Posted: September 13th, 2017

History of Art

History of Art

Order Description

a history of art III research paper, with the thesis statement to be something like this, ” Although Surrealism supposedly grew out of or outgrew Dada in Paris, the two movements come from very different time periods and cultural contexts. and (portray different characteristics)”

(just make it interesting and strong thesis)

Basically a comparison of Surrealism and Dadaism, how they differ supported by examples (e.g works by Duchamp/Dali)

The supporting examples should cover the following points:
1) assessment of physical properties

2) analysis of formal structure

3) identification of subject matter and its symbolism

4) integration within a cultural context

Assessing an art object’s physical properties is the most objective method and, as such, scientific analysis is often used. These properties include shape, size, materials, and technique.

In art history books, most physical properties can only be understood from descriptions in captions, but when we are in the presence of a work of art itself, size and shape are usually the first thing we notice.
Formal analysis can be broken down into two parts. The first is analyzing the individual elements of expression such as the artist’s particular use of line, color, form, and light.

Next is the analysis of the overall arrangement or composition, that is, how all the individual elements work together to give an overall aesthetic impression.

3
Art historians have identified the meaning of subject matter within a system of analysis developed by a German scholar named Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968). Panofsky claimed that we derive meaning in two ways:

1) First we perceive the “natural subject matter” by recognizing forms and situations that we immediately know from our own cultural experience (for example the identification of figures as well as the implied meaning of a facial expression).

2) Then we use what he called “iconography” to identify the symbolic content of figures or forms, which is often specific to a particular time and place (this requires more research).