ART103_WI24_A3.1_ ASSIGNMENT 3
Due: beginning of class Week 6
Learning Outcomes:
• Investigate relationships between formal elements in art and their thematic, historical, cultural, and/or
ideological context.
• Demonstrate a basic understanding of art historical terminology.
• Apply visual evidence to support ideas about artwork in various media through discussion, written,
studio, and other assignments.
• Recognize common currents and contrasting characteristics of different periods and art movements.
Assignment Description:
You will write a short essay to increase your ability to form connections between the art/design of the historic
past, the present, and the future, expressing your own opinions and conclusions.
Assignment Brief (specifics):
• Research either social/moral concerns or the aesthetic concerns of contemporary design that were
also reflected in historical art styles.
• Choose a current (within the past 25-30 years), specific example from your design discipline that
expresses that concern (for example, the lobby of a hotel; a designer’s couture collection; a line of
décor objects from one design firm).
• In your short essay, you will compare and contrast the concerns of the past with current trends
and concerns as seen in your example.
o Tell the reader how that concern is still relevant today.
o Examine how the artist/designer of the 21st century interacts with history and what our
responsibilities or debts are to the art/design of the past.
• DON’T WRITE A REVIEW ABOUT THE HISTORICAL STYLE/PERIOD. If you do, you’ll get a failing
mark.
• Your writing should be your opinions, conclusions, and/or reflections, expressed in your own words.
You must defend your opinions and assertions with the current real-world example of design.
• There is no need to quote any other source.
Pick one of the following concerns: AESTHETIC or SOCIO-POLITICAL
• The Expression of Authentic Emotions (Symbolism, Expressionism): the extreme expressions of the
inner self, emotional darkness, the life of the mind or soul brought to design
• The Optical (Impressionism): changing how we see; light and shadow and colour!
Write 1-2 pages that clearly and completely express and explain in detail
• Why you believe this concern is important in your creative discipline today (important to the designer,
the audience, the consumer or end-user, the discipline itself). Why do we need it? Why do we like it?
How is it useful?
• How this concern is expressed in a specific, existing, contemporary design
o Refer to specific elements of the design in your analysis (color, line, editing, materials, etc.)
• How that contemporary design is similar to and/or different from examples from the historical period. Be
specific!
• Import 3 or more images onto the second page of your essay that illustrate your assertions. Cite your
source(s) for these images in captions (URL is fine).
• The first paragraph must have a topic sentence that tells the reader what the essay will explain/assert.
Evidence of Learning/Deliverables:
• Submit a short essay
o 2 pages maximum
o double-spaced
o 12-pt font
o include image(s) of art/design relevant to your essay
o submit as PDF only to Lea
Presentation:
• No oral presentation is required.
Naming Conventions for Assignment Submission:
• All submitted assignments should be named in a similar fashion
• i) Course nr ii) quarter: iii) assignment type iv) student surname, name v) student ID and vi) program of
study
CourseNr_Quarter_AssignmentX_StudentSurname_StudentName_StudentNr
• Example:
o ART103_SU24_A3.1_Romain_Valerie_000001.PDF
• Please note, if a student’s work cannot be identified by the instructor, they will receive 0% for the
assignment. Students always need to follow the naming convention when handing in assignments.
