Step 1. Choose a work of art that you like.

Any source is fine. If you need help finding works of art, look here:  

1. Your textbook

2. Wiki Art: www.wikiart.org.

3. Metropolitan Museum of Art website: www.metmuseum.org

Step 2.

– At the top of your paper, cite the work: List the title (underline or italicize the title), artist, date, and what type of art it is (drawing, painting, sculpture, photograph etc.)

Sample citation: Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889, oil painting.

-If you are unable to find the title, artist, or date put ‘unknown’ in its place.

Step 3.

-Answer the following questions in essay format. Essay format means that you will format your writing in paragraphs, not bullet points. Please write 3-5 sentences for each question listed below and note that the length requirement is 1-2 pages total. Please indent the beginning of each new paragraph.  Start a new paragraph each time you begin a new topic. Do not include the assignment questions in your essay.

• Why did you choose this work of art? What do you like about it or what interests you?
• What’s going on in the work? Describe it in a few sentences. Be sure to include details of the composition as well as the piece’s mood. If there are people or animals in the work, describe their emotions. If it is an outside scene, what is the weather like? What time of day or season do you think it is? If there are people in the scene, what do you think they are thinking or feeling? See how much you can figure out just by looking at it.
• Art works usually have a meaning. In a few sentences answer this question: What do you think this work is about?
• Think of a question you have for the work or the artist.
• Do some research on the work and try to answer your question (Google or Wikipedia are fine). Draw conclusions: What did you learn? Were you able to answer your question? If so, what was the answer? Was your interpretation of the work correct? Why or why not?
• If you are unable to find the answer to your question, please state where you looked for answers as well as what you did learn about the artist or piece.

Note: Be sure to put what you learned from your research in your own words. If you decide to use the same words as you found in your research, put quotations around the words that are the same, limit your quote to one sentence, and put where you found this quote in parenthesis after the quotation.

Step 4.

-Cite your research sources. Any format (MLA, etc.) is fine.

Step 5.

-Upload the image you chose with your essay.

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