You will chose 5 topics from the 11 choices below. For each topic you have chosen you will write at least 2-pages of content that combines research and personal thoughts. Your research needs to be documented in MLA format in your text. You must also include a work’s cited page at the end of your document. Compile all 5 two-page papers into one document with a work’s cited page at the end. You should have at least 11 pages in your final document.

Some of the topics require more research than others, but for all of them there is room for your own opinions and interpretation of the material you are reading. Understanding and appreciating art cannot be done through research alone. Our thoughts, reactions and opinions are largely shaped by our life experiences and cultural background. When you are able to take your own feelings and personal views into consideration and couple it with research the result is a much higher understanding and appreciation. Research and cite your findings, but also tell me what you think. Maybe you have a relatable story. Maybe your opinion was very different from your research. Maybe you learned something new and exciting. Tell me all about it!

When submitting documents for grading, make sure you submit your work in one of the following file formats: .RTF or .DOC or .DOCX – if not, the TurnItIn Originality Report may not generate and the instructor will be unable to open and grade your work. Late points may be deducted if you submit the wrong file format.

Your Response Journal should:

be typed in MLA Format (12 point font: Times New Roman or Ariel, double-spaced)

contain a minimum of 2-pages of written text per topic (this means that images do not count towards the 2 page requirement)

contain topic numbers and titles for identification (start a new page for every topic and give it a heading)

contain a Work’s Cited page (you may do this after each topic or combine them all at the end of the document)

be submitted to the Assignments link for final grading by the listed deadline

Choose 5 of the following topics for your Response Journal papers. (Each topic response should be at least 2-pages in length)
TOPIC CHOICE #1: The Ingredients of an Artwork (2-pages)

Just as a good cook assembles the perfect ingredients for a delicious recipe, an artist assembles the right elements for a successful artwork. Select any artwork from the textbook and write a recipe (including ingredients, directions, and critique) of the composition. For example, Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People contains implied lines, organic shape, range of values, primary color scheme, and depth in space. This topic requires you to “think like an artist” as you deconstruct the composition, as well as “respond like an art critic” as you evaluate the technique and theory.

TIP: Here’s something to think about if you’re going to respond to this topic for your Response Journal…… don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links. Once you select the artwork that you will write the “recipe” for – you can then think of the art elements as the ingredients required for the recipe and the design principles as the instructions for preparation. Our textbook lists the following as Art Elements: line, space, shape, color, light (or value), texture (or pattern), time and motion. Our textbook lists the following as Design Principles: balance, emphasis (or focal point), scale and proportion, rhythm (or repetition), and unity (with variety). You may find some slight differences in these lists if you use other resources.

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TOPIC CHOICE #2: Writing about Space (2-pages)

Select an ancient and a modern work of art, and write a response that describes the similar and disparate uses of space, identifying the spatial strategies employed by the artists.

TIP: Here are some audio lectures to start your thinking process about space. Each link provides audio, visuals, and interactive elements. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Shape and Mass as Negative Space (Here you can move a slider across various artworks to easily recognize the negative space found within the compositions.)

Introduction to Space and Perspective (Here you will view several artworks illustrating a variety of spatial techniques.)

Creating a Sense of Space (Here you can click on various artworks to see outline, scale, layering, and foreshortening techniques.)

This topic requires you to compare and contrast an ancient artwork with a modern artwork. Keep in mind that oftentimes modern art pushes the boundaries of traditional artistic styles. You might not be able to easily recognize the spatial strategies found within modern art, but they’re present….you just have to look closely and have an understanding of what you’re looking for in order to find them.

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TOPIC CHOICE #3: Color Facts (2-pages)

How is color interpreted in different cultures? Do colors affect our behavior? What are some of the scientific aspects of color? For this response, please relate the information you gather to your own experiences with color.

TIP: Here are some audio lectures to start your thinking process about color. Each link provides audio, visuals, and interactive elements. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Introduction to Color (Here you will view several pieces illustrating color.)

Color in Light (Here you can select different artworks that represent color, zoom in on each one and listen to its supplemental explanation.)

Color in Pigment (Here you will view a color wheel and value scales.)

Watercolor (video) (Here you will view a video that illustrates the technique of painting with watercolor.)

Psychological Properties Of Colours (website)

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TOPIC CHOICE #4: The Time and Motion of Jackson Pollock (2-pages)

Jackson Pollock’s paintings were described by Pollock himself as “energy and motion/made visible.” This response should compare and contrast Pollock’s work with another artwork of your choice – make sure to include the visual, physical, and media used.

TIP: Here are some video links to start your thinking process about Jackson Pollock. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links. The first video is very short and simply shows Pollock working in his studio.

However, if you want to take a closer look into the artist’s life, please consider watching the major motion movie created about Jackson Pollock in 2000 (starring Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden). You can watch a clip of the movie here.

Some people don’t appreciate Jackson Pollock’s work and claim that their own child could create something better. You must have an understanding of Abstract Expressionism and Action Painting to truly appreciate Pollock’s work along with his concepts and processes.

Lastly, if you’d like to try your hand at “online” Action Painting, check out this website for a fun, interactive experience. (You must move your mouse to start the painting and click the mouse button whenever you want to change colors.)

