12.9 Art Analysis Essay – Classical Greek Sculpture Worksheet

This assignment is designed to help you approach a work of art critically, to figure out what are the right questions to ask about an image, and how to find the answers to those questions.

Directions:

• Choose a free-standing Classical Greek sculpture that you like.¹ If possible, view it from several different angles and in different light conditions.
• Using a marker or pen, draw the lines and shapes on a photocopy of the work. Doing so will help you to observe the elements of art more easily.
• It is your task to write an essay that explains how this sculpture demonstrates the Humanistic, Rationalistic, and Idealistic values of the Classical Greek era.
• Introduce quoted or paraphrased information with signal phrase(s) and include a parenthetical citation with page or paragraph number. At the end of your analysis include a Works Cited listing. [See the Essay Formatting Sheet under Introductory Materials for Studying the Humanities on D2L. You may ask me if you have questions, or take your paper to the Writing Center for assistance with this.]
• An annotated bibliography with the publishing information and a short description of how you used the source to form or support your thesis must be included on every Humanities paper.
• Please submit this worksheet with your essay.

Key Questions to Ask About a Work of Art.

1. Title (Italicize titles of works of art) ________________________________________
2. Who was the sculptor? ________________________________________
3. Where and when was this work made? ________________________________________
4. What is the SUBJECT MATTER? Explain who or what is depicted as fully as possible. You should do some information-gathering or research in order to answer this question since knowing who or what is depicted in the sculpture will help you connect the basic elements and cultural values to the work’s expressive purpose. ________________________________________

• What is the source (the natural world, literature,
• mythology, religion, etc.) of the artist’s inspiration? ________________________________________
• Why was this sculpture created? What was its
• original purpose? ________________________________________
• Did it belong to a larger set or series? If so,
• how does this knowledge advance our
• understanding of this particular work? ________________________________________
• Is this a copy of an earlier original? ________________________________________
• How was the work possibly influenced by, or
• inspired by, an earlier work? ________________________________________
• When and for what purpose was the work of art
• created (the issue of patronage)? Who “paid” for it? ________________________________________
• Where would the work originally have been seen? ________________________________________
• Was an illuminating source of light important to
• that original installation? ________________________________________
• If the work is a portrait, does the work present a
• strong sense of an individual or does it represent
• a generic type of person? ________________________________________
• If the sculpture represents a deity, what ideas of
• divinity are expressed? ________________________________________

5. Creation does not generally occur in a void. Using cited sources, discuss the HISTORICAL CONTEXT FACTORS (geo      graphical, economic, social, political, religious, intellectual or scientific) that are reflected in this specific sculpture.                ________________________________________

• How would viewers of that era have understood this work? What did it communicate to them? ________________________________________
• How does the artist’s philosophy or background affect this work? (Even if the name of the artist is not known, what might you surmise about his or her status, background and education? ) ________________________________________
• What distinguishes this from another culture, making this uniquely Classical (rather than, say, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Archaic Greek or Hellenistic Greek)? ________________________________________

    6. The ELEMENTS OF ART are the visual indicators of the values associated with this culture. Be attentive to the elements, as discussed on D2L Using the Paradigm and the Basic Elements of Art, as you consider how this work demonstrates Humanism, Rationalism and Idealism.

A. Lines give directions and organize the space.

• Draw, and then describe the action lines at the shoulders, hips and knees. ________________________________________
• Draw and then describe other significant lines.
• Are the lines vertical, horizontal or diagonal? ________________________________________
• Are they curved or straight? ________________________________________
• Is contrapposto evident? Which foot is bearing most of the weight? ________________________________________
• What does the pose imply? ________________________________________
• Explain how the lines reinforce the subject matter or ideas communicated by the sculpture. ________________________________________
• What cultural value is suggested by the artist’s choice of these lines? ________________________________________

B. Shapes are closed lines. They must have length and width.

Draw and then describe both the geometric (idealistic) and the organic (human or natural forms) shapes that form the sculpture. ________________________________________

• Is the overall effect geometric or naturalistic? ________________________________________
• Explain how the dominant shapes suggest the culture that produced this sculpture. ________________________________________
• What cultural value is suggested by the artist’s choice of these shapes? ________________________________________

C. What medium is used? ________________________________________

• Why was this particular medium chosen? ________________________________________
• Would the sculpture have the same effect if it were in a different medium? ________________________________________
• How does the medium help you to classify the work? ________________________________________

D. Texture suggests the sensation of touch.

All sculpture has a physical texture and color!

• What is the message told by the texture? ________________________________________
• How does the texture indicate the culture that produced it? ________________________________________
• If drapery is included, what does it contribute to whatever the work expresses? ________________________________________

E. Color conveys information and emotion. It may have a sacred or symbolic function.

• We know that most of these works were originally painted! Does your selection have any lingering paint, or has a contemporary artist reworked the sculpture with a modern interpretation of the colors? ________________________________________

F. Space suggests the relationships between shapes or forms.

• Is the space open or closed? What three criteria Of open or closed space does this possess?

1) _________________________________________

2) _________________________________________

3) _________________________________________

• Does a mathematical canon of proportions influence this sculpture? _________________________________________
• How does the element of space reinforce the values associated with the culture that produced it? _________________________________________

G. What is the size of the original? _________________________________________

• How does the size reinforce the subject matter or ideas communicated by the sculpture? _________________________________________
• Are certain bodily features or forms distorted? If so, why? _________________________________________

7. Identify three VALUES that are apparent in this work and support your answer by referring to specific features of the work, or what you know or have learned about the culture. (Don’t automatically assume that it does demonstrate the traditional values; works of art have a way of eluding easy generalizations.)

8. What have you DISCOVERED? Art is intended to lead you to contemplate life by looking through the eyes of another. It is supposed to wake you up, taking you where you have never been before.

• What is your personal reaction? _________________________________________
• What effect does this work have on you as a viewer from another age? _________________________________________
• Do you think the artist shares the traditional values of his/her culture? How do you know this? _________________________________________

Now you may write your essay! You will not want to discuss each and every point on this worksheet, but you will discuss the key distinguishing features which make this a work from Classical Greece.

• Your three-and-a-half to four-page (3 ½ – 4) essay should include the essential components of an essay, including an introduction which culminates in your thesis. The thesis will assert what makes this a Classical Greek sculpture, and what the sculpture says about Greek culture at this time.
• Informative body paragraphs will demonstrate the validity of your thesis statement.
• The conclusion should sum up how this sculpture effectively utilizes the pictorial conventions of its time and place and exhibits the values associated with the Classical Greek era.

I’m looking forward to reading about this amazing sculpture!

1. Appropriate images may be found in several locations. An initial search might begin with the PowerPoint notes from your HUM 121 class on Classical Greek Sculpture (under D2L Contents). You could also look at related web-links (under D2L Tools) as well as ARTstor (go to the PPSC Library scroll down to DataBases; select ArtStor, then use your user id and password to log into the CCCS centralized library.). Web sites whose URL’s end in org. or edu. are appropriate places to consult, as are major museum websites. Wikipedia, Answers.com and Encarta are not academic sources.