Art Journals

Throughout the year a journal will be kept and created cataloguing one piece
from each chapter theme, artist, or major style. Each entry must have a good copy
of the work (try to get it in color) and no larger than 2 x 3 or smaller than 1 x 1.
Each page must be appropriately titled and labeled. On each page must be included
the following topics and two questions from each topic must be answered fully- no
yes or no answers will be accepted.
Each work must be fully identified. A fully identified piece must include the
following information: Name of the piece, name of the artist(s), style associated
with, size, medium or media used, the date, and the century.
There are four topics that must be covered for each piece and they are:
Subject Matter
Function
Artistic Decision Making
Contextual Analysis
Each of these topics has specific questions that have to be addressed as well as
some topics have choices of topics to address.

Please choose questions that pertain and are relevant

to the image you have chosen. Irrelevant questions will
score o points for the response.
SUBJECT MATTER
Choose the one question in this section that best answers and addresses the work
and then answer the question in detail- one word answers or yes and no answers do
not answer the question. Write out the question then answer. Thisshouldbeatleastone
fullparagraphinlength710sentences.(2pointsforonechoice)
1- Subject- What does the work depict? Who is depicted in the work?
2- Iconography- What do the figures and objects in the work represent or
symbolize?
3- Narration- What is the event or series of events being presented to the
viewer?
4- For architecture only- Describe the structure physically.

FUNCTION
Thissectionisbrokenupintothreedistinctsections:WHY,WHOM,andWHERE.Onequestionfrom
eachofthesectionsmustbeaddressedcompletelyandindepth.Againnoyesornoanswerswillbe
accepted,andwriteouteachquestionthenansweritcompletelywithacompleteparagraph.

WHY(2Points)
wastheworkcreated?
wasitcreatedforreligiousworship?
wasitcreatedtoentertainortopleasetheeye?

wasitcreatedforpropagandisticpurposes?
wasitcreatedtoaddressasocialissue?
wasitcreatedtocommemorateanevent?
wasitcreatedtocommemoratethelifeofafamousperson?
wasitcreatedasanexpressionofwealthandstatus?
wasitcreatedtosavoramemory?
wascreatedtodocumentaplaceandtime?
wasitcreatedtopromoteanartistictheoryorphilosophicalidea?
wasitcreatedtotellastory?
wasitcreatedtoestablishapersonalorculturalidentity?
wasitcreatedtoexpresssomehumanemotion?(Love,Grief,Anger,etc...)
wasitcreatedtoimpressotherswithtechnicalskill?
wasitcreatedasagifttoagodoranotherperson?
wasitcreatedasaformofscientificstudy?
wasitcreatedforprivateenjoyment?
wasitcreatedforpracticalreasonsonly?(I.e.toprovideshelter,tohuntwithetc...)

WHOM(2points)
forwhomwastheworkcreated?
whowasthepatron?
whydidthepatroncommissionthework?
towhatdegreecouldthepatronbedescribedasreligiousorsecular?
towhatdegreewasthepatroninvolvedintheartisticdecisionmakingprocess?
wasitcreatedforthemassmarket?
wasitcreatedfortheartisthimself/herself?

WHERE(2points)
wasitcreatedforachurchorplaceofreligiousworship?
wastheworkoriginallyintendedtobelocated?
wasitcreatedforaprivatehomeorapublicplace?
wasitcreatedforadramaticoutdoorsettingoraninteriorspace?
wasitcreatedforaparticularviewpoint?(wormseyeorbirdseye?)
wasitintendedtobeseenwithaparticularkindoflighting?
wasitcreatedasacomplementtoanothernearbyworkofart?(suchasabuildingorasculpture?)
wasitcreatedtocompetewithanothernearbyworkofart?
wasitcreatedforacompetitiveexhibition?
wasitcreatedforaportableobject?(I.e.abookorareliquary)

ARTISTICDECISIONMAKING
Thissectionaddressestheartisticsideoftheartwork.Inordertoproperlyanswerthisquestionregarding:
words,concepts,techniques,philosophicalideas,andtrendsresearchisrequiredtoproperlyaddressthis
onequestionsatisfactory.Bespecificandrelatetheanswertotheactualworkofart.

