Sculptures Critique
ART Critiques
Due Date: upload to Canvas, see lecture schedule (late work is not accepted)
This assignment will require you to write about two sculptures (one realistic, one abstract).
Do not use reproduced works from books or journals — visit museums, galleries, public works, or private collections — and find actual works for these assignments. These works you must see during the present semester (not last year or last semester).
For each work of art you are to describe, analyze, and include your personal reactions. Consult your class notes, the text chapters on the elements and materials of art, and the related issues we will discuss in class for these assignments. Becoming aware of the art that surrounds us is, to me, significant. Spending time looking at and thinking about art makes us better critical thinkers, and our evaluations become more meaningful and better informed. Learning to be an informed critic makes us less dependant on other critics, and our own responses and evaluations to art will come from an educated, more full, perspective.
• Description is more difficult than you might think. The temptation will be to include your reactions to the work as you describe it. Merely describe what you see: colors, shapes, textures, lines, objects, etc. Using the basic art vocabulary discussed in class will be helpful for this section, as will the first chapters of the text. Be specific and detailed.
• Your analysis section will include how the various art elements work together (relationships of one color to another, spatial relationships, organization of the various elements, etc.) and the effects on the overall work.
• Reaction is exactly that—your reactions to and impressions of the work (what does it say to
you?). There is no right or wrong answer or response, and using "I" is appropriate in this section. Your informed impressions of and reaction to a work of art are as valid as anyone's. Put yourself into this and let it out! Include your immediate or initial reaction to the work, and any changed reactions you experience after you've looked at and analyzed it. Most students are very hesitant to express themselves as they react to a work of art. Have fun with this section! Let the reader know what you feel and why.
The critiques do not require any research. Merely locate works that interest you and go to it! Take paper and pen with you if you are visiting a collection of art and follow the steps for observation and analysis discussed in class. When you feel you have enough information, begin writing a rough draft as soon as possible (while your impressions about the works are fresh in your mind). You may have to consult the works of art more than once and your impressions and observations will change (and mature) each time you carefully observe the art. Do not write on works about which you have little to say. Find works, even if you don’t really like them, that will get you to write two pages for each work.
Be sure to carefully edit and proof read your paper. Have someone else read it for clarity and to catch errors you may not be able to see. Be aware of sentences and paragraphs; are your points clearly made? Leave time for the paper to sit (and day or two) before you proofread the final draft.
FORMAT
Audience: An educated, non-specialist audience.
Paper length: Two pages for each work of art (typed, double-spaced) in order to qualify for full credit. Papers that are short—for example—one page, can only receive ½ total possible.
If possible, please provide a drawing or a reproduction (if available) of the works of art you select. The paper should have three headings (placed flush to the left margin): Description, Analysis, Reaction.
Format: The paper is to be double-spaced and have the following:
- Cover sheet (please do not submit paper in plastic covers), with your name, the course number, the site where you are registered, and date — centered.
2. First page of each work of art, in upper left corner of paper (double spaced):
• artist's name
• title of work (either in italics or underlined) and approx. date
• medium (oil on canvas, pastel on paper, etc)
• dimensions (approximate if there is no size on the label)
• location of the work
Note: if you’re unable to find the artist’s name, put: n.n.
If you’re unable to determine a date, put: n.d.
3. Three subheadings, flush to left: Description, Analysis, Reaction
4. Margins: one inch for top, bottom, left, right
5. Font size: 12 point (use the same font and size for the entire paper, including cover sheet)
6. Page numbers for each page (cover sheet is not a page). Page numbers can be placed anywhere on the pages (upper right or lower right are common).
7. Do not bold anything in this paper.
Papers will be graded on format (as per directions above) and content (use of subheadings, spelling, grammar, proper sentences, etc). Points will be deduced for papers that are sloppy and too brief.
[See example on next pages]
Name
Art
Critique 1
May 21, 2017
1
Sandro Botticelli
Madonna and Child, 1475
oil on canvas
approx. 35" x 30"
Springville Museum of Art
Description
The work …………
Analysis
The elements of art used in this work……….
Reaction
My initial reaction to the work was not positive………
Sculptures Critic
Student’s Name
Institution affiliation
Professor
Date
Seated Figure, terracotta (n.n)
13th century, Mali
Approximately 24/4 x 29.9 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York
Description
The Seated Figure sculpture seated in the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a sub-Saharan image of people around Niger (there is a description below the image in the glass). The sculpture is seated and put in a funny way; for example, both arms hold a raised leg. Additionally, the head with a long neck is sitting on the knees. Its eyes are quite bulged, they are not normal size like we used to see, the mouth is protruded, and its ears are large as well. The color of the image is brown, probably made from red soil clay, and there are button-like balls on the back.
Men and women, alone and in pairs, are shown in several clothing and styles, including sitting, standing, and riding a horse, in the terracotta figures synonymous with this civilization. The range of imagery and the ability with which it was modeled shows a sophisticated urban culture's rich sculptural heritage.
This figure is hunched over, both arms clutching an upraised thigh, and its head is turned sideways to lean on the bent knee. The eloquence of the facial features, which include bulging pupils, wide ears, and a protruding jaw, evokes a reflective mood emphasized by the pose.
According to thermo luminescence experiments, this number was shot in the first part of the thirteenth century (a geological technique for dating artifacts made of clay). Other terracotta figures found (and, in many instances, looted) in the Inland Niger - Delta region have been dated to the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. The statistics were hand-modeled by artists, either men or women, using clay blended with booze potsherds. Shirt, necklace, and body ornament specifics were either incorporated or carved out. The job was polished after completion, then coated with an orangey clay slip and shot, most likely in a fully accessible kiln.
The surviving figures' design and subject matter differ, meaning that the craftsmen had a lot of creative control. Our knowledge of how those works are used and what they say is also speculative. Similar figures were initially cut into the walls of buildings, according to a few supervised archaeological digs. According to recent oral history gathered in the area, the figures are reported to be revered in notable zoos and private dwellings, confirming the archaeological facts. The definition of the different types of terracotta characters, though, is a matter of controversy. This number, according to scholars, conveys a mournful attitude. Its sitting posture, receding hairline, and lack of clothing harken back to mourning rituals now observed in this part of western Africa.
Analysis
The composition of the clay brings about the Seated figure, and different features characterize the shape. Moreover, there is a mixture of forms in the image; for instance, the back is curved while the knees and hands take geometric shapes. This particular artwork reflects a lot of creativity, especially with the curving of the image. The image's look has probably been here for years, yet it is still intact. The artistic work on this image seems stationery; instead, the image st...
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