This assignment will require students to trace the development of Greek pottery, by examining the various techniques and qualities of naturalism that evolved over the course of approximately four centuries, from the Geometric period through Classical. Students will create a PowerPoint lecture that selects four (4) objects to analyze selected from an online collection in a reputable art institution (e.g., Metropolitan Museum of Art, British Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, etc).
Choose one object from each of the following periods and/or techniques: Greek Geometric period; Greek Orientalizing period; Greek black-figure technique (Archaic period); and Greek red-figure technique (Archaic or Classical period). Pay close attention to the stylistic features of each object and integrate your analysis with comparisons to object(s) we have studied on-line and/or that are discussed in the textbook. When selecting objects to compare, try to find objects that share more characteristics than not.
The aim of this assignment is for students to develop an eye for style and locate the subtle differences that distinguish one technique or tendency from another. As such, organize the PowerPoint lecture in a logical, analytical fashion (i.e., chronologically), and conclude the paper with a slide that includes remarks about the significance of the objects — that is, how they fit into a larger art historical framework.
An approximate guideline for how many slides to include in the body of the presentation is twenty (20). This includes slides that establish context and/or discuss technique, slides with pictures of the objects and bulleted analysis, comparison slides, and a slide that contains concluding remarks. At the end of the PowerPoint, be sure to include an “Image Index” that contains information about each object and/or comparison. Examples of an Image Index are included at the end of each PowerPoint that has been uploaded into the Canvas units.
