• Henry M. Sayre, A World of Art
• John Berger, Ways of Seeing
• Masterworks for Learning: A College Collection Catalogue (AMAM CD-ROM)

• Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art
• Taylor, Learning to Look
• Pierce, From Abacus to Zeus

Art 103 web site
Sayre text website

OFFICE HOURS

Wed and Fri 10:00-11:00 am or by appointment.
My office is in the 1937 Addition in the Art Complex.
E-mail: Susan.Kane@oberlin.edu

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All work must be completed in order to pass this course.

Projects: (25 % of course grade, each project 5%)

I. Essay (due 09 Sept)
II. Portrait (part 1 due 14 Sept; part 2 due 16 Sept)
III. How Images Work (due 05 Oct)
IV. Perspective Study (due 12 Oct)
V. Ways of Telling Stories (due 28 Oct)

Midterm Exam and Final Project:

MIDTERM EXAM: 16 Oct (25% of course grade)

FINAL PROJECT: OBJECT STUDY (50% of course grade)
in-class presentations due 07, 09, 11, 14 Dec
final written project due by end of Reading Period

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Project I: Essay in two parts

Due: 09 Sept 1998

"The cause of art is the cause of the people." This motto is carved over the entrance to Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum. Take a walk through and around the Museum and in the process, consider the truth of this philosophic statement in the light of what you see.

Then, write a two part essay as follows:

a.) Write a 500 word statement defending this motto.

b.) Write a 500 word statement refuting this motto.

Project II: Portrait

Due: 14 and 16 Sept 1998

This assignment has two parts:

1.) Due 14 Sept: make a portrait of yourself or someone else you know personally and bring it to class. You may use any format as long as it is portable. You will exchange portraits with a classmate.

2.) Due 16 Sept: write a concise analysis (2 pages) of why the work you have been given is a portrait. What do you think the intentions of the artist were? How successful is the artist in communicating the person represented? Be prepared to discuss your analysis in class.

Project III: How Images Work

Due: 05 Oct 1998

Write a concise, three-page analysis of the layout and message of an advertisement taken from a magazine or newspaper. Give specific ways in which the ad communicates its visual message. Note everything that contributes to its design. Consider factors such as choice and placement of images, the use of scale and color, the style of typeface, and the quality of the paper. What are the most important elements in its overall design?

In addtion to a formal analysis of the advertisement's graphic layout, consider the symbolic realationship between the words and images used. You probably already know what this advertisement means, therefore, it may be difficult for you to separate your "subjective" responses from your "objective" analysis. Imagine that you are explaining this advertisement to someone who has no understanding of American culture.

Turn in the advertisement with your analysis.

Project IV: Perspective Study

Due: 12 Oct 1998

With the handout provided, go into the AMAM and make a list of at least five different art objects in which you can find examples of the following:

relative size
occluded objects
shadow
elevation
orientation
texture gradients
atmospheric perspective
linear perspective

Project V: Ways of Telling Stories

Due: 28 Oct 1998

This assignment has two parts:

1.) Go into the Allen Memorial Art Museum and find one object dated before 1900 A.D. that depicts a myth or story.

a.) Write a short synopsis of that myth or story. Note: the reference sections in Mudd and the Art Library both have mythological handbooks and dictionaries.

b.) Make a comparison between the visual and written versions of the story. What can a visual portrayal accomplish that a written one cannot or vice versa? Do you think that the story is best told via one means rather than the other?

2.) Choose either part a. or b.:

a.) Find a twentieth century equivalent to the myth or story that you have chosen in part 1.

b.) Find a twentieth century object in the AMAM that depicts a myth of story and write a short synopsis of it.

Final Project: Object Study

In-class Presentations Due: 07, 09, 11, 14 Dec 1998
Written Project Due: End of Reading Period

Choose an object in the AMAM collection and make a detailed study of it as outlined below.

Your final project should include:

1) a ten page research paper
2) an in-class presentation of your mini-exhibition

1) The research paper should include the following information:

a) Connoisseurship: Is it a genuine object? A copy or an original? Has it been restored or altered? What materials and processes were used to make it? What is its date and attribution? What is its current value in the current art market?

b) Style: Write a formal analysis of the object's style. How does the work relate to other works of the same period? What does the style show about the artist as a person and the circumstances in which the artist worked?

c) Artist: If the object is attributed to a known artist, what biographical information is available? Is any of it pertinent to the object? If the artist is unknown, does their culture provide any clues about them?

d) Iconography: What symbols or meanings are used in the object? Are there any references to literature, social, or political events of the period in which it was made?

e) Patronage: Who likely paid for the object? Does the object reflect the wishes and intentions of the patron and/or the artist?

f) Reception: How was the object interpreted by its contemporary audience? By subsequent audiences? Has it had any influence on other works of art?

g) Other ways of viewing the object (such as issues of social class or gender; political and economic factors; comparative methodologies such as psychobiological, anthropological or sociological): Are there any other ways of viewing the object that can help to elucidate or to enrich its meaning?

2) Mini-exhibition: Create a comparative exhibition of your object with another object in the AMAM collection. Write an introductory statement for your exhibit which encapsulates the purpose of the comparison. Also write a museum label which provides more detailed information for each object. On the day of your presentation, bring a mock-up of your exhibit to class and be prepared to discuss its intellectual import with your classmates.