ASSIGNMENTS: MUSEUM ASSIGNMENT Research paper #1: (25% final grade Students are required to write a 4-6 pages. comparison and contrast paper on two artworks they have viewed and analyzed at one of the Houston art museums (1 Menil Collection www.menil.org; 2) Museum of Fine Arts Houston www.mfah.org

Choose from among the following topics: 

Menil Collection 1) compare and contrast a Byzantine icon with an African tribal sculpture

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 2) compare and contrast an Italian Renaissance painting with a Greek vase painting or a Greco-Roman sculpture

Menil Collection, or MFAH 3) Modern and Contemporary art: compare and contrast a contemporary nonrepresentational artwork (i.e. Barnet Newman; Mark Rothko; Jackson Pollock; David Smith (sculpture or painting) with an early 20th century modern abstract artwork (i.e. Picasso; Matisse).

1. Choose two artworks in two different media, i.e. sculpture and painting, by two different artists in two different styles from two different cultures. Choose artworks from official online museum websites only.
2. Begin your essay with an Introduction and end with a Conclusion, each 4-6 sentences in length.
3. Research each artist and stylistic movement or civilization. Apply the visual elements in a comparison and contrast pattern of development. 
4.  Briefly research the artists’ biography and define the stylistic movement, and place the artwork within a cultural context (two-three paragraphs). 
5. Then apply the concepts and vocabulary listed on the Museum Assignment Worksheet (Do not submit the worksheet here.)  Write a stylistic analysis of three-five paragraphs. Develop paragraphs of three-five sentences in length, each of which begins with a topic sentence for each applicable visual element or principle of design! Be sure to clearly define and illustrate the use of each term by describing specific areas of the artwork’s composition.
6. Provide at least two research references for each artwork, in addition to the textbook.  Use may use online scholarly sources such as Heilbrunn Timeline of Art Historyhttps://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ (Links to an external site.); Khan Academyhttps://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history (Links to an external site.) and Smarthistoryhttps://smarthistory.org/ (Links to an external site.). Use the HCCS library catalogue journal databases, Jstor and Academic Search Complete.

Bibliography:

Carr, Annemarie Weyl, Bertrand Davezac, and Clare Elliott. Imprinting The Divine : Byzantine And Russian Icons From The Menil Collection. n.p.: 2011.

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• The Menil Collection: A Selection from the Paleolithic to the Modern Era. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1997. Print.   

Newman, Barnett, et al. Barnett Newman : The Late Work, 1965-1970. n.p.: Houston : The Menil Collection, [2015], 2015.

Van Dyke, Kristina. African Art From The Menil Collection. n.p.: 2008. 

Wilson, Carolyn C. Italian Paintings Xiv-Xvi Centuries in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Houston, Tex: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in association with Rice University Press and Merrell Holberton Publishers, London, 1996. Print.

Papers must be typed double-spaced with one inch margins and black 12pt Times Roman font. Use formal English composition format and organization.  Use MLA source citation method (Author, page) in body text to document your research, and attach a separate Works Cited page.  Use a minimum of two research sources other than your textbook. Use the MLA Handbook as a reference guide to style, formatting and documentation, and the Writing Center for assistance. [Fully document web sources according to the MLA style:

Author. “Title”. Journal/Sponsor. date. web. In-text: (shorten“title” paragraph).]