Complete Visual Arts Reserach Paper

ABOSULTELY NO PLAGIARISM! ALSO ATTACHED IS A SAMPLE PAPER!

Museum Research Paper

This paper involves visiting online The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with a two fold purpose:  researching a work of art and performing a formal analysis. Word count is no less than 800 words.

A formal analysis is an examination of the forms used to create a work of art such as color, shape, texture, line, lighting, mass, and space, which you learned about in chapter 3 and 4. A formal analysis moves beyond description by linking the forms of the work to the effects they have on the viewer. Considering this connection enables the viewer to discuss the overall meaning of the work.

Significantly a formal analysis can be drawn from personal observations of the work of art based on knowledge of visual elements and principles of design. No outside research or knowledge is required.

Instructions:

Visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art online and research a work of art that will enable you to  apply at least 4 of the visual elements and/ or principles of design from chapter 3 and 4;  and to write at least 200 words regarding the work of art or the artist. No credit will be earned for facts about how and when a work of art came into the museum’s collection or about its exhibition history and ownership (Provenance).

Tips about online research at The Metropolitan Museum of  Art. The MET has an extensive online collection and you should reserve a bit of time to familiarize yourself with the navigation and assorted links. 

The best resource  is “ART” in the upper menu.  Click and a drop box opens.  Click on Timeline of Art History to  locate information you can use to find a work of art to write about  in your paper. The best approach here is to click on “Essays” which provides  solid  information about works of art as well  as examples to use for a formal analysis.  See Helpful Resources in the Course Menu  for the museum website. No outside research is acceptable and will earn no credit.

As for the formal analysis, spend time looking carefully at the work, taking notes as you go, before starting the paper. Come back to the work a second time after taking preliminary notes; you might  find that you missed something on first inspection.

How to organize your paper:

1.Paragraph 1:  Include:  Introduce the work of art  identifying the name and type of work (sculpture, architecture, painting, suit of armor,  chair, dress etc.); the artist if known. State when and where the work was made or what culture is involved such as Africa, Europe, China, United States.  All this information will be provided by the art museum, if known.

2.Paragraph 2: Introduce the subject of the work.  What does it depict or represent? You are not expected to recognize the story behind the image or conduct any research to determine this if the museum does not provide the information.  Instead explain in general terms the scene as you see it (The painting depicts a man and woman on a mountain top overlooking a forest and lake.) If the work is abstract, describe the abstraction (The sculpture consists of a series of rounded, organic forms whose shape suggests a reclining female figure.)

 3.Paragraph 3: In at least 200 words present the results of  your research regarding the artist and/or background and/or history of your work of art or related works of art found on the Met’s website. Use your own words to restate what the museum says.  Quotes do not count toward length requirements and should be avoided in so short a research assignment. Provide the proper citations.

4.Paragraph 4-7:  In 4 individual paragraphs,  identify and examine the use of at least 4 visual elements and/or  principles of design as presented in chapter 3 and 4. (4 in total in any combination.)  Be specific with concrete examples from the work of art and references from the book. In other words demonstrate an understanding of these elements and principles

5. Paragraph 8:  Develop a thesis (position) about the work  through an analysis of the meaning of the work based on your formal analysis above.  This means you will interpret what the artist is trying to communicate through the 4 formal elements you examined.  In other words how do these 4 elements contribute to the overall meaning or function of the object?  This is not about how the work makes you “feel.” It concerns what you or anyone looking at the work can see.

Thus develop your thesis from the visual language of the work of art itself, (as you identified), not your personal response.

Avoid: I was upset by the painting.

Instead: The sharp, heavy lines throughout  the painting convey an ominous and disturbing feeling.

You are also not critiquing the artist’s skill.

  Avoid: This artist was unable to depict  a realistic scene of nature.

  Instead: The artist’s representation of the landscape suggests her intention to provide  an abstracted or symbolic representation of nature.

How to format your paper:

This papershould follow the above organization of at least 8 separate paragraphs. The paper should be at least 800 words in length in your own words. Quotes do not count toward the length requirement and do not belong in so short a research project. Include an image of the art work.  Note: Artwork titles require italics, not quotation marks.

The paper should be typed, double spaced, normal margins, in a standard font such as Times New Roman, size 12. This paper should be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc ).

Citations:  Use both in text citations for the paragraphs involving information from the MET and provide a Works Cited Page in MLA citation style.  A very useful website for citations: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.  The navigation menu on the left hand side will provide info on in-text citations and even correct preparation and formatting for the paper.  You can also use the Global Campus Library Link under Helpful Resources for citation guide.