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TOPIC CHOICE #5: Just What Is Postmodernism? (2-pages)

Contemporary artists (such as Elizabeth Murray) and architects (Robert Venturi or Frank Gehry) have begun to explore the notion of a new set of principles, based upon the eclectic sum of our modern, complex, visual world of neon signs and fast sound bites. This sense of disjunction, that the parts can never form a unified whole, is what we have come to identify as Postmodernism. In his book, Learning from Las Vegas, Robert Venturi asserts that the collision of signs, styles, and symbols that mark the “American Strip,” in particular Las Vegas, could be seen as a new form of unity. “Disorder,” Venturi writes “[is] an order we cannot see….” This response should define Postmodernism and provide examples of where you have seen this union of eclectic designs.

TIP: Here are a variety of links to start your thinking process about Postmodernism. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links. First off, if you’re having trouble understanding the difference between Modern Art and Postmodern Art, here’s an article that will help.

Postmodern Website

Here is a video of Elizabeth Murray working in her studio. Here is an interactive learning object about Elizabeth Murray’s Exile. Here is a link to Robert Venturi’s book, Learning from Las Vegas and here are some Las Vegas strip photos similar to what Venturi mentions in his book.

color photo collage of the Las Vegas strip

Don’t forget that Topic #5 is asking for this specifically: “to define Postmodernism and provide examples of where you have seen this union of eclectic designs”.

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TOPIC CHOICE #6: Mesopotamian Civilizations (2-pages)

This response should address the early civilizations of the Mesopotamian region. It should provide a summary of each group (Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians) that lived in this region along with their major contributions, especially their artistic contributions.

TIP: Here are some links to start your thinking process about the artistic contributions of the Mesopotamian Civilizations (specifically Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians). Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Mesopotamian Art Website

TimeMaps History of Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Near Eastern Art Video (Neo-Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Persian)

Persian Art Video

There are many resources available online for these civilizations. Here are just a few to begin your research and appreciation of their artistic contributions.

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TOPIC CHOICE #7: Cathedral vs. Temple (2-pages)

This response should compare imagery on the exterior of Chartres Cathedral in France to the imagery on the exterior of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in India. How do the images represent the philosophy of each religion?

TIP: Here are some links to start your thinking process about cathedrals and temples, specifically the exterior similarities of the Chartres Cathedral in France and the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in India. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Chartres, Cathedral of Notre-Dame (interactive virtual tour)

Chartres Cathedral (architectural panorama)

The Stained Glass at Chartres (interactive learning object)

Asian Education: Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (website)

Ancient India (website)

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (video)

Don’t forget that your response for Topic #7 should also include how the exterior images represent the philosophy of each religion.

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TOPIC CHOICE #8: African Art (2-pages)

How did museums and individuals outside Africa come to possess such large collections of African art? This response should address how this came to be, the history of imperialism in Africa, and what efforts are being made to return these works.

TIP: Here are some links to start your thinking process about African Art and Imperialism. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Imperialism’s Impact on Sub-Saharan Africa (website)

The New Imperialism in Africa (web document)

The Hidden Treasures of African Art (video)

Rethinking the Canon: African Collectors and the Canon of African Art (video lecture)

Africa Fights To Reclaim Lost Art, Artifacts (article)

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TOPIC CHOICE #9: Write a Letter to Vincent (2-pages)

This response requires you to read one of Vincent van Gogh’s letters (from Letters to Theo) and then respond in letter form to Vincent as if he were still living and painting in the South of France.

TIP: Here are some links to start your thinking process about Van Gogh and his correspondence with his brother Theo. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

Van Gogh Letters (website)

How to Write Letters (online article)

Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night (interactive learning object)

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TOPIC CHOICE #10: Dada Dialogue (2-pages)

Write a dialogue between Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock to reveal their theories or thoughts about the nature and uses of art.

TIP: Here are some links to start your thinking process about Dada, Marcel Duchamp, and Jackson Pollock. Don’t forget to check the Course Materials > Content > Chapter Resources pages to find more links.

How to Write Dialogue (online article)

The ABC’s of Dada: Part 1 (video)

The ABC’s of Dada: Part 2 (video)

The ABC’s of Dada: Part 3 (video)

Marcel Duchamp: Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 (interactive learning object)

Clement Greenberg on Marcel Duchamp (video)

Marcel Duchamp: Fountain (video)

Marcel Duchamp (website)

(Please see Topic #4 for Jackson Pollock links.)

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TOPIC CHOICE #11: Recreating a Masterpiece (HAVE FUN WITH THIS!)

In the spirit of staying safe at home I’ve decided to add a new topic to the response journal choices. The idea came from The Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Check out the link for the full story:

https://www.sadanduseless.com/recreated-art/?fbclid=IwAR1br42J8NfT0C6r7UCydl3HhwPJo80m6LeqDAIEtiWLKbzgxwAooD9nTF4

Choose any piece that has appeared in the chapters we are covering (1-7, 16,-20) and recreate the work using whatever you can “find” at home. You may also include yourself, family or friends to stand in as subjects in the piece you choose! This is not about redrawing or repainting, the point is to recompose the piece as a photograph. Look at the link for specific examples. Take a photo of your masterpiece, place the original image and your recreation into your document with the following content:

1. Introduce the piece (Title, Artist Name, Date Created, Media) and provide any historical facts about the artist, it’s creation and meaning.

2. Analyze the piece for yourself using the “Seven Steps to Thinking Critically about Art”. You can find this in the front of your book.

3. Talk about your creative process in recreating this work of art. In other words, give me the whole story. What inspired you? Why did you choose this piece? Were there any problems that required critical thinking? Did anything crazy or funny happen during the process? How do you feel about the experience – was it fun, stressful, successful…?