Writing Question
Contemporary Art and Design
PART 1
Compare and Contrast (5 points each = 10% total):
Compare and contrast TWO (2) of the following pairs of images, in order to demonstrate that you have absorbed, understood, and engaged with the material in your readings and lectures. Some works are in your readings and some we’ve seen in class; some are entirely new.
Your answer will be graded in terms of how well you discuss these works in relation to each other vis-a-vis the material that we have covered in class and/or your readings. The purpose is not to do focused or heavy research on these works, though you are free to do so – as long as you remember that the point is to discuss the works in relation to each other and the course material.
- There is no grade for identification; the images have been identified for you.
- You will be graded on your comparative analysis of the works and how well you relate your discussion to artists/themes we’ve discussed in class and that come up in your reading.
- Your responses should discuss aspects of style and representation, along with considerations of the political, social, economic and/or other factors that may have affected the creation of each image in their respective contexts.
- Your response should be approximately 250 words, about 1 full page of text. But feel free to write more if you’d like.
- Answer in full sentences and paragraphs.
PART 2
Image Analysis (5 points = 5% total):
Analyze ONE (1) of the artworks below. Do your best to discuss the work intelligently. Begin by describing what you see, then work your way towards proposing what issues/themes it seems to address. Support your thoughts by comparing the work to others we’ve seen in class or that you’ve read about in your readings. Your response should be approximately 250 words, about 1 full page of text. But feel free to write more if you’d like.