WHAT(2points)
whatdecisionsdidtheartistorarchitectmakewhilecreatingthisworkofart?
whatmediumwasusedandwhy?

whattechniquewasusedandwhy?(I.e.allaprima,trompeloeil,grisaille,etc...)
whatformatwasusedandwhy?(I.e.relief,freestanding,2D,vertical,etc...)
Whattypeofcolorschemewasusedandwhy?(I.e.neutral,intense,arbitrary,monochromatic,etc...)
whattypeoflightingwasusedandwhy?
whattypeoftexturewasemployedandwhy?
whattypeoflinewasusedandwhy?(I.e.vertical,horizontal,diagonal,calligraphic,gestural,etc...)
whatsocalledPrinciplesofDesignwereused?(balance,rhythm,movement,unity,emphasis,
harmony,pattern,andvariety)didtheartistemployanyandwhy?
whatwasthereasonsfortheartistsdecisionregardingthescaleoftheworkandwhy?(scale=size)
whatmodeofrepresentationwasused(i.e.abstract,naturalistic,stylized,idealized,etc...)andwhy?
whatrulesdidtheartistfollowinaccordancewiththestyleofaparticulartimeandplace?
whatrulesdidtheartistbreakawayfrominordertoinnovateorexperiment?
whatpreparationsweremadebeforecreatingthework?
didtheartistobservefromnatureorconformtoarchetypalforms?
howdidtheartistorarchitectcomposeorstructuretheworkandwhy?(i.e.symmetrical,asymmetrical,
radial,random,proportional,bilateral,openform,closedform,etc...)
howmuchtimewasspentontheworkandwhy?
didtheartistorarchitectchoosetoemulatetheworkofanotherartistorarchitectandwhy?
whatconventionsdidtheartistuseandwhy?
whatconventionsdidtheartistalterorchangeandwhy?

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Thisportionofthe analysisofanyartworkistalkingaboutthecontextualelementsofthework.Thisis
theportionthatneedsspecificinformationregardingthehistorical,cultural,philosophical,attitudes,and/
orreligiousideologiesoftheworkandtheeraandplaceanyworkwascreatedinorduring.Researchand
readingwillberequiredtofullyandspecificallyaddressthe ONE questionsthatisrequiredforthis
section.Again,yesandnoanswersarenotpermittedandeachquestionshouldbewellthoughtoutand
explainedindetail.

HOWhowdoestheworkREFLECTthecultureofaparticulartimeandplace?
howdoestheworkreflectreligiousbeliefs?
howdoestheworkreflectpoliticalideologies?
howdoestheworkreflectphilosophicalideologies?
howdoestheworkreflectattitudestowardssocialclassandgender?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturesconceptofaestheticbeauty?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturesconceptofpowerandauthority?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturesconceptofmorality?
howdoestheworkreflectacultureschangingtastes?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturesconceptofnormality,perhapswithaviewintothedailylifeof
ordinarypeople?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturesconceptofnatureandmansrelationshipwithnature?
howdoestheworkreflectaculturalviewofhistoryandtradition?
howdoestheworkreflectcrossculturalinfluences?
howdoestheworkreflectthestatusoftheartistorarchitect?
howdoestheworkreflecttheimpactofsubculturesexistingwithinalarger,mainstreamculture?
howdoestheworkreflecttheimpactofnewscientificdiscoveriesorinventions?

howdoestheworkreflectthelifestyleandmilieuoftheartistorarchitect?

ArtJournalsareworth20pointseach.

Use your book, www.smarthistory.org, and or the Internet to get the

answerstoaddressthequestions.