AHVS 121 Understanding Visual Communication Winter 2020 Assignment 2 This week’s assignment considers issues involved with physical, spatial and cultural context focussing on a case study involving two portraits by Leonardo da Vinci as displayed in an exhibition at the National Gallery London. Please note, I am not asking for biographical research on Leonardo, or for discussion of his other paintings. The goals of the assignment are to: 1) to consider the issues and concerns of curating a display 2) to consider the differences between historical and ahistorical (whether thematic or revisionist) modes of display 3) to consider one’s own reception of the given artworks and to consider how others might experience them Based upon the concepts and examples from lecture and tutorial, and considering how spatial circumstances affect viewer experience, discuss the choices for the display of these two portraits. Basic questions to consider might include: What kind of narrative is being created by the arrangement of the portraits? Why does this matter? How might the viewer experience this part of the exhibit? What other associated circumstances might also be factors? Would you arrange them this way? Why or why not? What are some other ways in which the images could have been arranged? What are the implications of these choices? Minimum 750 words, due to me by email as an attachment to [email protected] Before Monday January 27, 2020 at 3:30PM. Please see course outline for important details on how to format & submit assignments. mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan In 2011, the National Gallery in London held a major exhibition focussing on da Vinci’s paintings. If you want the complete exhibition guide it can be found near the bottom of the page at this site: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the- court-of-milan This assignment is concerned with the display of the paintings and Details and images of the two portraits can be found on the next page. Other works in the room by Leonardo were mostly sketches (hands, animals) that scholars believe served as studies for the two paintings under discussion. In this YouTube video at about the 0:50 mark, the curator is being interviewed in front of the larger painting. As the camera moves back at 1:03, you can see the arrangement with the smaller portrait on the wall to the left (clearer than in this screenshot) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv_sP5VM8Vg (there are several other YouTube videos that may show the space as well - up to you how many you want to watch). The two paintings were displayed in Room 2 of the Exhibition, a space organized around the theme of “Beauty and Love”. In the room, the curator chose to hang on the half wall, opposite the doorway from Room 1. was hung on the wall to the left, “looking at” the other p.

1. AHVS 121 Understanding Visual Communication
Winter 2020 Assignment 2
This week’s assignment considers issues involved with physical,
spatial and cultural context focussing on a case study involving
two portraits by Leonardo da Vinci as displayed in an exhibition
at the National Gallery London. Please note, I am not asking for
biographical research on Leonardo, or for discussion of his
other paintings.
The goals of the assignment are to:
1) to consider the issues and concerns of curating a display
2) to consider the differences between historical and ahistorical
(whether thematic or revisionist) modes of display
3) to consider one’s own reception of the given artworks and to
consider how others might experience them
Based upon the concepts and examples from lecture and tutorial,
and considering how spatial circumstances affect viewer
experience, discuss the choices for the display of these two
portraits.
Basic questions to consider might include:
What kind of narrative is being created by the arrangement of
the portraits? Why does this matter?
How might the viewer experience this part of the exhibit? What
other associated circumstances might also be factors?
Would you arrange them this way? Why or why not?

2. What are some other ways in which the images could have been
arranged? What are the implications of these choices?
Minimum 750 words, due to me by email as an attachment to
[email protected]
Before Monday January 27, 2020 at 3:30PM.
Please see course outline for important details on how to format
& submit assignments.
mailto:[email protected]
mailto:[email protected]
Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan
In 2011, the National Gallery in London held a major exhibition
focussing on da Vinci’s
paintings. If you want the complete exhibition guide it can be
found near the bottom of the
page at this site:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-
on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-
court-of-milan
This assignment is concerned with the display of the paintings
and
Details and images of the two portraits can be found on the next
page.
Other works in the room by Leonardo were mostly sketches

3. (hands, animals)
that scholars believe served as studies for the two paintings
under discussion.
In this YouTube video at about the 0:50 mark, the curator is
being interviewed
in front of the larger painting.
As the camera moves back at 1:03, you can see the arrangement
with the
smaller portrait on the wall to the left (clearer than in this
screenshot)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv_sP5VM8Vg (there are
several other
YouTube videos that may show the space as well - up to you
how many you
want to watch).
The two paintings were displayed in Room 2 of the Exhibition,
a space organized around the
theme of “Beauty and Love”. In the room, the curator chose to
hang
on the half wall, opposite the doorway from Room 1. was hung
on the
wall to the left, “looking at” the other portrait. As most scholars
identify
as the wife of Ludovico Sforza, this arrangement of paintings
created an

4. interesting dynamic between the two paintings which was
commented on by many visitors to the
gallery. Keep in mind, that in their own time, these works were
not displayed together.
The Lady with an Ermine
The Belle Ferronnière
The Belle Ferronnière
The Belle Ferronnière
The Lady with an Ermine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv_sP5VM8Vg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sv_sP5VM8Vg
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-
on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan-
9-november-2011-1200
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-
on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan-
9-november-2011-1200
Information excerpted from the exhibition guide
Spring 2020
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS

