HUM 101: Introduction to the Visual Arts

HUM 101: Introduction to the Visual Arts

Dr. A. Austin Anderson

Critical Essay – Detroit Institute of Arts

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, July 27

Assignment:

1. Write three critiques based on three of the following artworks from the Detroit Institute of Art collection:

“Watson and the Shark”

“Cotopaxi”

“Martha and Mary Magdalene”

“Beyond Midnight”

“Animals in a Landscape”

“Self-Portrait”

“View of Le Crotoy from Upstream”

“Detroit Industry, North Wall”

“Something You Can Feel” / (click here for image of painting)

“Officer of the Hussars”

“The Nut Gatherers” / (click here for image of painting)

“Rounded Flower Bed”

“Blue Madonna”

“Nocturne in Black and God, the Falling Rocket”

“Double Self-Portrait”

“The Wedding Dance”

“The Window”

“The Dreams of Men”

“The Visitation”

“The Piper”

2. For each one of your three critiques, you must appropriately use at least SIX of the art terms listed on page 2. That means, you will need to use a minimum total of 6 different terms (3 critiques X at least 6 art terms per critique = 18 art terms).

1. 1. To receive credit for this requirement, you must underline, bold, CAPITALIZE or highlight each term in order to be readily found by the instructor. Not using one of these methods will result in a “0” for this part of the assignment.
   2. Within the entire paper, you may use a particular term more than once, but you can only receive credit for a particular term once. In other words, credit will only be given the first time the term is used.
   3. It is preferable that you only use one of the art terms in a single sentence. However, you cannot use and get credit for using more than two of these terms in a single sentence.
   4. Each critique must contain be a minimum of a full page, but not be any longer than two pages per critique. Thus, the entire paper will be a minimum of 3 pages in length.
   5. Your critiques should primarily be based on your own observations, not from other sources. If you use a quote, the quote cannot be longer than two sentences and you must make sure to give proper credit for it.

Art Terms

Process:

• assemblage
• carving
• casting
• modeling

Type:

• drawing
• earthwork
• free-standing
• installation
• painting
• relief
• sculpture

 Material:

• bronze
• copper
• enamel
• glass
• gold
• granite
• marble
• metal
• plaster
• silver
• stone

Medium:

• acrylic
• canvas
• charcoal
• electronic media
• engraving
• fresco
• ink
• limestone
• lithograph
• mixed media
• oil
• paper
• pastel
• pencil
• silkscreen
• sketches
• tempera
• wall
• watercolor
• wood
• woodcut

Subject:

• daily life
• heroic
• historical
• landscape
• mythological
• nonrepresentational
• portrait
• religious
• representational
• still life
• the environment

Descriptive:

• aerial or atmospheric perspective
• afocal
• analogous colors
• analytical line
• arbitrary color
• asymmetrical balance
• base
• chiaroscuro
• classical line
• color
• complementary colors
• contour line
• cool colors
• curvilinear line
• expressive line
• figure ground reversal
• focal point
• foreshortening
• grayscale
• hatching
• horizontal
• iconography
• impasto
• implied line
• intermediate colors
• local color
• low relief
• negative space
• Op Art
• pattern
• platform
• plein-air painting
• primary colors
• profile
• radial balance
• rhythm
• rhythm
• secondary colors
• space
• symmetry
• texture
• three-dimensional
• tier
• time and motion
• value
• vertical
• warm colors

Notes:

1. Minimum length for each critique – 1 full page; Maximum length for each critique – 2 pages. However, please submit the three critiques as one document (not three separate documents). You should not provide copies of the worksheets. The worksheets are only a tool to help you think of topics for your paper. Do not write any part of your paper in outline form.
2. Sentences will not be counted which simply state what the artwork is not. For instance, you will receive no credit for such statements as, “The artwork is not a carving” or “The painting is not created on canvas.”
3. An introductory or closing paragraph citing your general appreciation and/or attitude toward visiting the museum does not count as part of the graded critique or length of your paper.
4. For each work of art, within one of the first paragraphs of the critique be sure to identify the:
   1. title
   2. artist
   3. year created
   4. size (dimensions) of the work of art.

1. After completing your paper, save it using a Microsoft Word or Mac Pages format. Please do not convert your file into a PDF. Microsoft Works is not the same as Microsoft Word and cannot be opened by the instructor. If your file cannot be opened by the instructor, you will receive a “0” for the assignment.

6. Do not use more than a 12-pt. font. Please double-space your text. The margins should be no more than 1 inch around your text.
7. The paper must be written in prose form. Indent your paragraphs and do not quadruple-space (or put extra spaces) between paragraphs.

1. The paper must be void of grammatical and spelling errors.
2. Plagiarism (no matter how minimal) will result in a “0” for the entire assignment. Please understand that “cutting and pasting” text from another source is also a form of plagiarism, even if you cite references at the end of the paper. In addition, resist the temptation to purchase or borrow a paper from a former student or an Internet site and place your name on it. This is also a form of plagiarism, no matter how much or how little you use of it. The instructor can easily detect plagiarized papers, so please just take the time to follow the instructions and do your own work if you would like credit for this assignment.
3. For a guide as to what is expected, see one of the attachments for a sample paper.
4. When you are ready to upload your essay, click on the title link – DIA Critical Essay, and you will be taken to another page. Do not cut and paste your answers in the “Submission” or “Comments” area or you will receive a “0” for the assignment. Instead, you must attach the file containing your paper and another file containing the photo.  If you fail to attach your file or submit the wrong file, you will receive a “0” for this assignment. For assistance in uploading your paper, please call Blackboard technical assistance at PH: 866-846-8494. This is a toll-free number and they are available 24/7.
5. You may receive up to 30 points for completing this assignment. However, not following the instructions will result in no credit for this assignment. The instructor must input these scores manually in your grade book for this assignment. However, you will know if you have submitted your document if you see a yellow or green exclamation mark in your grade book.
6. No late papers will be accepted under any circumstance.

Project Rubric

Questions: Contact Dr. Anderson at aander1@wcccd.edu