The purpose of this research paper is to allow you to go more in depth into the study of a specific artist and work of art, and to prepare you for the formal research and writing assignments you will encounter throughout your college experience.
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art criticism typically includes evaluating style, theme, movements (surrealism, modernism, etc.), historical and/or sociological aspects (how does the art fit into a historical period or how have sociological aspects affected the art piece), and interpretation of the art piece (what the viewer "gets" or "sees" from the art).
You will select an artist and work of art from a list provided by your professor. The assignment is broken into 3 stages to help you stay focused on the process and prevent you from becoming overwhelmed at the end of the term.
Dates for submission of each stage will be given to you by your professor and listed in your syllabus.
The first stage is to submit your chosen work of art and an annotated bibliography for the sources you will be using. To create an annotated bibliography, begin with the complete citation for the work in the appropriate Chicago Style. Next, write a short summary of the source. This will include how this source will assist in your research, and a summary of the information that will be used from the source.
Research guidelines:
MUST use at least five sources
The second stage is the outline. The outline is exactly that: how your research paper will flow. The outline should show the research you are presenting and how ir supports your thesis. Creating an outline at this point in the process makes writing the actual paper much easier.
The downside is that you will need to have all your research completed and be ready to start writing. Any articles or books that you may need to borrow through Interlibrary Loan will need to have already been requested and received.
The third stage is the final paper. Writing the paper at this point should be much easier since all of the research has been gathered in order to submit your annotated bibliography and the outline.
Guidelines for final paper