Final Project Guidelines
Overview
The final project for this course is the creation of a comparative art analysis essay.
The advent of postmodernism in the late twentieth century brought with it a skepticism of the cultural artifacts that preceded it. The postmodern artist understands that art in all forms-visual, literary, musical, performance, and so on-is a manifestation of its period and that these artistic expressions endure and continue to shape the human experience. The purpose of the final project is to demonstrate an understanding of the function of art in its specific era as well as in contemporary times, and as an articulation of the social and cultural forces that influence the creative endeavor of the artist.
A primary method in the study of the humanities, a comparative approach, allows us to reflect on a singular element and observe both similarities and differences. In employing a comparative approach, we begin to ask the questions necessary to come to an understanding of the objects being compared and the conditions of their creation. We learn that each object is a product of its environment-its social, historical, and cultural climate.
For the final project, you will utilize the comparative approach to study two works of art as conveyors of meaning, capable of shaping cultural identity and our historical understanding. Your study will focus on how your chosen works deal with their shared theme as a product of their particular time. For the final step of your analysis, you will select an additional contemporary work (created within the past ten years) from popular culture (visual artifact or social construct) and analyze that work for how it parallels the relationship between the works you have selected.
The project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at different points in the course to scaffold learning and ensure a quality final submission. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three and Five. The completed final project will be submitted in Module Seven. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
Analyze the formal characteristics and historical context of creative works from the baroque period and beyond
Analyze creative works from the baroque period and beyond for their influence on the expression of social and cultural conditions, issues, and the human experience
Analyze the relationship between creative works from the baroque period and beyond and their historical themes and settings
Articulate well-reasoned arguments regarding the relevance and role of the humanities in contemporary culture and society.
Prompt
The purpose of this final project is to evaluate your knowledge of the skills necessary for performing a visual and contextual analysis of two works and to measure your application of these techniques as you relate the works to real-world relevance/popular culture/ideas/concepts.
Select two works from this list. The first work will be from one of the following categories: baroque, rococo, neoclassicism, or romanticism. The second will be modern (e.g., realism, impressionism, postimpressionism), postmodern, or contemporary (created within the past ten years). You will identify a common/shared theme (e.g., social or cultural issue) in both works. For example, in Judith Leyster's Self Portrait (Dutch baroque, 1630) and Frida Kahlo's The Two Fridas (surrealism, 1939), a shared theme is the presentation of self.
After identifying the common theme in both works, you will develop an essay that explores how each work is a product of its particular historical moment. Finally, you will address the relevance of this shared theme in contemporary culture by choosing a third work that exemplifies this theme. This third work could be a specific contemporary work belonging to any genre of the arts or even a contemporary social construct such as reality television or social media. For example, you could consider the presentation of self as a relevant and recurring theme on Facebook today.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction
This section of the comparative analysis will introduce readers to the works you have selected to analyze.
A. For each work, identify the artist, the title (in italics), the date, the medium, the dimensions, the cultural origin or period of creation, and the current collection.
B. What is your main argument/thesis statement about the relationship between your selected works and their shared theme?
II. Visual and Historical Analysis
This section will provide a visual and historical analysis in which you will analyze the physical characteristics in each work as well as the connections of each work to its historical and cultural context.
A. What formal characteristics are similar between the two works? What characteristics are different? Be sure to reference specific aspects of each work.
B. How did each respective culture's traditions and ideologies influence the two works you have selected? Be sure to use examples to support your response.
C. How does each work represent its particular social, historical, and cultural climate? Be sure to use examples to support your response.
Comparative Analysis
In this section, you will compare and contrast your two selected works.
A. Explain how each of your two selected works reflects the social or cultural identity of its day. Support your response with examples.
B. What influence have your two selected works had in the shaping of social or cultural identities?
C. What influence have your two selected works had on a modern or contemporary expression of the identified shared theme? Support your
response with examples.
IV. Parallels
In this section, you will introduce a third creative work and explain how that work parallels the relationship between the two works previously selected.
A. How do the shared historical themes and settings tie your two previously selected works to your work from popular culture?
B. Discuss how the theme is still relevant today, utilizing the popular culture work you selected to support your response.
V. Conclusion
In this section, you will discuss the relevance and value of studying works of art and cultural artifacts with regard to their influence, relevance, and impact on modern and contemporary culture and practice.
A. What is the value of challenging perceived notions of historical, cultural, and social identity? How do the humanities, as a discipline, help us understand this? Be sure to justify your response.
B. How does our understanding of social and cultural practices of the past impact how we conduct ourselves socially and professionally in the present? How do the humanities, as a discipline, help us understand this? Be sure to justify your response.
C. What is the responsibility of the artist to society, especially in terms of shaping our understanding of ourselves and the world in which we live? How do the humanities, as a discipline, help us understand this? Be sure to justify your response.
Milestones
Milestone One: Introduction (Section I)
In Module Three, you will submit your introduction to the final project. First choose a pair of works from the provided list of suggested comparisons and then choose a contemporary work of art (or social construct) that relates thematically to the pair you chose. For each work, identify the artist, the title (in italics), the date, the medium, the dimensions, the cultural origin or period of creation, and the current collection.
Finally, formulate a main argument/thesis statement in which you explain the relationship between your chosen works and your contemporary example. The components of this milestone will serve as the skeletal framework of your essay and will help you develop the rest of the required elements. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Rough Draft (Sections I-IV)
In Module Five, you will submit your rough draft of Sections I-IV of the final project. Incorporate the introduction you created for Milestone One with the rest of the required elements (except for the conclusion, which you will include in your final submission). Use the feedback from Milestone One to form a thoroughintroduction. This draft should be as detailed as possible, addressing each of the following major headings: Introduction, Visual and Historical Analysis, Comparative Analysis, and Parallels. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.