Art Observation

The observational paper will be based on your analysis of an original work of art. You can choose any painting, sculpture, decorative artwork, piece of furniture or stained glass window exhibited in any of the museums listed in the item below. You can also choose the museum buildings themselves or any of the monuments listed below.  Feel free to ask me if you are unsure of your selection.  Be sure to get the following information from your artwork:  the artist, title, date, medium and accession number of the object. You may select a work of art from a virtual museum visit.  The only requirement is that the artwork belong to a movement covered in the class.

For the Observational Paper you must choose a work of art from one of the virtual museums listed below.  The only requirement is that the artwork belong to a movement covered in the class. You will write a paper on one original work of art. It must be a minimum of 800 words.  This is not a research paper. Your observations should be illuminated by the lectures, assignments and readings. It is important to choose something that you can discuss without doing further research (unless you would like to do outside research – you are welcome to do so – on the internet, books, etc). If you do use outside sources, they must be properly credited. Please use MLA format.

The paper should be double-spaced and 12-point font in either Times New Roman or Arial and a minimum of 800 words. The paper should describe the art work in detail using terms learned (ie. sculpture in the round, complementary colors, iconography, etc.) and possibly providing some background about the artist (but not required). Part of the paper should compare/contrast the object to the Venus of Willendorf artwork (image attached) – talking about how the works are similar and/or different.

Museums for a Virtual Museum visit:

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Etruscan Art collection):http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/etru/hd_etru.htm
• The Louvre (Greek, Etruscan and Roman works): http://www.louvre.fr/en/departments/greek-etruscan-and-roman-antiquities
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA (Greek, Roman and Etruscan Art):http://www.lacma.org/art/collection/greek-roman-and-etruscan-art
• Museum of Fine Arts – Boston:http://www.mfa.org/collections/conservation/conservationinaction_etruscansarcophagi
• The Vatican: http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MGE/MGE_Main.html
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Egyptian art): http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/curatorial-departments/egyptian-art
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA (Egyptian art):http://www.lacma.org/art/collection/egyptian-art 
• Smithsonian (Egyptian art): http://www.asia.si.edu/collections/egyptian.asp 
• Brooklyn Museum (Egyptian art): http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/egyptian 
• Cleveland Museum of Art: http://www.clevelandart.org/art/departments/ancient-egyptian-art 
• Museum of Fine Art – Boston (Near East, Greece, Italy): http://www.mfa.org/collections/ancient-world 
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Egyptian art): http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/curatorial-departments/egyptian-art 

Monuments:

Washington Monument; Vietnam Veterans Memorial; Lincoln Memorial; World War II Memorial; Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial