Art Appreciation IAjarn Dale Konstanz

Writing Assignment I – Formal AnalysisDue Monday 20 February 2017 in class

Learning to describe visual images is an important skill in the study of art history. Even without knowing the artist’s intention, the historical background, or the meaning behind the art, it is possible to appreciate the work through the formal elements.

• Choose one artwork from the Ancient Egyptian period that we discussed in class.

• Spend time carefully observing the artwork.

• Write a 1500 - 2000 word paper describing the formal elements of the artwork in great detail. Include the following formal elements: line, shape, color, value, space, texture. Refer to the discussion of Form in the starter kit handout. Be as descriptive as possible. Imagine that you have to describe the artwork to someone who cannot see a picture of it.

• The writing should be your own words. The focus of the paper is to develop your own skills in describing artworks. A formal analysis focuses on the visual elements, rather than on content / subject matter, medium / technique, or style. Do not include additional historical information or other research derived from other sources, including books or websites. Any text that is not your own is considered to be plagiarism and will result in failure for this assignment.

• The paper should be printed on white A4 paper. Use a readable font such as Verdana, Garamond, or Helvetica.

• Include a high-resolution colored image of the artwork on a separate page. The artwork should be labeled with the title, date, medium, and dimensions under the artwork. You can refer to the artwork as Fig. 1, and you can refer to the artwork as such in the body of the paper.

• Include your name and student id number on the top right of each page. Staple the pages together.

• Submit a hard copy of the paper directly to the instructor. The writing assignment will not be accepted if sent via email. The paper must be submitted on time to receive full credit and it must be submitted to pass the course.

• Please talk to the instructor if you have any questions or concerns regarding this assignment.