Category: ASSIGNMENTS (Page 2 of 2)

For this blog post, you will write about two works of public art. Both must be art works that (1) we did not see together as a group (though it’s fine if we read about them); (2) that you yourself visit and photograph in person; and (3) that differ in some meaningful way from one another.

Your blog post this week will be a comparative analytical essay of at least 750 words. (It will be graded, unlike the last post, which is Pass/Fail).

In your essay/post, you will include one or more photos of each art work. In addition to an actual picture, you will also verbally recreate each art work and each site by creating an ekphrasis: that is, a verbal picture, a description so vivid that you conjure the work of art for the mind’s eye of the reader. Even a reader who had never been to this site, and never seen this work of art, could get a strong sense of its visual and spatial elements from your words alone. (For an example of an excellent ekphrasis, see Kwon, p. 56; the first two paragraphs of your reading for class).

Description–ekphrasis–is the beginning of meaningful analysis. Your ekphrasis will, here, be augmented by a further layer of critical attention: you will analyze each artwork in depth, using Miwon Kwon’s One Place after Another as a lens. Questions to consider for each artwork include:

• Which of Kwon’s three paradigms for public art does each artwork fit? Or does it fit none of them–and, if that’s the case, how would you categorize this work of art, and why?
• How does the work of art interact with its site–the space in which it is situated? Is it indifferent to the site? Integral to it?
• How does the work of art interact with the people passing through the site, or the larger community in which it’s located?
• Does the artist’s identity, here, matter? How about the funding body that made the artwork possible? Is knowledge of the artist and funding body available, or invisible, as you view the art?

In a final paragraph, you will reflect on the differences between the works of art you’ve encountered; how is the configuration of artwork and space, and site and community, meaningfully various across these different works of public art?

Finally: give your post an inviting (or witty, or delightful, or informative!) title. DO NOT call it “Blog post #2” or “Public Art essay.” Titles are a marvelous opportunity: to signal your topic and argument, and to draw the reader in. Don’t waste it!

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A NOTE ON STRUCTURE: Most of you will likely write about one artwork first, then the other, and then produce a sythesizing conclusion. Within your discussion of each work, for some of you, ekphrasis and critical analysis will go hand in hand; for others, you will (for each work) probably write one part first and then the other. I do not dictate structure for this post, and if you deviate from these patterns, that’s fine–in your writing for this class, the form of the essay should serve its function. If your larger point or points are better served with an innovative, surprising structure, go for it.

Write vividly. Make us see what you see!

Choose an art museum in the city that you have never been to before. In that museum, look around—take some time!—and find a representation of a lion. This may be a drawing, a painting, a sculpture—as long as it is a mimesis (imitation) of a lion.

Some interesting lions can (probably! I can’t say for sure!) be found in the following museums. All of them have lions in their collections, and most will have a lion or two on display.*

• The Cloisters (pay what you wish for New York state residents)
• The Rubin Museum of Art (free on Friday, 6-10 pm)
• The Frick (free with CUNY ID)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (pay what you wish for New York state residents)
• The Guggenheim (pay what you wish Saturdays from 5-9 pm)
• The Morgan Library and Museum (free on Friday, 7-9 p.m.)

NOTE: MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) has some very nice lions indeed. However, MoMA is currently closed.

NOTE 2: You do not have to go to one of the museums listed here–surprise me!

Blog post #1 has three parts:

1. A photograph of the artwork you have chosen. You must take this photograph yourself–do not pull the photo from the internet!! (If the museum does not permit photography, you may use an online version, but you must link to the policy on the museum’s website and post a photograph of yourself in front of the museum. This assignment requires you to go lion-hunting in person).
2. Detailed information about the artist, country or culture of origin, date, and medium (i.e., pen and ink; wood; oil paint). All of this information may be found near the artwork itself, usually on a small card affixed to the wall.
3. A written analysis (200-250 words) of your lion, with particular attention to the way it is represented—to the strategies the artist employed in creating this lion. In order to do this, consider:

• What is immediately striking about the lion? (Is it noticeably textured? Does it resemble a dog? Is it hyper-realistic—a very life-like lion—or is it stylized? Is its color unusual?)
• What aspects of the lion are emphasized? (Are its teeth bared, are its paws enormous? Does it have a minimal mane, or a giant ring of flame-like fur?)
• What is its relationship to the rest of the artwork? (Is this a representation of just a lion—or a lion in relation to other figures, or to a landscape?).
• And finally, what is the overall effect of how the lion is represented?—what is your reaction, as a viewer?

Be as detailed as possible in your account of the lion’s representation. Do not rely on the image to do this work—description is analysis. Call your readers’ attention to the features of the lion you find most striking and most meaningful.

*If your museum of choice has no lion—do not fret! You may complete the assignment with another animal (horses are a good one; so are dogs)—though please make a good faith effort to find a lion. Do not spend too much time trying to figure out in advance what you’ll look at or write on. Choose a museum that seems interesting to you, and go!