Analysis of Artwork

The primary aim of this project is the formal analysis of an artwork, e.g., a painting in a museum, or an architectural monument, e.g. The Washington Monument, as a research paper of between 800 and 900 words as the outcome.select a work from a local museum, architectural monument or a work of art exhibited in a local gallery or municipal building.
The final formal analysis requires:
Description of the overall appearance of the selected artwork or monument,
Description of the type of media and techniques involved in its creation,
An opinion on its value as an aesthetic object.
Comments on the individual visual elements and design aspects and brief explanation of the role of each element in the composition of the artwork or monument.
The primary objective of this part of the paper should be to explain how the artist or architect arranges and uses various features in order to create meaning. Your research of the work would involve the work itself as well as the person who created it.

*Five phases, must be submitted separately/individually, before submitting final paper. see each phase below.
PHASE 1:
Provide the title and date of the art object or monument and the name of the artist or architect and where it is located. Select a topic and summarize the overall appearance of the object or monument in a paragraph that will be the foundation of your paper. View the artwork or monument from as many perspectives as possible. Give the details related to the art object or monument and the name of the artist or architect. You will need to revise this paragraph if you use it as the introduction to your paper, as it will need to tell the reader just what you intend to accomplish in your paper.
Think about answering the following 6 questions in relation to the work and your topic:
What is the form or genre of art that you see in front of you—painting, drawing, sculpture, monument as architecture, etc.?
What are the media—paint, clay, stone, steel, etc.—used in its creation? What are the techniques—tools and processes—used in its creation?
What is the size and scale of the artwork or monument in relationship to a person, a building, or other works of its kind?
What are the objects, persons, and general shapes within its composition? If it is an architectural monument, what are the parts or spaces it is composed of?
Describe the formal visual elements in the artwork in front of you: line, perspective, shape, mass, texture, time, space, color, and light. Remember that some of these may not be applicable to the chosen subject of your paper.
Describe the basic principles of design in the artwork or monument in front of you: balance, scale and proportion, unity and variation, focus, emphasis and subordination, rhythm, and pattern.
If the object is a two-dimensional work of art, answer the following questions:
What are the most distinctive features or characteristics of the artwork?
Are the forms in the piece realistic or abstract? Does the piece represent one style or does the artist mix the two?
What is the effect of the particular medium or media used? How does it affect the viewer’s impression?
If the piece is a three-dimensional work of art, answer the following questions:
What are the most distinctive features or characteristics of the artwork or monument?
What is its function? How does its form complement its function?
In what setting is it placed? How does the setting affect its appearance?
Is the piece representational or abstract? Does the artist explore forms or space within forms?
If it is an architectural monument, how do people move throughout the structure? Are there significant accommodations or limitations to this movement?
What role does light play?
PHASE 2:
Use our eLibrary for your research or any of the links provided within the course, employ references to articulate additional information on your chosen work of art or piece of architecture. The purpose of this phase of research is to determine evidence of material from professional sources. Remember, that you will need to have five professional references for the body of your paper and properly cited using APA Guidelines.
In the second phase of your project and based on the topic you have chosen and submitted, you will brainstorm ideas and conduct research from our eLibrary and discuss the following specific criteria that will form the initial body of your paper. This research will include a well-crafted paragraph on each of the following:
Key aspects of the topic you have chosen
What others have said in support of the topic/work from your library research
What your research has unearthed that gives greater insight into the work you have chosen to write about.
3. Your assignment of three well-crafted paragraphs or more is due
PHASE 3:
In this phase of your project and based on the topic you chose and submitted and the research you have completed in Pt.1, you will conduct further research and discuss the following specific criteria that will form the continuation of the body of your paper. This research will include two well-crafted paragraphs (four paragraphs) on each of the following:
Examples of how your research adds depth and breadth to your understanding of the work and the author of the work
Example of applying your research to implement a change in one’s personal or professional life
Your assignment of these additional three to four well-crafted paragraphs or more for the body of your paper should be saved.
PHASE 4:
In this phase of your project, you will complete the rough draft of your paper including a revision of your introduction so that is helps to transition to the body of your paper, your body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph that draws your work to a satisfactory conclusion, all in-text citations and a Works Cited section at the end of your paper.
PHASE 5:
The final paper, this phase also includes an additional paragraph to follow your introduction that discusses what the reader can expect to discover in your paper and why.