Guidelines
First, sketch the piece you have selected and collect thorough observations in notes and freewriting.

The writing you turn in should be one paragraph that isolates and describes 2-3 key patterns or features. It will be 250-350 words long. Don't think of your writing as a substitute for seeing the art work; consider it an aid to seeing, an introduction to thinking about the work. Do not consult any outside sources for this assignment.

Bring a printed out draft of your paragraph to class on Friday for discussion and editing. Turn this in by emailing it to Jason as an attachment before class time on Monday, February 13.

Click here to view an example of the finished product.

Assignment Calendar: February 6 to 17

Click here to view the assignment calendar for February 6 to 17.

Study Guide: Tracking Trends in Greek Art

Greece Tracking Trends12