Museum Assignment
Museum Assignment
The learning objective of this assignment is for you to visit an art museum and to experience art in person. The assignment will be graded based largely on how well you follow all of the instructions outlined below. Points will be deducted for failure to complete the assignment as directed. So, please read the instructions carefully and ask about anything that is not clear to you.
1. Personal Reflection (30 points)
Describe your general experience visiting the Dallas Museum of Art as though you are writing in a personal journal or in a letter to a friend. Include details of your experience such as what you did, what you saw, how you felt. Give enough detail to demonstrate you went to the museum.
Include the following in your description:
Specifically describe entering the museum. Which entrance did you go through? Describe what you saw when you first entered the museum. What part of the museum did you go to first? What type of art did you see there? What floors and galleries did you visit? What different types of art did you see? What was your general impression of the whole museum?
You must also provide physical proof of your visit by way of a photo of yourself at an identifiable spot in the museum (at the entrance, near the information desk, in the gift shop, by a work of art in the main corridor, etc.) If for some reason you are unable to take a photo (you don’t have a camera, you forgot your camera, your camera malfunctions, etc.) you may provide some other dated physical evidence such as a ticket stub, parking receipt, or receipt from the museum gift shop.
2. Analysis of Artwork in Formal Terms (30 points)
Discuss visual elements and principles of design in an artwork to display understanding, analysis, evaluation, and comprehension of the formal aspects of an artwork.
Select one 2D and one 3D artwork. Discuss which two visual elements and two principles of design are present in this work of art and give examples of how they function in the compositional aspect of the artwork.
Look for these VISUAL ELEMENTS: visual tools an artist has to make a work of art |
1. Line: Lines can show outline, imply a third dimension, show direction or movement |
2. Shape and Mass: Shape refers to 2 dimensions, for instance, a square. Mass refers to 3 dimensions, for instance, a cube.
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3. Light: Light reveals form. Where is the light source? What is the range of values, from light to dark, in the art you are reviewing? |
4. Color: How does the artist use color in the art object you are reviewing? Is it the primary colors only? Is it emotionally soothing or jarring? |
5. Texture and pattern: Does the art object you are viewing have actual texture, could you feel it? Or does it have implied texture, suggesting that it is smooth or rough? Does it have an overall pattern on the surface? |
6. Space: If your object is architectural or sculptural, it will have 3 dimensional space. Try to describe the space. If your object is two dimensional, how does the artist imply space, for example, through linear perspective, overlapping of objects, smaller or larger objects, or atmospheric perspective? |
7. Time and motion: Does the art object imply time, for instance, a sunset, or motion, for instance, a sculpture that moves? |
Look for these PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: the organization of the composition or design of the art work |
1. Unity and Variety: Unity is a sense of oneness in the art. Variety maintains interest in art |
2. Balance: Symmetrical balance occurs when both sides of the art object are similar in size or shape. Asymmetrical balance occurs when the two sides are quite different in the appearance of the objects in the art. |
3. Emphasis and Subordination: How does the artist draw your eye to the center of attention of the art object? How does the artist make the rest of the painting subordinate to the center of interest? |
4. Scale and Proportion: Scale means size in relation to a standard or “normal” size. Proportion refers to size relationships between parts of a whole, or between two or more items perceived as a unit. Sometimes these are deliberately incorrect, as in Hierarchal Scale in the art of antiquity. |
5. Rhythm or repetition: The repeated use of a color, shape or line to create expression |
3. Interpretation of the art object (30 points)
Select a specific artwork, one 2D and one 3D. Discuss the content of the piece. Why was it created? Does it have a narrative or discuss social issues? What emotional feeling is present? Summarize your reaction to this art object. Analyze the relationship of the artwork to history by placing the work within cultural, historical, and chronological context. Explain how the work reflects the style characteristics of the period. You may use your textbook as a reference, but provide citation notation.
4. Appropriate formatting (10 points)
Students need to demonstrate an understanding of correct format for papers and and attention to grammar and spelling.