Write a research paper on the subject of “What paintings are there at the Museum of Modern Art?”
Assignment Instructions: Active Seeing
In Module 1 we learned about active seeing and how unique it is to each person. Appreciating art requires us to look deeply at an artwork and think about how our own experiences may shape the way we view it. If we think about this, as well as the artist’s role in creating the work, we can begin to appreciate the value a work of art brings to its culture.
Objectives:
Differentiate between subject matter and content in a selected work of art
Demonstrate active seeing in a selected work of art
Instructions:
Task 1: Review Lesson 1: What is Art
Task 2: Select one work of art from Google Arts and Culture to research and write about. It can be from any museum or gallery on Google Art and Culture but be sure you properly label the image by including cite: the gallery name, artist name, artwork title, and medium. and include a high quality image of the work in your document.
Example of a label (FYI do not use Starry Night as your artwork):
Vincent van Gogh
Starry Night
Oil on Canvas
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
Task 3: Utilize active seeing to explore the image more deeply. Look closely at the work, and spend some time researching it and the artist. Remember, active Seeing means that you consider that everything we see is filtered through a long history of fears, prejudices, emotions, customs and beliefs
Task 4: Your assignment is to write a two paragraph essay
Before beginning, include a high quality image of your artwork labeled with the title, artist name, medium, size, and gallery or location it is at currently.
Paragraph one: After researching your artwork, write a paragraph exploring the subject matter and content of your chosen work. Be sure to cite any resources used in MLA format.
Hint: subject matter refers to what the work of art depicts. Content refers to what that means; the content may vary from piece to piece, try to talk about the artists intention (this may require some independent research) AND your interpretation (reference “Who Decides What Art Means?” EdPuzzle.
Paragraph two: Write a paragraph exploring how active seeing made you think differently about this work of art.
Task 5: This is a direct submission assignment upload your word/pdf document to the submission link or type your response in the “Write Submission” box.
Student Example:
Vincent van Gogh
Starry Night
Oil on Canvas
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
Starry Night depicts a blue night sky filled with bright yellow and orange stars. There is also a village down below with a few houses and trees mostly made from green colors.. The painting is made of short brush strokes that create a sense that the sky is swirling or the wind is blowing. The painting was done by Vincent van Gogh who saw this scene while looking out his asylum window. Van Gogh was inspired by how beautiful the night sky was an wanted capture the impression of motion from the wind, this was something the Impressionist artists strived to do.
Active seeing made me look closer at this painting and better understand the intention behind Van Gogh’s style of the short brush strokes. Before researching this painting it felt like just another landscape painting but now that I know the content behind why Van Gogh chose to paint this piece I have a new appreciation for it. When you are in a dark state of mind as Van Gogh was you often forget to appreciate the small things in life such as a beautiful Starry Night.
Important Reminders:
Upload your Document as a PDF
Do not add your text as a comment or a link
Do not add your photo as a link, you must upload your photo by clicking the “+” icon in the drop down bar as a JPEG or PDF
Do not select Starry Night by Van Gogh as your artwork
If you are having trouble understanding the instructions, be sure to watch the weekly check in video for a verbal explanation
Any additional questions or concerns should be addressed no later than 5 PM on Friday before assignment is due
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