In other words, what impact or effect are you trying to create with your aesthetic approach, and how do the portrait’s formal elements relate to the subject portrayed? Formal analysis and ideas from class: In your written work about the portrait, you must identify what you are trying to convey about the person portrayed, and explain how you are conveying these qualities through formal elements of art, and relate at least one idea from a class reading or an idea conveyed by one of the portraits shown in class. For example, you might relate an idea from Ways of Seeing or “In the American East: Richard Avedon Incorporated” to your portrait and written analysis. Your written analysis should forge some connection between your portrait’s form and its content, and you should find a way to relate the portrait to a significant idea from a relevant class reading(s). You are encouraged to relate your portrait and your analysis to ideas and portrait examples from class. You may be inspired by some of the examples of portraiture we discuss in class, though it is not required that you emulate these approaches. Things to consider: If you are creating / analyzing a portrait of someone else, you should consider: to what degree are you deciding / controlling how to portray the person, and to what degree are you negotiating with that person as to how they want to be portrayed? If you are creating a self-portrait, consider whether you are consciously portraying yourself in a critical or positive manner. Are you portraying yourself honestly or portraying your ideal self? Are you portraying yourself in relation to what you own? Or who you aspire to be? Find a way to include these considerations in the portrait and the paper. Note: though most portraits actually show a person, a portrait does not need to physically represent the person. Portraits can be abstract; the “portrait” can consist of a non-literal representation of a person. Your writing should reflect an understanding of the difference between a work of art’s form (materials used, style, visual elements such as composition, color, light and shade, etc.) content (meaning, ideas) and function (purpose the art serves and effects it creates). Your formal analysis should both identify the work’s formal elements and interpret the aesthetic effect that these elements create. Review the formal / visual elements of art we have discussed in class, and review your visual arts study guideLinks to an external site. (posted to Canvas) for examples of elements to use to frame your analysis. Description and interpretation: Your written work should include both description and interpretation. For example, it is descriptive to state “the man’s face is painted in shades of orange and yellow.” But to develop this beyond description to an interpretive observation, you should explain why this is significant and note that the effect produced by the style. You could do this by adding a few lines, “The artist has made the man’s face bright orange, producing a disquieting effect which contradicts the otherwise naturalistic style she uses elsewhere in the composition.” This makes it clear why you are noting this particular detail, and how it works in relation to the rest of the image. Ask yourself what effects are created by the formal elements or artistic techniques used and how do they contribute to the meaning of the work of art? Technical Paper Requirements: All papers should be typed and submitted as a hard copy or as a pdf or word document uploaded through Canvas. Paper should a minimum of 1.5 – 2 full pages in length. The font should be size 12, preferably in an Arial, Palatino, Verdana, Times, or Cambria style, and the margins on the page top and bottom should not be in excess of an inch and a half. The margins on the left and right should be approximately an inch. The spacing between each line should be 1.5 or double. No single-spaced papers will be accepted. All papers must assert a thesis (see thesis guidelines) in the first paragraph. Any paper that does not assert a thesis in the paper’s beginning paragraph will be graded down regardless of how insightful or well written the remainder of the paper is. In the thesis statement, you must assert and identify a what, a how and a why (see explanation in thesis guidelines). Submit a title page. The title page should not be included in your paper length. Create a title that does more than simply identify your subject matter. Create a title that suggests the thesisof your paper and piques the reader’s interest. Papers must be turned in on time. Any late submissions will be dropped a grade for each day late. The Thesis Statement Your paper must advance a thesis, preferably in the very beginning of the paper. A thesis statement names the specific topic and makes an assertion about it that the writer will support with details later in the essay. You can develop a thesis by answering key questions about your subject. For example, you might ask yourself: what does this portrait convey about the person portrayed? How do the formal elements of this portrait convey these aspects of the person and why? How can this portrait be related to a significant idea from a class reading assignment? The answers to these questions should be briefly stated in the thesis statement, and more thoroughly detailed and