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HUMANITIES 1315 – RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT
So far, we have focused on art and culture of the Western world. As we have learned, the art produced by a culture reflects the beliefs and values of the culture that produced it. For each era and style we have studied, you have been learned to identify 'Cultural Values/Characteristics' that are visible in the art of that era, and that reflect that era's cultural values. As you have learned, as culture and society change, art changes as well to reflect changing values.
In this paper, you will be asked to compare two works of art - one from a western country/culture, and one from a non-western country/culture. You will only focus on ONE of the eras of art that we have looked at in this class so far (Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Realism, Modern, Postmodern) - you may choose the one you are most interested in.
You will first describe the western work of art and analyze the cultural values it reflects by referencing at least 3 of the Cultural Values/Characteristics of that art era, (make sure to mention at least 3 of the principles and elements of art - you can refer back to your Pretty Ugly workshop if you need reminders).
Then you will use your knowledge of the cultural values expressed in the western work of art as a basis to reflect upon the non-western work of art you are writing about, that was made during the same time period but in another country. Remember, non-western art won't be called 'Classical' or 'Romantic' and will be different in at least some ways from western art - other countries have different cultures, societies and histories, so their values may be very or somewhat different. You will use what you know about western art as a starting place to think about the non-western artwork. How does it look different from the western artwork, in terms of color, lines, textures, shapes or subject matter, balance, emphasis (focal point), movement, etc. Is it different? How so? What do you see, and what might it be telling you about the values of the culture that produced this work of art? Your feelings about art may not help you much when looking at non-western art - what Classicists thought was 'pretty' two thousand years ago in Greece might have been VERY different from what Japanense artists thought was pretty. These differences are based on the values of the cultures that produced the works of art.
Here is a good example - In the west today, we think dinner plates should be smooth and shiny have pictures of flowers or maybe human figures on them. But when I visited China, I found dinner plates designed with pictures of bugs and frogs!! I thought these were ugly, but my Chinese friends thought they were beautiful. When I reflected on why this might be so, I concluded that perhaps Chinese cultures value nature more than our culture does. We value science more, and we use it to try to destroy insects and keep frogs away! But based on my observation, Chinese culture had a higher respect for nature, in all its forms (including bugs and frogs) and they saw them as beautiful because they were a part of 'natural'. This is the type of 'reflection' on the non-western artwork you will write about that I will expect. I won't expect you to be an expert on a non-western culture or its art! Just use what you know about western art and how it expresses cultural values to reflect on what you see in the non-western artwork.
To get warmed up for this, take a look at these:
Go to this page to learn more about Neolithic art in China -
Scroll down to the lesson on the Yuan Dynasty (same time period as the late Middle Ages in Europe) and watch the video about a wall painting of this period entitled “Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo)”
Next, go to this page
Read the intro and watch the video about a female Lebanese sculptor from the contemporary (Modern/Postmodern eras in the West) and her artworks.
Lastly, read this article on Islamic carpets that were made during what would have been the Renaissance period in the West.
Again, non-western countries would not have the same artistic eras and styles as we do in the West, because they have different histories and cultures, therefore they have different values, and different ideas of what is 'beautiful' as a result.
Think about these questions: How are the Islamic carpets of this period different from Renaissance tapestries? What do the differences in non-western art works above tell us about the ways in which their cultures differ from Western cultures at the same time periods? Did they have different religions? Dress differently? Prefer different colors or shapes? Art created during the same time period may not reflect western characteristics, ideas or values of Classicism, Romanticism, or any of the eras/styles of the west. Or non-western art may SHARE some characteristic of western artistic styles, but also reflect unique characteristics, ideas, or values of the culture that produced it.
You should do some research on the western work of art you are analyzing, and the non-western work you are analyzing. Use the class materials as sources, but you should also find from outside the class materials to learn about the culture that produced the art or the artwork itself, so that you can better analyze it. You can cite the class materials as well.
