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ART 132 Final Exam- Art Historical Critique Essay
The Art History Critique (AHC) process takes a deep look into an individual work of
art. Each Critique begins with an object, which will be assigned by the instructor. The Art
History Critique process involves analyzing different aspects of the work of art:
Description/Subject; Formal Analysis; Interpretation; and Historical/Cultural Context.
Process: The instructor will provide students with a list of works as a separate
document in the course shell. Students will select a specific work from this list. Using the
course resources and other scholarly sources, students will complete the sections of the
AHC process as described below. PLEASE NOTE: Wikipedia entries and personal blogs
are not a scholarly sources, but most Wikipedia entries do have bibliographies at the end
that can be helpful. You are welcome to use your textbook and any information you find
at www.smarthistory.org in crafting your response.
Deliverable: You will write an essay in a Word document or PDF document that will be
submitted in the Blackboard course shell. Google docs links and other formats will not be
accepted. Your essay should be organized into well-developed paragraphs, using correct
college-level grammar and punctuation. Each section must be a minimum of one
cohesive paragraph, although you are not limited to this.
Use of sources: Information from the provided sources can be paraphrased or directly
quoted. Direct quotes should make up no more than 20% of the paper and must be in
quotation marks. Cite the sources in MLA format in the text of the paper and in a Works
Cited list at the end. If you are not sure what MLA is or how to cite quoted text, a quick
internet search will be able to help you or you can contact the ECSU Library for some
assistance.
THERE ARE FOUR REQUIRED SECTIONS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT:
Description/Subject: As the introductory paragraph for your essay, this section should
include the artist, title, date, and medium of the work; a brief description of the work; a
summary of the story and/or subject; and your rationale for selecting it. Statements like
“I picked it because I like it” or “I chose it because the colors pop” are not appropriate
rationales. Your answer should be based on information about the object and what you
thought was interesting about this information. In other words, it should not be based
only on what you see. This summary should include specific information gathered from
your resources and will serve to establish the topic to be considered.
Formal Analysis: In this section, you will analyze the form of the work of art. The form is
the physical object, independent of any discussion of subject matter, interpretation, or
context. The form includes its size (scale), the type of work (i.e. sculpture, painting, print,
drawing, etc.), and the media used (i.e. oil paint, watercolor, relief sculpture, pencil
drawing, etching, etc.). To analyze the form, the student must also describe the way that
the artist used specific elements of art and the principles of design.
**Do not attempt to describe how the artist used all of the elements and principles, but
you should discuss a minimum of two. Select those that are dominant in the work and
that are the most important for understanding the meaning and context of the work.
**Do not address that meaning or context in this section.
Depending on your experience with art, you may or may not be familiar with the
elements of art and the principles of design. If you are not, you will need to gain a basic
understanding of them by using the resources provided in the textbook and other online
sources you find using internet searches.
Interpretation: In this section, use evidence from the sources provided to draw
conclusions about what the work of art was intended to communicate to the viewers for
whom it was made. Focus on what the work of art meant in its time and place, not what
it means to you personally or to people now. A work of art can have many different
layers of meaning to its viewers. Levels of interpretation can include political, emotional,
and cultural. Interpretation can also include how the artist intended for the viewer to
use the object.
Context: In this final section, use evidence from the sources provided to draw
conclusions about the historical, cultural, and/or artistic context of the work of art.
The Subject, Formal Analysis, and Interpretation sections investigate what a work of art
is. They represent the end result of a deliberate series of choices made by the artist. In
this section, you will consider WHY the artist made those choices. What was happening
socially, politically, culturally, etc. and how did these events and currents influence what
the artist decided to do in this work? Use the sources provided to guide you in
understanding the context of the work of art that is the subject of this critique. Be
specific and focused in your explanation of the context. Provide rationale for your
conclusions from information gathered from provided sources.
Please reach out to me with any questions, and thanks for all your hard work this
semester!
