In Arts Paper 1, you will conduct an in-depth study of an artwork of your choice and write a 1200-word paper to demonstrate your learning of the artwork. This artwork should be chosen from one of the following disciplines of the arts: literature, art, or theater. You must obtain a firsthand experience with the artwork. The artwork does not need to be a well-known piece; however, it is very helpful if the artwork has been reviewed by a critic, historian, or seasoned arts enthusiast. For example, you may attend an art exhibition in your local library or a play in a local school or a community theater; you may find further information about the artist, director, actors, and creative process through the review in the local newspaper or the organization’s website. If you are unable to gain a firsthand experience with the visual art or theater, you should consider writing about a literary work for this assignment.
Title of your paper should be placed directly before the introductory paragraph. Give your paper an engaging title according to the main topic or thesis of your paper.
Introductory paragraph including a thesis statement (about 100 words). Open your paper with some interesting thoughts or questions, for example, based on your impression of the artwork or the most intriguing comment you’ve read from the review. Follow it by a thesis statement highlighting the essential information of the artwork and other important topics you will discuss in the paper.
Description of the artwork (about 200 words). Summarize the plot (Literature), describe what you see (Art), or do both (Theater). For visual art or theater, make sure to apply the proper language of visual art or drama developed in its discipline to describe the artwork. The textbook “Writing about the Humanities” or a quality review of the artwork can guide your description of the artwork. You may also research the Internet to find out what additional “elements of art” professionals used to describe an artwork.
Information of the artist(s) (about 200 words). Introduce the artist only using and describing the information that contributes to further understanding of your selected artwork, for example, the artist’s training and preferred art genre, artist statement, and artist’s intention of making the selected artwork.
Information of the creative process (about 200 words). Explain the creative process from the conceptualization stage to the making of the final product. Identify the style, genre, medium, technique, technology, and other important artistic matters the artist employed to create the artwork. You may describe more of a step-by-step creative process (e.g., how Jeff Koons constructed the gigantic Puppy located in front of Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, 2005), or the ideas and conditions that influence the creative process (e.g., how the visual images of advertising and the entertainment industry influenced Jeff Koons’ design of Puppy).
Analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of the artwork (about 400 words). Use the questions in Chapter 2 and sample essays in other chapters from “Writing about the Humanities” as references to learn how to analyze, interpret, and evaluate a work of art. Specifically, explain the artistic, sociocultural, and historical significance of the work you chose to study. Consider questions such as what the original or innovative aspects of the artwork are; what sociocultural issues the artwork addresses or how the artwork contributes to the humanities—a better society; and whether or not the artwork will be remembered for a long time or what the important role the artwork plays in the history.
Final reflection (about 100 words). Summarize the vital aspects you’ve examined in the paper and your own informed summative response to the artwork.
References. Use a proper citation style to cite at least 2 references. MLA style is preferred in the field of the humanities. Attach an image of the artwork, if available, and include a caption containing essential information
