Introduction

Task

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion

Credits

Be an Art Critic

A Webquest Where the

Student Becomes the Teacher

Introduction

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston is looking for a few good art critics, and your name is at the top of their list. They have contacted you because they have read your art reviews which have appeared in such magazines as Art in America and ARTnews. There have been several complaints lately from visitors to the museum’s Lane Gallery, which exhibits modern (20^th century) paintings, mostly abstract expressionism. People just don’t understand some of the artwork. Many people leave the gallery saying things like, “I could do that!” or “How is that art?”

The museum has asked several well-known art critics, including you, to choose one painting from the MFA galleries and write an article to be displayed with the painting. This article will analyze and interpret the painting so that visitors will have a better appreciation of it and will leave the museum satisfied and better educated. Are you up to the task? Good! I knew the museum could count on you!

Task

“Students often think that they are writing for the teacher, but this is a misconception; when you write, you are the teacher. An essay on art is an attempt to help someone to see the work as you see it.” (Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art)

For this assignment, you will complete the following tasks:

utilize the Internet to research art terminology

view works of art at various websites, including the Museum of Fine Arts website

choose one painting that makes a strong impression on you and take detailed notes about it

use the Internet and print resources to find additional information about your painting and the artist

write an article about the painting which includes identification, description and analysis, and most importantly, your interpretation

Ø Note: You will need a notebook to take notes in, or you may take notes by creating a Word document.

Process

Follow the steps below, one at a time. Don’t rush; most of the steps require careful thinking, reading, researching, and note-taking. You will have four days in the computer lab to complete all eight steps (including writing your article).

To begin, you should first ask yourself this question: why is there art? In your notebook, write down a few reasons why artists create their artwork.

Of course, there are many reasons why artists paint or sculpt. For this assignment, we’re going to focus on three styles of art, impressionism, expressionism, and abstract expressionism, and what artists who paint in these styles are trying to accomplish.

Now that you’ve thought about why art exists, you need to know a little bit about expressionism and abstract expressionism. Check out a few of the following websites, then, in your own words, write down a definition of each term in your notes.

ARTLEX: Art Dictionary

Artcyclopedia

WebMuseum, Paris (pardon the typo at this site)

Artchive

Biddington’s Art Gallery

v Helpful Hint: If you really want an in depth look at abstract art, check out Harley Hahn’s essay called Understanding Abstract Art.

Now that you know about impressionism, expressionism, and abstract expressionism, you should ask yourself the following question:

Ø How can an artist express his own emotions or influence the emotions of the viewer through a painting?

That is the question you must answer. In order to help others understand art, you need to be certain of your own response to it and how the artist is able to create this response in you. This understanding will be at the heart of the article you are going to write.

Okay, it’s time to view the paintings and decide which one you will write about. Don’t just choose the first one you “like”; that’s not the point. The following list of paintings are all on display at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Look at every single one of the paintings, and then choose. Having seen all the paintings, you’ll know which one creates the strongest impression, or gets the most noticeable response out of you.

Again, it’s not just about “liking” a painting; it’s about your response to it. You can choose one you absolutely hate if you want to! There are sixteen different artists below to choose from, each with a very unique style. If none of these appeal to you, look around Mr. Morris’ room; maybe one of the art prints hanging there will appeal to you in some way, or you might see an artist you can investigate further on your own (just let Mr. Morris know).

Click on each of the following links to view the paintings (click “Zoom” to see a larger image).

1. Arthur G. Dove: That Red One

2. Pablo Picasso: Standing Figure and Portrait of a Woman

3. Marsden Hartley: Painting No. 2

4. Georgia O’Keeffe: White Rose with Larkspur, No. 2

5. Stuart Davis: Hot Still-Scape for Six Colors - 7th Avenue Style

6. Joseph Stella: Old Brooklyn Bridge

7. Max Beckmann: Still Life with Three Skulls

8. Jackson Pollock: Number 10

9. Hans Hofman: Twilight

10. Franz Kline: Probst I

11. John Singer Sargent: The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

12. Morris Louis: Delta Gamma

13. Gerhard Richter: Vase

14. David Hockney: Garrowby Hill

15. Childe Hassam: Boston Common at Twilight

16. Philip Guston: The Deluge

Once you have viewed each of the paintings, choose the one painting that appeals to you most, then print a color copy of it. Let Mr. Morris know if you are ready to print during class, or, if you own a color printer, print a copy at home and bring it to school. Though it’s never as good as the real thing, a color copy will have to do for this project.

The best way to print:

1. Click on the “ZOOM” button of the picture you like. This will open a new window with the picture in it.

2. Right click on the image and choose “Copy.”

3. Open a new document in Microsoft Word.

4. Paste the image into the Word document, then print.

Ø Note: Don’t mess with the size of the image! Making it bigger will cause it to be blurry when it prints; making it smaller will make it too hard to see.

Here comes the most important part: identification, description and analysis, and interpretation. This is where you will need to study the painting carefully and take really good notes about it. A bit later, you are going to transform these notes into your article about the painting.

Use the handout “How to Write About Art” to help you take notes on the painting. This handout is a guide to help you think about the important visual aspects of the painting. Here is where you must try to “paint the picture with words.”

Ø Note: Don’t feel like you have to answer every single question on the handout; some may not really apply to your painting. “How to Write About Art” is just a guideline—the more of these questions you can answer, the better your understanding and appreciation of the painting will probably be.

v Helpful hints:

Ø Use the information from the links to the paintings above (the MFA website) for the “Identification” section of your notes. This information will be reliable.

Ø Use the color copy of the painting to complete the “Description and Analysis” section of your notes.

