ART125 Slide Comparisons

This assignment needs access to the following text: Gardeners Art through the Ages, Vol. 1, Cengage Publishing. 16th edition ISBN-13: 9781337696593

I. Slide comparisons: Choose 3 of 5 pairs of images (located in the Word document attached and txt book), 20 points each (60 points for section)

Choose 3 of the 5 pairs of images to compare, and list the artist, date, culture or style, and materials for

each image shown. Then write another paragraph or two comparing and contrasting the images in terms of style, subject, meaning, function, or other attributes. Suggested length: 175-200 words per comparison.

II. Essays: Choose 1 of 5 essay questions, 40 points

For each essay, choose 3 or 4 artworks (located in the Word document attached and txt book) to focus your discussion on and build your answer around. Use

vocabulary from your reading whenever you are able to, and be sure to list the identifying information for

each artwork you discuss (enough of a description that I can tell what youre talking about) as well as the

artist, relevant style and date created. Suggested length: 350-400 words.

1. Compare and contrast ziggurats, mastabas, and pyramids. Choosing at least 3 or 4 specific

examples, consider their different styles, functions, and cultural significance and discuss specific details

of layout, construction, use, and overall effect.

2. Discuss how the roles of women in different times and cultures weve studied shift; build your

discussion around how women are depicted in the art weve studied so far and what this tells us about

their roles in their respective cultures. Choosing 3 or 4 works of art to compare, discuss these changes in

terms of subjects, sexuality, proportions, poses, clothing, realism, idealism, and abstraction (just address

a few of these).

3. Compare and contrast the religions and funerary practices of the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians,

and Greeks. Consider their different beliefs and the ways religion and death are portrayed in their

respective artworks and how they affected their daily lives. Choosing 3 or 4 works of art to compare,

consider how differences in the religions and funerary practices affect the art in terms of subject, style,

meaning, media, color, composition, and intended effect on viewers (just address a few of these).

4. Compare and contrast the subjects, styles, and meanings of the different paintings weve studied. For

example, you might consider Paleolithic cave paintings, Egyptian tomb paintings, Greek and

Mesopotamian painted pottery, or Roman or Minoan frescoes. Choosing 3 or 4 works of art to compare,

discuss differences in subject, message, style, composition, and how they are incorporated into the space

of the object or architecture.

5. Discuss the various treatments of the human figure as it has been portrayed in the art weve studied

(naturalistic, idealized, abstracted, etc.). Choosing 3 or 4 works of art to compare, discuss these changes

in terms of proportions, poses, clothing, realism, idealism, and abstraction (just address a few of these).

Things to note:

1. This is not a research assignment; please use your own words and don’t use sources

other than your textbook and class discussions.

2. Most of your points come from visual description of specific artwork. If you don’t

visually describe any specific works of art or architecture, you will not earn any points for your

essays (and will not pass the exam).

3. I am interested in your own opinion! State your own thoughts and then back them up

with visual evidence (i.e., visual description of specific artworks).