Interpret a work of art and describe the features of the art that give it meaning and expressive power. Consider how your own cultural biases and perspectives shape your reaction to and interpretation of this artwork.
Look at situations from all angles, and you will become more open.
–Dalai Lama, spiritual leader
Have you ever had a problem, such as a leaky faucet, an issue with a family member, or a school assignment, that you just couldn’t solve? You might have tried and tried to come up with an answer, growing more frustrated as time went on. Perhaps, you then asked someone else for help, and they immediately came up with the perfect solution. Baffled, you may have thought to yourself, “How did they do that?” The answer is often that the other person simply looked at the problem differently. And many times, a different point of view is exactly what you need to find a solution.
In this assessment, you will further develop your problem-solving skills by exploring how different people and cultures approach making decisions and resolving conflicts. By looking at a single problem from multiple perspectives, you will find more creative solutions to complex issues at home, school, and work. You will also continue to improve your self- and social-awareness skills as you explore how your perspective may be biased and how that bias affects the way you process information.
Most of my important lessons about life have come from recognizing how others from a different culture view things.
–Edgar H. Schein, organizational psychologist
If you’ve ever wondered why people from different cultures think and do things differently than you, here’s your chance to satisfy your curiosity about customs, traditions, religious beliefs, and more. While you work through this assessment, you’ll strengthen your problem-solving and self- and social-awareness skills by exploring cultural similarities and differences, which will allow you to understand where other people are coming from. Exploring and thinking critically about how friends, peers, colleagues, and even strangers from different backgrounds view the world can make you more empathetic and understanding. And applying this empathy and understanding will ultimately help you build the successful, collaborative relationships that are critical to your personal and professional success. You’ll continue to cultivate your problem-solving skills as you compare and contrast cultures around the world and develop critical thinking strategies to understand the perspectives and behaviors of others. You’ll also strengthen your self- and social-awareness skills by exploring how your personal and cultural experiences influence your opinions and choices.
The universe is made of stories, not atoms.
–Muriel Rukeyser, poet
Storytelling transcends all cultures, time periods, and geographic regions. That’s why the ancient Greeks built huge amphitheaters and why you find yourself saying “Just one more episode!” as you devour the new season of your favorite TV show. So it’s not surprising that understanding the stories we tell is a critical part of the study of humanities.
In all of this, you will further develop your problem-solving skills by exploring stories from different cultures. By learning about common storytelling themes and values (and their differences and similarities), you will discover more ways to think critically about perspectives.
References
BrainyQuote. (n.d.).
Dalai Lama quotes.
Goodreads. (n.d.).
Edgar H. Schein quotes.
Wikiquote. (n.d.).
Muriel Rukeyser.
This assessment will look more closely at the means of expression.
There is a tradition of artistic interpretation that stresses expression as the main goal of artworks. Whether it’s a painting, a film, a novel, a play, music, or a piece of sculpture, artwork can give expression to ideas and emotions that can be difficult to express in ordinary words. We’ve seen that artworks convey aspects of culture and family tradition. But they can also express and communicate religious ideas and feelings, or political struggles. And a work of art can express the personal experiences and inner life of the artist who created it. A work of art can do all of this in a way that connects the viewer or audience to the artist. Some see this type of connection as the closest we can get to experiencing the inner life of another person.
For example, to get an idea of the means artworks have available for expression, consider how a representational painting conveys much more than what’s directly represented (for example, a human figure or mountainscape). A painter can use color, line, shading, and composition (arrangement of forms) to express ideas and emotions about what’s depicted in the painting.
For this assessment, first, choose an artwork to analyze as a means of expression. You should choose an artwork different from the one you selected for Assessment 1. You may select an artwork of your preference or any artwork from the
Exploring Cultures
text. Remember, a work of art can take a variety of forms, include a painting, a poem, a film, a piece of music, a story, or a sculpture.
Once you select your work of art, write 2–3 pages in which you complete the following:
· Describe what is depicted in the selected work of art.
· Identify the artist (or artists), when the art was created or published, and the form the art takes (music, painting, short story, etc.).
· If the work depicts a subject or event (like representational paintings, sculptures, stories, or films do), describe what is depicted.
· If the artwork is nonrepresentational (like an abstract painting or sculpture, music, or architecture), you can simply say that it is nonrepresentational.
· Explain two or three things that the artwork expresses, beyond whatever is directly depicted in the work.
· Focus on your own reaction to and interpretation of the artwork.
· What ideas, moods, emotions, hopes, aspirations, or states of mind do you think the artist is trying to express? If the artwork is representational, perhaps the artist is expressing certain feelings about what’s depicted (such as grief, anger, or joy). If the artwork is nonrepresentational, describe the feelings or memories the piece evokes.
· Describe at least three features of the work that have expressive power.
· Here you can focus on qualities specific to the selected art (color, line, shape, composition, light and shading, sound, and so forth). These are the aspects of the work that do the job of communicating to the viewer or listener something that can’t easily be expressed in ordinary language.
· Explain how your cultural perspective shapes your interpretation of the art.
· Describe any cultural biases that may influence this explanation.
· Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, mechanics, citations, and formatting.
Your submission should meet the following requirements:
·
Length: 2–3 pages of text, in addition to a title page and reference page.
·
Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
·
Formatting: Format your submission in APA style, with a title page, double spacing, and a reference page.
·
Citations: You will need to use at least one source to identify the author and date of creation or publication. For example, if you are using artwork from the suggested textbook (
Exploring Cultures
), then that should be cited. Citing additional sources is not necessary or required. Properly cite sources according to APA rules. Review
Evidence and APA
for more information on how to cite your sources.