Ø Use your own ideas, feelings, reactions, and responses to complete the “Identification” section of your notes.

Now that you’ve taken detailed notes about the painting and thought about your own interpretation and response to it, take some time to do some research about the artist you’ve chosen. This extra research may help you gain insight and understanding into the meaning behind the painting. Knowing something about the artist may help you with your interpretation, and you may also find some information worth including in your article.

Try the following websites:

Google (search by artist name and/or the word biography, for example: van Gogh biography)

Yahoo!

Artcyclopedia.com

WebMuseum, Paris

Ø NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: As you do this research, you may come across some things that other people have written about the same painting. While it’s okay to read this information to help clarify your own ideas, it’s not okay to copy it and use it as your own. Stealing someone else’s ideas is plagiarism, and it is not only unfair and unethical, but also a sure way to fail and get in trouble.

So, you have learned about expressionism, found a painting that made a strong impression on you, studied it carefully, taken detailed notes about it, and researched the artist and the painting itself. Nice job! Now it is time to write your review of the painting as an art critic would.

First, you need to have a thesis, or main idea. Your thesis will be a brief statement in your introduction which summarizes your personal interpretation of the painting. Why did you choose this painting, out of all those you looked at? Why does it stand out from the others?

Ø Note: Write down your thesis in your notes, and avoid using statements like “I chose this painting because…” or “My painting…”; just make a general statement about what the painting means to you or why it is a great painting.

Your article should have a strong introduction (with a clear thesis), body, and conclusion. You may want to organize your essay this way:

1. Introduction: background sentence(s), thesis statement, and identification

2. First Body Paragraph: description and analysis (Remember to “paint a picture with words” for your reader!)

3. Second Body Paragraph: interpretation and reflection (explaining your thesis)

4. Conclusion: summarize your main ideas and close with an interesting thought about the painting or artist

Ø Note: Be sure to look at the Evaluation section (below) and the rubric before you start writing!

v Helpful Hint: Not sure what an art review really looks like? Click on the picture below for a brief review of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

Evaluation

Your article will be graded on the following four criteria:

Ø ORGANIZATION: background sentence, thesis statement, paragraphs, coverage of all three topics

Ø CREATIVITY: originality, style, vocabulary

Ø DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE: level of detail; evidence of understanding; analysis; reflection

Ø PRESENTATION: spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, neatness

Rubric for “Be an Art Critic”

English/Language Arts Learning Standards: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 19-25, 26

Technology Standards: 1.14, 1.16, 1.18, 1.25

Standard Criteria	4	3	2	1	Points
Organization	---------------------	--------------------	------------------------	----------------------	----------
> Background Sentence > Thesis Statement	> Unique, thought-provoking background sentence(s) > Clear, unique thesis	> Interesting background sentence(s) > Focused thesis	> Background sentence is the thesis -or- Thesis is unclear or worded poorly	> No background sentence > Unfocused or missing thesis
> Paragraphs: Introduction, Body, Conclusion > Covers all three topics: (Identification, Description and Analysis, Interpretation)	> Strong, well-organized paragraphs > All three topics covered thoroughly	> Good, clear paragraphs > All three topics covered	> Weak or poorly organized paragraphs > Information missing from one or more topics	> No paragraph structure > Information missing from all three topics
Creativity	---------------------	-------------------	-----------------------	----------------------	----------
> Originality > Style > Vocabulary (Diction)	> Unique, original style shows individuality > Vivid, precise diction	> Style shows/ attempts creativity > Clear, varied diction	> Written like a typical expository essay; little style or creativity > Average or dull diction	> No style or creativity; more like a list of statements > Weak or repetitive diction
Depth of Knowledge	---------------------	--------------------	------------------------	----------------------	----------
> Level of detail > Analysis/ Description	> Vivid analysis “paints picture with words”	> Clear analysis “shows” painting	> Description “tells” what the painting looks like	> Little or no analysis or description
> Evidence of understanding > Interpretation and Reflection	> Insightful interpretation shows unique, interesting personal reflection	> Careful interpretation shows thoughtful personal reflection	> Interpretation shows an attempt at reflection and/or understanding	> Little or no attempt at interpretation, reflection or understanding
Presentation	----------------------	--------------------	------------------------	----------------------	----------
> Spelling > Punctuation > Grammar > Sentence Structure > Neatness	> Control of spelling, punctuation, and grammar enhances writing > Excellent variety of sentence length and style > Neat, proper format	> Errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar do not interfere with communication > Good sentence variety > Neat, proper format	> Errors interfere somewhat with communication > Some sentence variety > Some format/ neatness issues	> Errors seriously interfere with communication > Little or no sentence variety > Several format/ neatness issues
	A = 21-24	B = 16-20	C = 11-15	D = 6-10	----------

Conclusion

Now that you’ve finished your article, you should be proud of yourself. You have not only interpreted a piece of artwork for yourself, but you can now help others gain an appreciation and understanding of artwork. The next time you go to the Museum of Fine Arts and hear someone say, “I could do that!” or “How is that art?” you will be able to help them out.

One final note: it’s one thing to look at artwork on the computer or to have a color copy of it, as you have for this assignment, but actually seeing a real painting hanging in a gallery is a totally different experience. Hopefully, you will be able to see the original of the painting you wrote about at the Museum of Fine Arts and visit other art museums in the future.

It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance . . . and I know of no substitute whatever for the force and beauty of its process.

--Henry James, American author

For more quotes about art, check out Resource of Art Quotations (click on “Art”)

Questions or comments? E-mail me at mmorris@masconomet.org

1. Seurat image:

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/S/seurat/jatte.jpg.html