Homework due Tuesday, 4/3

1. Select one or more artworks by one artist (historical or contemporary) to write about. Print out a picture of the artwork(s) for me to see.

• The artwork(s) should be two-dimensional and composed of only black, white and gray tones (little or no color). It could be drawings, prints (etchings, lithographs, etc.), black and white paintings, collages, scenes from a graphic novel, street art, etc.
• This piece will tie into your final project. If you are looking for ideas, you can try to find an artwork by one of the artists we’ve looked at this semester. These artists have included Van Gogh, Ellsworth Kelly, Kathe Kollwitz, Rembrandt, Al Held, Giacometti, Cezanne, Tiepolo, Diebenkorn, Ingres, Matisse, Morandi.  This class blog has some images too in the older posts.

2. Write two or more pages about the artwork(s), double-spaced, font size 12. In your paper, discuss how the artwork(s) relates to the concepts that we’ve discussed in class this semester, listed below.  You must touch on these topics in your paper, but you can discuss other issues in addition to them if you'd like.  Bring a printed copy of your paper and images to class, I won't accept them via email.

• Main Topics: Line, Perspective, Shape, Value, Texture
• This paper replaces the final quiz about drawing terms from this semester, so make sure to write at least a couple sentences about each of the main topics and how they relate to the artwork that you’ve selected.
• If the artwork that you are writing about doesn’t relate to one of these topics (ex. if the drawing doesn’t use line, or linear perspective) then just state that fact in your paper and go into further detail about the topics that you do discuss.
• Feel free to use the ideas that I list below as starting points. You are not obliged to answer all of these questions, they are just meant to guide you if you need ideas about what to write.  Don’t worry whether there are “right” or “wrong” answers to how you interpret the artwork, since there is a personal dimension to interpreting.

Writing Ideas:

Line:

• What types of lines are used? Are they curved, straight, a variety of lines or just one repeated type of line? Are there contour lines that outline the shapes, or cross-hatched lines, or lots of repeated lines and dots, like in a Van Gogh drawing? Are the lines layered over and over in a way that builds structure and depth, like in a Giacometti drawing? Do the lines look delicate and light, or bold and dark, or somewhere in between? Does this give the artwork a certain “personality”? Does it send a certain "message" about the subject of the artwork?

Perspective:

• Does the artwork use linear perspective, such as in an architectural drawing of a room? Does the artwork depict an illusion of depth, such as a landscape with distant mountains, or instead does it appear flat, like a pattern? Why do you think the artist chose to do this? What does it say about the subject matter or what the process of making the drawing was like? Does it seem very detailed and time-consuming or fast and intuitive?

Shape:

• What types of shapes are in the drawing? Organic, geometric, etc.? Do some shapes repeat, or create a sense of rhythm in the composition? If there is a rhythm, how would you describe it if it were music? Does the composition use positive and negative shapes? Do the shapes blend together or do certain shapes have sharp edges? Do the shapes have a range of sizes? Do the different sizes create an illusion of depth?

Value :

• Is the artwork in high contrast (bright lights and heavy darks) or more muted grays? Is the scene overall very light or dark, or somewhere in between? How would you describe the light in the artwork, does it feel like daylight or the afternoon, or dimly lit or brightly lit? What type of atmosphere or mood does this create in the artwork? Joyful or melancholy or mysterious or dull?

Texture/Mark-making:

• How would you describe the texture/mark-making of the artwork? Does it appear rough or smooth, or does the texture change in different areas of the drawing? How do you think the texture effects your emotional response to the artwork? Calming or abrasive?