Essay

For this assignment, students are asked to describe, contextualize and analyze historical works of art
from around the globe. Given your assigned group (designated by the instructor), examine art from the
corresponding culture from Chapters 18, 19, or 20 from the textbook Living with Art. Students will then
select ONE image of their choice within their assigned culture. Once you have selected your image,
study its cultural context from your textbook, look closely and critically at its formal/visual qualities,
and connect it to a specific theme.
Ø Group 1: Arts of Islam (Chapter 18)
Ø Group 2: Arts of Africa (Chapter 18)
Ø Group 3: Arts of India (Chapter 19)
Ø Group 4: Arts of China (Chapter 19)
Ø Group 5: Arts of Japan (Chapter 19)
Ø Group 6: Arts of the Pacific (Chapter 20)
Ø Group 7: Arts of the Americas (Chapter 20)
Using careful observations of visual details and thoughtful connections to context, students will write a
600–800 word (2–2 1⁄2 pages) essay response. Your essays should follow the following structure:
1. Introduction
2. A brief summary of the culture and historical context pertaining to your selected artwork
3. A brief visual analysis of your selected artwork
4. An analysis of your selected artwork using ONE of the themes of art (see choice below; topics developed
from Living With Art, Chapter 3: Themes of Art.)
5. Conclusion
Your response must be typed – no hand-written work will be accepted – Times New Roman, 12-pt
font, double- spaced. Make sure to include an image of your selected artwork at the end of your
essay. Completed assignments are due at the beginning of class Wednesday, November 4th, 2015.
Students are required to submit both a hard-copy and a digital file submitted to Blackboard. Papers
submitted electronically to Blackboard should