supported in the body of the paper. If you phrase your thesis in the form of a question, make sure that you answer that question in the paper! Naturally, you should avoid questions that you can’t provide answers to. How do you determine whether or not you have a thesis? One way to consider the nature of a thesis statement is to ask whether or not it has a What (see italicized section below), a How (see bold print below) and a Why. See the thesis statement examples below and use these as models for your papers. Thesis statement comparing paintings by the Medieval Italian artists Giotto and Duccio: Giotto limits his depiction of the narrative to its essential elements, focusing upon the act of blessing in order to express Christ’s personal connection with the crowd and by association, the viewer. In contrast, Duccio concentrates on visual detail, variety, and display, as if to duplicate for the viewer the experience of attending the event itself. In the above thesis statement, the student has indicated how two artists have depicted the same subject matter in very different ways to create very different effects. A thesis statement can be as brief as two sentences or as long as a paragraph, but it should always succinctly summarize the main argument or interpretation of the paper. See the following thesis statement about a Dove advertisement. Note again the what, how and why elements of the thesis statement that are italicized, underlined or in bold print. The thesis statement below is from a student paper for this portrait assignment: I approached my portrait project inspired by John Berger’s Ways of Seeing chapter 3, which addresses the objectifying ways that women have been portrayed in the arts and how that influences social norms. My self-portrait suggests the unhappiness that results from wanting to look like society’s norm. Using facial expression, a bleak setting, an imbalanced composition, dull, unsaturated colors and deliberately un-staged and imperfect looking lighting, my portrait is meant as a criticism of the ugly aspect of beauty ideals. Paper Introductions and Conclusions Do not begin your paper with obvious statements that do not say anything substantial about your subject. Begin your paper with an immediate focus on your specific topic. Do not, for example, begin your paper with broad statements such as: “Throughout the history of humankind art has always reflected human identity.” Such statements are rarely accurate and do not tell your reader anything significant about your particular topic. Likewise, do not conclude your paper with broad, generalizing statements that undermine the specific point you have argued throughout your paper. This weakens your thesis and leaves the reader unfulfilled. Your conclusion may refine the main point (thesis) and it can expand on the implications of the thesis statement. Paragraph Structure and Paragraph Order Every paragraph should have a topic sentence and should stick to the topic throughout. Think of each paragraph as a mini-paper. It is a good idea to assign titles to your paragraphs while the paper is still in the draft stage (write “color,” “composition,” “subject matter,” etc. in the margins to remind yourself what each paragraph addresses, and then delete these titles before finalizing the paper.) This keeps the coherence of each paragraph fresh in your mind and will prevent you from including irrelevant information. After you have sharpened the point of each paragraph, you must consider the order in which your paragraphs flow. Remember, in a comparison paper it is clearer to address any similarities between the works of art in the beginning, and then focus the rest of the paper on the differences between the works (which are often the crux of a comparison paper.) For this reason, it useful to work from an outline of your paper. An outline (or a flow chart) can be drafted after you have begun the writing process and have a clearer idea of what you want to say. As we write, our ideas do not always emerge from us in any particular order. But drafting an outline helps us to understand the best possible flow so that your argument is steadily building in a clear and sensible way. Clarify Your Statements and Avoid Colloquial Language Do not say “I feel” when “I think” is meant. Even better, eliminate the “I think” and just go ahead and state the claim. Do not use conversational language such as “ok” or “really cool” in your papers. It is expected that you will find the most articulate way to describe your topic and express your ideas and thus the paper should not reflect extemporaneous reactions or vague descriptions. Similarly, avoid saying things like “The painting has a surrealist feel to it.” A painting can inspire a feeling, but things don’t have “a feel” or a “vibe” (this is sometimes stated in spoken language but not in writing). Furthermore, if you state “The painting suggests a surrealist style,” you need to explain what is meant by “surrealist” and howthe painting produces this effect. Never use more words than you need. Simplify your sentences whenever possible. One way to catch excessively wordy sentences is to read your sentences out loud. This is necessary so that you can hear if they make sense or are awkwardly worded. For example, there are several problems with the following sentence: