• Laurie Schneider Adams, Art Across Time (2 vols)
• John Berger, Ways of Seeing
• Masterworks for Learning: A College Collection Catalogue (AMAM CD-ROM)

• Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art
• Taylor, Learning to Look
• Pointon, History of Art: A Students' Handbook

"Research Methods and Resources in the Visual Arts" (1 hour module)
An examination of visual arts research and bibliography. Analysis of specific titles, categories of publications and electronic resources will be done within the context of actual research practices and specific information needs. The basic steps of the research process, database structure and searching, search engines, critical analysis of information, and researching artists and artworks will all be discussed. Strongly suggested for Art History majors or potential majors. Students receive Art History credit. Some class sessions will meet in Mudd 041.

Prerequisites: simultaneous enrollment in Art 103; Enrollment limit: 20
Seminar 1 / Mudd 041 Friday 9:00 - 9:50 Ms. Prior

COURSE WEB SITE URLS

Art 103 web site
Art 103 images

OFFICE HOURS

Tu and Th 10:00-11:00 am or by appointment.
My office is in the 1937 Addition in the Art Complex.
E-mail: Susan.Kane@oberlin.edu

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

All work must be completed in order to pass this course.

PROJECTS: (35 % of course grade)
I. How Images Work (due 21 Sept) (10% of grade)
II. Visual Analysis (due 28 Sept) (15% of grade)
III. Ways of Telling Stories (due 05 Oct ) (10% of grade)
IV. Portrait (part 1 due 28 Oct; part 2 due 02 Nov) CR/NE

MIDTERM EXAMINATION: (14 Oct) (25% of final grade)

FINAL PROJECT: MINI-EXHIBITION (50% of course grade)
in-class presentations due 09 Dec
final written project due by end of Reading Period (16 Dec)

READING ASSIGNMENTS

PROJECT I: HOW IMAGES WORK (DUE 21 SEPT; 10% of grade)
LENGTH: 3 pages
USEFUL READING: Berger, Ways of Seeing

Write a concise, three-page analysis of the layout and message of an advertisement taken from a magazine or newspaper. Give specific ways in which the ad communicates its visual message. Note everything that contributes to its design. Consider factors such as choice and placement of images, the use of scale and color, the style of typeface, and the quality of the paper. What are the most important elements in its overall design?

In addtion to a formal analysis of the advertisementıs graphic layout, consider the symbolic realationship between the words and images used. You probably already know what this advertisement means, therefore, it may be difficult for you to separate your "subjective" responses from your "objective" analysis. Imagine that you are explaining this advertisement to someone who has no understanding of American culture.

Turn in the advertisement with your analysis.

PROJECT II: VISUAL ANALYSIS (DUE 28 Sept; 15% of grade)
LENGTH: 3 - 5 pages
USEFUL READING: Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art

Pick a work of art in the AMAM and write a visual analysis of it. Your work should include a basic description of the object, written to present it visually to someone who has never seen it. Barnetıs book provides a complete description of what to include.

PROJECT III: WAYS OF TELLING STORIES (DUE 05 OCT; 10% of grade)

This assignment has two parts:
1.) Go into the Allen Memorial Art Museum and find one object dated before 1900 A.D. that depicts a myth or story.
a.) Write a short synopsis of that myth or story. Note: the reference sections in Mudd and the Art Library both have mythological handbooks and dictionaries.
b.) Make a comparison between the visual and written versions of the story.
What can a visual portrayal accomplish that a written one cannot or vice versa? Do you think that the story is best told via one means rather than the other?

2.) Choose either part a. or b.:
a.) Find a twentieth century equivalent to the myth or story that you have chosen in part 1.
b.) Find a twentieth century object in the AMAM that depicts a myth of story and write a short synopsis of it.

PROJECT IV: PORTRAIT (Part 1 due 28 OCT; part 2 due 02 NOV; CR/NE) This assignment has two parts:
1) Due 28 Oct: make a portrait of yourself or someone else you know personally and bring it to class. You may use any format as long as it is portable. You will exchange portraits with a classmate.
2) Due 02 Nov: write a concise analysis (1- 2 pages) of why the work you have been given is a portrait. What do you think the intentions of the artist were? How successful is the artist in communicating the person represented? You will hand your analysis to the creator of the portrait for their commentary.

FINAL PROJECT: MINI-EXHIBITION (50% of grade)
LENGTH OF PAPER: 10 pages (DUE BY 16 DEC)
MINI-EXHIBITION: (DUE IN CLASS 09 DEC)

Choose an object in the AMAM collection and make a detailed study of it as outlined below.

Your final project should include:
1) a ten page research paper on your primary object
2) an in-class presentation of your mini-exhibition

1) The research paper on the primary object should include the following types of information:
a) Connoisseurship: Is it a genuine object? A copy or an original? Has it been restored or altered? What materials and processes were used to make it? What is its date and attribution? Optional: What is its current value in the current art market?
b) Style: Write a formal analysis of the object's style. How does the work relate to other works of the same period? What does the style show about the artist as a person and the circumstances in which the artist worked?
c) Artist: If the object is attributed to a known artist, what biographical information is available? Is any of it pertinent to the object? If the artist is unknown, does their culture provide any clues about them?
d) Iconography: What does the object mean? Does it refer to a story, myth, or have any symbolic meaning? Are there any references to literature, social, or political events of the period in which it was made?
e) Patronage: Who likely paid for the object? Does the object reflect the wishes and intentions of the patron and/or the artist?
f) Reception: How was the object interpreted by its contemporary audience? By subsequent audiences? Has it had any influence on other works of art?
g) Other ways of viewing the object (such as issues of social class or gender; political and economic factors; comparative methodologies such as psychobiological, anthropological or sociological): Are there any other ways of viewing the object that can help to elucidate or to enrich its meaning?

2) Mini-exhibition: Create a comparative exhibition of your object with another object in the AMAM collection. Write an introductory statement for your exhibit which encapsulates the purpose of the comparison. Also write a museum label which provides more detailed information for each object. On the day of your presentation, bring a mock-up of your exhibit to class and be prepared to discuss its intellectual import with your classmates.