Compare and Contrast Final Paper

Description

Your Final for this class is to write a compare-and-contrast research paper that investigates how two works of art from different periods styles represent a particular theme in art. Your comparison must focus on the artists and period styles covered in LA 120 and must include at least ONE artwork from a period style introduced after Module 7.

The pair you choose must be drawn from two different period styles. For example, you may compare a High Classical Greek artwork with an Early Italian Renaissance artwork. You may NOT compare a High Classical Greek artwork to another work from the Hellenistic period. It is important to choose two artworks that have a number of things in common as well as a number of unique aspects to compare.

Assignment

Write a minimum four- to five-page essay comparing and contrasting two works of art from two different styles covered in this course between the Pre Historic through the Early Italian Renaissance periods. One of your selected works of art must be from AFTER the midterm (Modules 8-14).

• Palatino 12 point font or equivalent
• Double-spaced
• Approx. 1500 words (without Bibliography)

You must cover the following points in your comparison:

Introduction and Thesis

1. Introduce the artwork titles, period styles and artists names
2. Briefly state what you believe is significant about these artworks
3. In other words, tell your reader what works of art you will be discussing and why you think they are important

Stylistic analysis

1. Correctly identify artwork titles, period styles, and artists’ names
2. Compare the artworks by discussing key stylistic characteristics associated with artists and period styles
3. Apply art-history vocabulary correctly and use it to support your stylistic analysis
4. In other words, what makes these works stylistically significant?

Cultural analysis

1. Compare the artworks by discussing key cultural issues associated with artists and periods
2. Discuss how the cultural context of each period influenced the artistic development of the period style (make connections between cultural context and style)
3. In other words, what makes these works culturally significant?

Conclusion and Thematic Connection

1. Analyze the ways art can affect and/or reflect cultural, political and social issues
2. Draw conclusions about the artist/society which produced the artwork from the comparison
3. In other words, what “thematic connection” can you make between the two works of art that helps you better understand them or the culture they represent?

Research

1. Incorporate three or more sources (outside of lecture notes and the textbook) to support your analysis
2. Properly cite your sources using MLA format
3. Include a list of works cited

Written Mechanics

1. Use grammar, spelling, and punctuation correctly throughout your paper
2. Proofread it.
3. In other words, there should be no mechanical errors!

Sources

Use three sources in addition to the module text. Examples include:

1. Scholarly professional website (for example, a museum, research institute or university)
2. Nonfiction book published within the last 50 years
3. An art history textbook (such as Gardner’s Art Through the Ages, Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition, or Schneider-Adams’s Art Across Time)
4. Professional art historical publication (magazine or journal, can be online) such as The Art Bulletin
5. Databases such as the Oxford Dictionary of Art Online (accessible through the AAU Library website)
6. Credible professional websites, such as those of museums, galleries, and universities, for example:
7. The Getty Center
8. The Metropolitan Museum of Art