Assignment:
For your formal research paper, you are to select an artist and corresponding artwork from the UK Art Museum’s Permanent Collection. After selecting an artist and a work of art (or series), you are to then pose a research question that will guide your research process. Selecting a specific and narrow topic will help you pose a question for research.
I have selected Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler.
My Research question is:
What were some reasons why Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler didn’t like each other?
The purpose of this assignment is for you to have personal engagement with an artist or time period that you are interested in. General academic and writing growth is important, but I want you to write this to gain a better grasp of class content, to further explore issues or artists raised in class, and add your voice to a debate surrounding a specific subject.
Goals of the writing assignment:
To research a specific artist, movement, series, etc. to help further knowledge and interest in American art
To pose a research question about a specific topic in American art history in order to think critically, analyze arguments in art history, and challenge assumptions
To discover and learn about how an American artist perceives and processes his/her world at a given time and region of the country
To understand the social purposes of a given work, the intention of the artist, and the impact of prevailing and changing art theories
How a certain artist, movement, style, etc. serves as both individual and cultural expression informed by religious, political, social, and economic traditions, as well as artistic traditions
To help students to learn course material
To learn the writing conventions in the discipline of art history
To gain experience in the research and writing of college-level research papers
To improve visual analysis skills, as well as writing and research skills
Paper Mechanics:
6-7 pages in length
1 inch margins
12 point font
Footnotes or end notes cited in the Chicago style
Works cited page
Introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs
Clear thesis statement
Legitimate sources (not websites) such as journal articles, books, artist statements, etc.
Page numbers at top of pages
Review the Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide to help you with properly citing your sources
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
* Here is what my professor also wrote for my topic specifically:
Your paper should cover these areas:
Intro
What is abstract expressionism?
What is post-painterly abstraction? (second wave of abstract expressionism)
Introduce the two artists. (Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler)
Discuss their work in depth. You need quotes from them. You need visual analysis.
Discuss the fact that they hated each other. Then give your opinion on why you think they did.
Conclusion
* Feel free to use pictures of their artwork in the paper as well.
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