5. Writing and Submission Requirement
Length: 1,000-1,250 words not including the Works Cited
Section.
Format: MLA Style (see MLA handout on the Course
Resources page in Canvas). 12-point Times font, double-spaced,
one-inch margins, name and date, paginated.
Submission: Submit the assignment electronically as an
attachment through Assignments in Canvas in Word format
(.doc or .docx) by 8:00 AM on Monday, April 13.
Writing Prompt
A hundred years after Antigone was first performed, Aristotle
described the concept of Catharsis as an emotional purge of fear
and pity in which the audience, by experiencing these bad
feelings while watching the play, purged themselves of their
own such feelings. Using Sophocles as one of his primary
models, he argued that a character must be endowed with both
good and bad qualities to gain the audience’s sympathy and
achieve catharsis. Which character, by demonstrating a noble
yet flawed nature, most elicits your sympathy and helps achieve
catharsis and, in your opinion, how effectively is that catharsis
facilitated for a modern audience?
Organization and Format
Introduction

6. Start your paper by succinctly introducing your topic.
Explain what you are going to prove or claim about the topic
[i.e., “Thesis Statement” or “Claim”].
Your thesis statement needs to be specific and concrete.
Avoid statements that are general and sweeping that go beyond
the scope of the paper.
Body
Prove what you say you are going to do [i.e., prove your thesis
statement or claim].
Avoid introducing extraneous and tangential material that does
not support your claim.
Remain focused on your topic and thesis statement.
Support your claims about the topic with evidence from the
texts which you either quote (verbatim) or paraphrase (i.e.,
using your own words to summarize the main points of the
reading).
Do not simply state what you believe.
Do not simply summarize the text.
Refer specifically to the text and cite passages and sections of
the work that support the claims that you are asserting.
When quoting and/or paraphrasing sources, be sure to cite them
with in-text citations and list them in your Work Cited section
(see MLA Handout in Writing Resources on the Course
Resources Page in Canvas).
Failure to cite a source which you draw from is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. All instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students.
Conclusion
So what? Explain why your findings matter. Tell the reader
what is significant about your understanding of the text that
helps us better appreciate the conflicts that we are confronted
with in each. Don’t just summarize what you said in the body.

7. Explain to your reader the significance of your investigation.
Works Cited
List in alphabetical order sources which you draw upon in your
paper (i.e., readings which you have quoted, referred to, and/or
paraphrased in your paper (see MLA Handout on the Course
Resources page in Canvas). There is a deduction of 10 points
for any paper without a Works Cited section (see Grading
Rubric on the Essay Assignment in Canvas).
Mechanics
Style
Write simple, straightforward, and coherent sentences.
Use active verbs, and have nouns, not dependent clauses, serve
as subjects of sentences.
Watch out for agreement of tense and number.
Avoid excessive use of dependent clauses in a single sentence.
Avoid repetition of same words.
Avoid use of contractions.
Edit
Print out your paper and correct it by hand.
Voice-over and have your computer read it back to you.
Re-write the paper; don’t be afraid to scrap it and start over.
Correct all grammatical, spelling, and typographical errors.
Format
One-inch margins, double spaced lines, twelve-point font.
HEADING on top of first page, flush right: your name, section
number, TAs name, date.
Place the title of your paper centered and bold face.
**Deduction of 15 points for not submitting the paper by
deadline and 30 points for every day that passes before paper is

8. submitted to Canvas.
Your paper will be marked late
if it is not submitted electronically in Canvas by 8:00 AM on
April 13
2
Name:
Section:
TA:
Date:
Outline for Essay
IDS 1161: What is the Good Life
A. Your Main Claim / Thesis Statement (State in three to five
sentences what you are going to prove in your paper. Be sure to:
· identify the character that you plan to discuss
· specify what it is about the play that you will be analyzing
· directly state connection between your analysis and the
effectiveness of the play for a modern audience to undergo
catharsis.
B. Claim 1 (state which character in the play most elicits your
fear and pity and why )

9. Proof/Point 1 (Evidence in text to support claim. Cite specific
sections)
Proof/Point 2 (Evidence in text to support claim. Cite specific
sections)
Analysis of Points 1 and 2
C. Claim 2 (state the claim that you will be making about how
effective the story of the character you have chosen is in terms
of facilitating catharsis in a modern audience and why)

10. Proof/Point 1 (Evidence in text to support claim. Cite specific
section)
Proof/Point 2 (Evidence in text to support claim. Cite specific
sections)
Analysis of Points 1 and 2
D. Conclusion (state in two to four sentences what is
significance about your findings regarding Sophocles’ Antigone
and the process of catharsis for the modern audience.)