1) Choose a Chinese painting of any period; you do not need to be able to see it in person.
2) Write an introduction to your acquisition proposal (max 100 words). Your introduction should:
a. note the painter (if applicable), title, and date of the Chinese painting that you have chosen;
b. provide a record that allows both you and me to locate the image (i.e. museum collection and
accession number – if available);
c. explain why you chose this painting, what is good, meaningful, distinctive, and desirable about it,
and therefore why your museum should add it to their collection (max. 100 words).
3) Write a description of your Chinese painting (max. 300 words; can go as long as 350 as long
as total length does not exceed 500 words). Your description should translate into prose:
a. the basic shapes of the painting, including its edges, and the shapes that comprise its
composition;
b. basic information about scale of shapes, and overall size of the painting;
c. basic information about colour and shading of the painting that are evident while viewing it;
d. what you would most like to see if you could view the painting in person: Does it have damage?
Are elements difficult to see?
4) Write a conclusion to the proposal (max 100 words). Your conclusion should:
a. note things about the painting that are particularly visually appealing;
b. propose that your museum buy the painting for one of three reasons:
1) the painting itself is famous;
2) because the painter of the work is famous;
3) because the painting comes from an historically or culturally interesting context.
Each of these approaches will shift the focus of your final project. You will either focus your
project on the painting itself, the painter and other painters in his/her circle, or the social and
cultural context of the painting. Each of these approaches can be supported by research,
although the research might be a bit different for each. In the Final Project, there is room for the
blurring of these boundaries.
5) Please include an image of your painting.
Learning Outcomes:
1) Locate Chinese paintings either in the real world (in museums, art galleries) or as reproduction (in
books and online).
2) Introduce a Chinese painting to a reading audience, and articulate your aesthetic engagement with
(i.e. your subjective response to) that Chinese painting.
3) Write a prose description of a Chinese painting. This is an important skill that permits you to
translate your visual analysis of a Chinese painting into a text that others can read. This enables you
to communicate your understanding of the formal properties of a Chinese painting with others. This
type of text (that is, description) is the basic building block of art-historical writing.
4) Summarize your engagement with a Chinese painting by articulating which of its visual properties
most engages you. This is asking you to revisit your subjective response after you have attempted to
describe the painting empirically in your description, thus solidifying your understanding of the visual
properties that compel your subjective reaction to your chosen Chinese painting.
5) Learn strategies for contextualizing a Chinese painting, namely locating it within: literature about the
painting itself, literature about its painter, literature about its historical and cultural context.
FAH 363 (Fall 2019): Mechanics of the Image in China
Assignment #1: Proposal
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
Student Name: _______________________________ Student Number: __________
CRITERIA NEEDS WORK ADEQUATE GOOD EXCELLENT
- Find and choose a Chinese painting of any period.
- Write an introduction to the proposal (max. 100 words):
a. notes the painter, title, date, and culture of the Chinese painting that you
have chosen;
b. provids a record that allows both you and me to locate the image (i.e.
museum collection and accession number or book title, page, and image
number);
c. explains why you chose the Chinese painting, what is good, meaningful,
distinctive, and desirable about it. - Write a description of your Chinese painting (max. 300-350 words; see
assignment prompt for details):
a. describes in prose the basic shapes of the painting, including its edges,
and the shapes that comprise its composition;
b. notes basic information about scale of shapes, and overall size of the
painting;
c. details basic information about colour and shading of the painting that are
evident while viewing it;
d. records what aspects of the painting you would most like to examine if you
could see it in person. - Write a conclusion to the proposal (max 100 words):
a. notes things about your Chinese painting that are particularly visually
appealing;
b. proposes to acquire the painting for your museum for one of three
reasons: 1) the painting itself is famous; 2) because the painter is
famous; 3) because the painting comes from an historically or culturally
interesting context.
c. Please include a photo (no marks added, but 5 marks off if there is no
photo)
COMMENTS - The Proposal is (very well done/a good start/inadequate) because:
- The assignment’s strongest points are:
- The assignment lost marks mainly for:
Assignment Mark:
Late Marks Deducted:
Final Assignment Mark (/100):
FAH 363 (Fall 2019): Mechanics of the Image in China
Assignment Prompt, Final Project
due 6 DECEMBER by upload to Quercus no later than 11:59 p.m.
This assignment for the final written, interpretive project is to write the text for a museum
purchase of a Chinese painting (4-5 double spaced pages; maximum word length 1250 words).
