The document on which you should provide answers is provided as a Word document in the CANVAS Files Folder for this class. Download it the Word document, fill in the answers, save the file and submit the file here by 9pm on November 2. Don’t bother uploading an image with it. You just need text.
Take a look at the art object at the bottom of this assignment (Just scroll down. You will see that there are two versions reproduced here: one with a grid, the other without). The painting was made in Europe in the mid 1400s. It is oil paint on two oak panels that were originally hinged together. Each panel is about 95 x 85 cm. Yeah, it’s a weird painting. Oh my gosh, such a wonderfully weird painting. Don’t worry about figuring out the weirdness, for now, though. Just try to use the information you have gained in class to understand what is going on.
Answer each question with complete sentences or, in the case of identifying objects, by providing specific bits of information requested by the prompts (artist, date, title, location). For some of those comparison works, if the name of the artist is not known, just write “Unknown” as the artist.
When you are asked to give a comparative example of a work we have studied in class, you should provide a different work of art each time. So you will have to come up with five different works of art to explain various answers.
Do no outside research for this assignment. If you consult any outside source for this assignment (that includes, but is not limited to, a book, journal article or any source on the web besides what has been provided in lectures) you will receive a zero on it as your grade. Any outside source you do consult without citation will be considered plagiarism, and you will be reported to the Dean and the Academic Integrity Committee. Don’t do it! It’s a lot of paperwork!
QUESTIONS:
1) Who is probably the lady in the panel on the right? Name another work of art we have studied in this class that represents this lady with similar (but not exactly the same, stylistically speaking) headgear. 2 pts.
Who’s the Lady? _________________
Comparable work of art:
Artist:
Name of the work:
Date:
Town where it was made:
2) Name another painting we have studied in this class that presents a woman similarly posed and accompanied by a similar group of figures (Okay, we haven’t really studied another painting in this class that looks like this one in terms of color, hairdo and décolletage, but we’ve looked at a bunch of paintings with a similar configuration of woman and baby on chair with winged creatures. Name one). 1 pt.
Comparable work:
Artist:
Name of the work:
Date:
Town where it was made:
3) Who probably paid for this image? (You won’t know their name, just explain as best you can). How do you know? To explain your answer, name another work of art we’ve studied in class. 2pts.
Comparable work:
Artist:
Name of the work:
Date:
Town where it was made:
4) What is that blue paint in the artwork probably made out of and why does it occur mostly on the woman’s panel? What makes you think that? 2pts
5) Where is the vanishing point in the work? (Use the numbered grid on the second image to identify the vanishing point). How did you find the vanishing point? 2pts.
6) Does it seem like there is a coherent light source that is illuminating things in the painting? If so, where is the source of light (generally)? What makes you think that? 1pt.
7) Is the medium (i.e. the kind of paint and the surface it is on) unusual for a painting that was made in Europe at this time? Explain your answer by making reference to at least one other object we have studied in class. 2pts
Comparable work:
Artist:
Name of the work:
Date:
Town where it was made:
8) Was it unusual for a painting to consist of more than one panel at this time? Explain your answer by making reference to at least one other object we have studied in class. 2pts
Comparable work:
Artist:
Name of the work:
Date:
Town where it was made:
9) Name two strategies that the artist used to distinguish between the everyday world and the supernatural/sacred world between these two panels. In this question you may (but are not required to) make reference to things you have already mentioned thus far. 2pts.
a)
b)
10) Even though the two panels are very different, there are a few ways in which the artist tried to make it clear that the two panels do indeed relate to one another. Name two ways in which the artist tried to create a sense of continuity or connection between the two panels (In other words, how do the compositions suggest that these panels relate to each other?). Yes, you may make reference to things you have already mentioned thus far. 2pts.
11) Would it be art historically accurate to call this image an “illumination”? Why or why not? 1pt
12) Does this seem more like an Italian Renaissance painting or a “Northern” Renaissance painting? What makes you say that? 1 pt.
Here are the images you should consult for the assignment.
Sample Solution
