Meaning in the Arts: Independent Field Study Assignment

Meaning in the Arts: Independent Field Study Assignment

For this assignment, you will write a two to three page paper on a painting, sculpture, or work of architecture you have selected, using the artwork as a jumping off point to explore one of the theories or topics we have been studying. You will find the goals of the assignment and the directions below. Good luck!

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Topics:

• Plato, Republic Book X
• Selections from Aristotle’s Poetics
• Schiller, “Of the Sublime”
• Nietzsche, Selections from The Birth of Tragedy
• Hume, selections from The Standard of Taste
• Arthur Danto, “The Art World”
• Lessing, “What is Wrong with a Forgery?”
• Dutton, “Artistic Crimes”
• Margolis, “The Ontological Peculiarity of Works of Art”
• Feagin, “The Pleasures of Tragedy”
• Caroll, “Enjoying Horror”
• Gant, “The Paradox of Horror”
• Beardsley, “The Testability of an Interpretation”
• Margolis, “Robust Relativism”
• Gadamer, “Hermeneutical Experience”

The goals of this assignment are to:

• Explore the artwork of Philadelphia
• Develop some basic research skills
• Apply a theory or develop a topic we have covered in the course readings and the classroom
• Practice citing sources

Step 1: Select a creative work of art in Philadelphia from the following forms: painting, sculpture, or architecture.

• Visit a museum – the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, or the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, for instance – or select an outdoor sculpture or building.
• The artwork should relate to the course by acting as an example or counterexample of a theory or topic we have studied, or by raising important questions related to a theory or topic.
• If permitted by the museum, be sure to photograph the artwork and the corresponding information tag. If not, make sure you write down the details of the information tag.

Step 2: Write a two to three page essay that explains how the artwork you selected relates to a theory or topic we covered in the course readings.

• In your essay, provide an image of the artwork that you selected
  • Take a photograph of the artwork at the museum, if permitted, or
  • Find an image of the artwork on the museum’s web site, in one of the library’s image databases, or on the free web
  • Be sure to properly cite the image
• Your essay should include (but is not limited to) the following:
  • An introductory paragraph in which you briefly introduce the artwork, the theory or topic you selected, and how it applies to your artwork. Be sure to craft a strong thesis statement in this paragraph.
  • A paragraph of background information on the artist and the artwork.
  • A detailed, accurate, and thoughtful paragraph on the theory or topic you have selected to use from the class readings.
  • A paragraph that thoughtfully describes how the artwork relates to the theory you have chosen.
  • A concluding paragraph restating your thesis, reviewing your evidence and arguments, and offering final thoughts.

• Be sure to cite your sources! Cite your sources using Chicago Style.