For your Final Project you are asked to pretend that you are a museum curator researching a Chinese
painting in order to propose that the museum that you work for will buy it.
This assignment requires you to do the following:
1) Continue working on the Chinese painting that you chose for your Proposal.
2) Write an introduction to the accession document (max. 200 words). Your introduction should
into clear, grammatically correct English prose:
a. note the painter(s), title, date, and culture of the Chinese painting that you have chosen;
b. provide a record that allows both you and me to locate the image (i.e. museum collection and
accession number – if available or a book title, page number, and image number);
c. craft a transition to the descriptive part of the document that engages the museum acquisition
review board’s interest in what is good, meaningful, distinctive, and desirable about it.
3) Write a description of the Chinese painting that is the centerpiece of your document (max.
350 words). Your description should translate into clear, grammatically correct English prose:
a. the basic shapes of the painting, including its edges (if relevant), and the shapes that comprise its
composition; basic information about scale of shapes, and overall size of the painting; basic
information about colour and shading of the painting that are evident while viewing it;
b. detailed comments about aspects of the painting that you would like to get a better look at if you
could see the painting in person.
4) Write a text that promotes your chosen Chinese painting to the museum committee that will
make the decision on whether or not to buy it (max. 500 words):
a. Please use one of these strategies:
1) the painting itself is famous;
2) because the painter is famous;
3) because the painting comes from an historically or culturally interesting context.
Each of these approaches to your project will shift the focus of your final project. You will either
focus your project on the painting itself, the painter and other painters in his/her circle, or the
social and cultural context of the painting.
c. Please support your text with research. You must cite at least FIVE scholarly sources, not
including lecture notes.
5) Write a conclusion to your document (max 200 words). Your conclusion should:
a. Synthesize your thoughts and gracefully end your sales pitch.
6) Your Final Project must include:
a. appropriate illustrations (minimum: at least ONE illustration of your object, plus at least ONE
illustration each for at least FOUR other paintings or object; cell phone photos are fine)
b. prose written in fluent, grammatically correct English.
Learning Outcomes:
1) Locate Chinese paintings either in the real world (in museums, art galleries) or in books and online.
2) Introduce a Chinese painting to a reading audience, and articulate your aesthetic engagement with
(i.e. your subjective response to) that Chinese painting.
3) Write a prose description of a Chinese painting. This is an important skill that permits you to
translate your visual analysis of a Chinese painting into a text that others can read. This enables you
to communicate your understanding of the formal properties of a Chinese painting with others. This
type of text (that is, description) is the basic building block of art-historical writing.
4) Contextualize a Chinese painting, namely locating it within: literature about the painting itself,
literature about its painter, literature about its historical and cultural context. This is accomplished
through research.
5) Summarize your accession document thereby revisiting your introduction, description, and contextual
argument for its value.
FAH 363 (Fall 2019): Mechanics of the Image in China
Final Assignment
ASSESSMENT RUBRIC
Student Name: _______________________________ Student Number: __________
CRITERIA NEEDS WORK ADEQUATE GOOD EXCELLENT
1.Write an introduction to your accession document (max. 200 words):
a. notes the painter, title, date, and culture of the Chinese painting that you have
chosen;
b. provide a record that allows both you and me to locate the image (i.e. museum
collection and accession number, or book/internet source);
c. crafts a transition to the descriptive part of the document that engages the
museum acquisition review board’s interest in what is good, meaningful,
distinctive, and desirable about it.
- Write a description of the Chinese painting (max. 350 words):
a. describes in prose the basic shapes of the painting, including its edges, and the
shapes that comprise its composition; basic information about scale of shapes,
and overall size of the painting; basic information about colour and shading of
the painting that are evident while viewing it;
b. details aspects of the painting that you would like to see in person, if possible,
and why. - Write a text that advocates for your museum to purchase the Chinese
painting you have chosen (max 500 words):
a. Uses an appropriate strategy:
1) the painting itself is famous;
2) the painter of the work is famous;
3) the painting comes from an historically or culturally interesting context.
b. Supports text with research (minimum five sources, not including lecture notes) - Write a conclusion to your document (max. 200 words) that synthesizes
description and context and gracefully summarizes your support for the
accession of the painting. - Final Project includes:
a. appropriate illustrations (at least one of your object, plus at least one illustration
for each of at least four other objects), all correctly labeled (painter, title, date,
source)
b. fluent, grammatically correct English prose.
COMMENTS - The Final Project is (very well done/a good start/inadequate) because:
- The assignment’s strongest points are:
- The assignment lost marks mainly for: