Comparative Study
The Comparative Study is an analysis, compare, and contrast of two artworks by artists from "contrasting cultural contexts." Below are some links to help you get started on choosing artists and artworks to analyze. To review the introductory powerpoint, click here.
"Historical" Art Resources (some do include contemporary work):
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/intro/atr/06sm.htm <- good one! http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/highlights-of-the-collection http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/ http://www.britishmuseum.org/ https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/ "Modern to Contemporary" Art Resources:
http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists http://www2.mcachicago.org/collection-sorted-by-artist-name/ http://www.thisiscolossal.com/ http://www.juxtapoz.com/ http://www.drawingcenter.org/viewingprogram/index.cfm http://www.theartstory.org/section_movements.htm# (1870-1980) http://www.theartstory.org/section_movements_timeline.htm http://www.moma.org/ <- click on "Explore" on bottom https://www.artsy.net/artists http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists |
Possible Outline for Comparative Study:
a) Introduction (1 slide) b) Artist/Artwork 1 (2-3 slides)
e) Works Cited (1 slide) Total Slides: 7 - 10 |
Formal Qualities Analysis (1 slide per artwork)
You will be required to do an analysis of the formal qualities of each of the two artworks. In other words, you are describing and analyzing what the artwork looks like and what it's about. Below are some general questions and other resources you can use to help you get started.
For the Powerpoint we viewed on the Formal Qualities analysis: Click here |
A good worksheet with more guided questions:
A list of art vocabulary words:
Another good resource for vocabulary words: click here
More good vocabulary words: click here Quick Elements and Principles of Art review: click here |
Cultural Context Analysis (1 slide per artwork)
Next, you will be looking at the cultural context in which the artwork was made. The core inquiry for this portion of the study is "what cultural (political, social, and economic) factors influenced the making of this artwork?" You WILL have to READ and DO RESEARCH for this information! Look for information from multiple sources! You should try to answer as many of the questions listed below as possible.
If you do not answer a listed question below it should be because it is not important or relevant to the piece of artwork you are studying, NOT because you can't find the information.
If you do not answer a listed question below it should be because it is not important or relevant to the piece of artwork you are studying, NOT because you can't find the information.
What Cultural (political, social, and/or economic) factors influenced the artist or the artwork?
To answer this question, consider:
To answer this question, consider:
- When was the piece made?
- Where was the piece made?
- What are some cultural characteristics of the area? (dominant religion, language spoken, type of government)
- What was happening in that part of the world at the time?
- What was happening in the rest of the world at that time?
- What was life like for people in that part of the world at that period of time?
- What was the artist’s life like? What position were they in socially/economically? Were there any major events or happenings in their life that influenced their artwork?
- Male/female? Is their gender important or influential in their artwork?
- Is there anything else - political, social, or economic in nature- that possibly influenced the artist or inspired the artist to make this work of art?
Function and Purpose (1 slide per artwork)
What is the function and/or purpose of the piece of artwork? Remember, not all artwork is meant to be decorative (just looked at). This part of the comparative study might not take much to answer (but it could, depending on the piece).
To answer the question, "what is the function and/or purpose of this artwork," try considering the following:
To answer the question, "what is the function and/or purpose of this artwork," try considering the following:
- Is the piece meant to be decorative?
- Is it meant to illustrate a historically significant event?
- Is it meant to be instructional (lots of biblical paintings served this purpose)?
- Is it religious in nature?
- Is it protest art?
- Is it a portrait?
- Was it commissioned by a wealthy patron?
- Is it meant to be used for something other than art (like to eat from, or to hold a dead person’s organs)?
- What is it about?
- What does it mean?
Material, Conceptual, and Cultural Significance (1 slide per artwork)
In some types of artworks, the material (what its made of) is important to the meaning of the piece. For other artworks, the piece is considered culturally significant because it tells about about an ancient culture. A piece may be conceptually (the idea) significant because it was controversial.
Does the artwork have a material, conceptual, and/or cultural significance? To answer these questions, consider:
Material Significance:
What is it made of? What does this process involve? Is there a reason the material might be significant?
What is the message/meaning/ idea of the piece? Is this significant? Why? How so?
Does the artwork have cultural significance?
Does the artwork have a material, conceptual, and/or cultural significance? To answer these questions, consider:
Material Significance:
What is it made of? What does this process involve? Is there a reason the material might be significant?
- the material was popular at the time
- the material was cheap and accessible, or expensive and a status symbol
- the material has conceptual significance (religious, thematic, -> the material supports the idea of the piece)
What is the message/meaning/ idea of the piece? Is this significant? Why? How so?
- Is it saying something new or advanced for its time?
- Is the idea of this piece, or the movement it belongs to, revolutionary or new in any way?
Does the artwork have cultural significance?
- Does the artwork tell us about a period in time or of a group of people?
- Does the artwork reflect the culture and time period during which it was made? How so? How not?
- Was/is the piece controversial?
Compare and Contrast (1-2 slides total)
What are the connections, similarities, and differences between the selected artworks, in terms of 1) formal qualities, 2) cultural contexts, 3) function and purpose, and 4) material, conceptual, and cultural significance?
After you have analyzed the formal qualities, cultural context, function and purpose, and material, cultural, and conceptual significance of each artwork, you will do a compare and contrast analysis, looking at each of those four areas. You can answer this question in a written (essay, bulleted list, etc), or visual (Venn Diagram or other graphic organizer) format.
After you have analyzed the formal qualities, cultural context, function and purpose, and material, cultural, and conceptual significance of each artwork, you will do a compare and contrast analysis, looking at each of those four areas. You can answer this question in a written (essay, bulleted list, etc), or visual (Venn Diagram or other graphic organizer) format.
Venn Diagram
A popular method to complete this part of the Comparative Study would be to do a Venn Diagram. A Venn Diagram uses overlapping circles to represent sets of data. Where the circles overlap represents similarities in the data presented. You can complete a Venn Diagram using any number of methods (draw by hand, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc). I would suggest to include a short (5 sentence) paragraph somewhere on the slide, highlighting 3-4 stand-outs among the similarities, differences, and/or connections. |
Other examples of Compare and Contrast graphic organizers:
Works Cited (1 slide)
We are going to cite our work in an unconventional manner. You will number the items on the list of resources you used on your works cited page. Anywhere you referenced one of those resources in the study, you will put the number of the resource in parenthesis next to the reference. NOTE: This would NOT be an acceptable method of citing your work for the Comparative Study you will complete for the DP.
The complete Comparative Study is DUE ???
|