ASSIGNMENT:
Choose ONE representative western work of visual or performing art and one non-western work of visual or performing art, both from the same time period (based on WESTERN eras), and write an essay comparing them. [Visual Arts you may choose from are: Painting (in its wide definition which includes Digital Art, Print Art, etc), Sculpture, Film, and Dance. If you choose film or dance, you must include still photos in the paper that display the cultural characteristics you identify.
EXAMPLE: A comparison of a painting from the Romantic era in ENGLAND, and a painting in JAPAN made between 1780 and 1850 CE. (i.e. - the same time period as the western Romantic era)
In your paper, compare the works and point out the cultural characteristics (values/beliefs/norms) of each society which are reflected in the artworks you discuss. Be sure to mention the elements & principles as well as you analyze these artworks.
Please type this paper in MLA FORMAT – and cite your sources properly. This paper should be from 3 to 4 pages (1000 words minimum – images do not count toward page count) and should include 1-2 outside research sources PER artwork (books, articles, academic or professional websites, etc – the works themselves are NOT outside sources, nor are your class materials or notes). You may also cite the classnotes (in particular the characteristics of the Western art eras) in your paper. Be sure to cite images used as well as quotations and paraphrases. Use credible, scholarly sources, NOT wikipedia, or other such sources.
Review the EXAMPLE Paper that is attached for an idea of what you paper should look like. You may also wish to review the OWL at PURDUE for information on MLA formatting.
To see how to cite the illustrations of art that you will include in your paper, go to this site: http://libguides.fiu.edu/c.php?g=346459&p=3848701.
Your Paper will be submitted through SafeAssign - and no more than 30% may be taken from source materials (all sources must be properly cited in MLA format).
IN other words, MOST of your paper should be your own discussion of the artworks, their elements and principles, and how these define characteristics of the artworks that represent the cultures and time periods that produced them. You will of course discuss the differences and similarities between the artworks of the different cultures you have studied, AND what these differences and similarities in the artworks tell us about the ways in which the cultures are similar or different.
Western Countries include: The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Greece, Chile, Finland, Italy, and so on. Here is a helpful list.
Non-western Countries include: China, Japan, Korea, Russia, India, Egypt, Taiwan, Vietnam, most African countries, the countries of Eastern Europe, and so on.
A helpful article in Quora states the following:
"If you ask US Americans, they often think that Latin America and Russia are not Western.
But some other people think so :
I would say that Russia was not always in the West or even in Europe...."
(Trubetskoy, Sasha. "What is the list of Western Countries in the World?" Quora. Nov. 10, 2016. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-list-of-western-countries-in-the-world. Accessed Jan 16, 2019.)
Here is an OUTLINE for your paper:
Parag. 1 - Introduction - state clearly what type of visual art you will disucss and the two countries you will compare, as well as the time period you are focusing on.
Parag. 2 - Insert a picture (or 2) of the WESTERN work of art you will analyze. Describe it in detail. Analyze its elements and principles and determine what cultural values/characteristics of the era it represents that are present in it.
Parag. 3 - Insert a picture (or 2) of the NONWESTERN work of art you will be discussing. Describe it in detail in your own words. Reflect on what the visual elements and principles of the work of art might imply about the culture that produced it.
Parag. 4 - COMPARE the two works of art and how the beliefs, values, and ideas expressed in them are similar and /or different.
Parag. 5 - Conclusion (3-5 sentences)
At the end your LAST PAGE will be the works cited page - it should list your class notes (if you used them in your paper), your images, and 2-4 outside sources (one or two for each work of art) in MLA format.
**REVIEW THE SAMPLE PAPER ATTACHED TO THIS MODULE, AND MAKE SURE YOUR PAPER FOLLOWS THE SAME BASIC OUTLINE AND FORMATTING!!
***THIS PAPER IS WORTH 200 POINTS - TAKE A LOOK AT THE RESEARCH PAPER RUBRIC ATTACHED SO YOU WILL KNOW HOW YOU ARE BEING GRADED.
****YOUR PAPER MUST BE REVIEWED BY A PEER.
