ART APPRECIATION de Beaufort

Group Assignment 3 100 pointsChose one of the above works to write a formal INTERPRETATION. InterpretationBy interpreting an artwork, we begin to ask questions about the world we live in, and by doing so, we begin to forge connections between our own experiences and those of others. Moving beyond a discussion of the visual characteristics of the work itself, examine how the work affects us. Try to identify themes and ideas that seem to be meaningful, and interpret the feelings, emotions, and other experiential associations that the work elicits. Use the three strategies of criticism we discussed. When appropriate, please use the Verbs of Communication attached on below. At this point you can feel free to use the loaded value words we avoided earlier (“ugly”, “awesome”, etc.) to describe the expressive qualities of the piece- however a INTERPRETATION is not an EVALUATION.

Keep in mind that not all art communicates a literal “message” that you will “get” like a light-bulb turning on above your head, but often the meaning of the work is simply the feelings and associations it leaves you with and the ideas that it forces you to examine

Three types of interpretation:•Formal Theories•Sociocultural Theories•Expressive Theories

Some questions to consider during Interpretation:

Government/ Politics/ WarWhat was the political situation that the work emerged from ? Who were the leaders at the time, and what sort of social structure was dominant ? Monarchy, Republic, etc? Was there a major conflict or war at the time ?

PhilosophyWhat was the prevailing intellectual climate, major thinkers, scientists, etc ? Was there even an intellectual climate at all? What was the state of science and how did powerful was "skepticism" for forming or influencing beliefs ? How did the philosophy of the time conflict with or support the spiritual beliefs of the people ?

ReligionWhat was the dominant spiritual tradition and what were its major tenets? How was religious practice manifest in people's daily lives and were there alternatives vying for control?

Artist and BiographyWhat sort of life did the artist lead ? What type of personality traits did they possess and how did the arc of their career unfold ? Who were the other competitors, comrades that they worked alongside of ? What can you glean from their writings or statement?

GeographyWhat was the environmental reality that people faced? Was the climate cold, warm, prosperous, harsh, etc ?

Cultural ValuesHow powerful were the institutions of marriage, family, love, citizenship, morality, etc.. What did the culture value or devalue at this given moment ?

You must address at least three of the above. For each category write at least three sentences.

Objectives: Demonstrate an understanding of sociocultural, expressive, and formal criticism. Demonstrate an understanding of Interpretation vs. Evaluation or Analysis. Demonstrate an awareness of how a work generates meaning-both literal, symbolic, metaphorical,

and sociocultural. Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship of content and form. Demonstrate an ability to Interpret without first Evaluating a work based on your own

subjective values.