Reading: Carefully read Chapter 1, paying close attention to the works of art used as examples of the concepts covered in the chapter. Assignment Instructions: Choose two of the following concepts covered in this chapter to use as your titles for each of the two analyses required for this chapter. Each analysis must address a specific, different concept and students must demonstrate understanding of how their selected works of art clearly illustrate the chosen specific concepts, repeated before each of the analysis required: • Art gives us pictures of deities or helps us conceive of what divinity might be. • Art embodies the customs, beliefs, and values of the culture that uses it. • Art entertains, communicates emotions and aesthetics of an individual artist. • Visual form, sculpture and three-dimensional pieces, are created from costly materials in order render large scale, strong, lasting historical symbols, sometimes lasting for thousands of years. • Art is an expression of our human response to the world and while some is realistic or made "from life, other works come from memory or reflections on life, like poems. Using your own words, explain how your selected artwork embodies the concept you selected, and repeated as your title for each analysis. Describe specific details, both obvious and subtle, from within the artwork image to support your comments. Explain how at least one of the Art Elements and/or Design Principles (explained Chapter 2) were used by the artist/s to help convey meaning to viewers. For example, how would a black and white photograph impact the ways in which viewers understand the artist's intentions? Why would one use black and white in any work of art, as opposed to full color? Important Notice: You must explain how at least one of the art terms, which you explained in your Chapter 2 assignment, functions within and is used by the artist/s to help convey meaning the viewer in each future analysis, in order to earn full credit. Note: Students must underline the specific term/s used in each analysis. A "Personal Responses" paragraph should follow each analysis, where you express your personal reactions to, perceptions of, and insights into each selected work of art. Answer the questions, for example: • How does the work make you feel? • What are you reminded of? • What do you think were the intentions of the artist/s? • What value is the work to viewers? Additional Instructor's Note: What is art? Art is strictly a human phenomenon, and there is no one definition, which can be applied to all time and all people or places. Some animals make tools, but they do not consider the aesthetics of (how to increase the beauty of) their tools. For example, they do not consider carving a beautiful handle or decorating them with jewels. None except human beings make art to better understand their life experience or to communicate some idea about the world to other human beings. You must repeat the topic or specific concept assi ...

1. Reading:
Carefully read Chapter 1, paying close attention to the works of
art used as examples of the concepts covered in the chapter.
Assignment Instructions:
Choose two of the following concepts covered in this chapter to
use as your titles for each of the two analyses required for this
chapter. Each analysis must address a specific, different concept
and students must demonstrate understanding of how their
selected works of art clearly illustrate the chosen specific
concepts, repeated before each of the analysis required:
• Art gives us pictures of deities or helps us conceive of what
divinity might be.
• Art embodies the customs, beliefs, and values of the culture
that uses it.
• Art entertains, communicates emotions and aesthetics of an
individual artist.
• Visual form, sculpture and three-dimensional pieces, are
created from costly materials in order render large scale, strong,
lasting historical symbols, sometimes lasting for thousands of
years.
• Art is an expression of our human response to the world and
while some is realistic or made "from life, other works come
from memory or reflections on life, like poems.
Using your own words, explain how your selected artwork
embodies the concept you selected, and repeated as your title
for each analysis. Describe specific details, both obvious and
subtle, from within the artwork image to support your
comments.
Explain how at least one of the Art Elements and/or Design
Principles (explained Chapter 2) were used by the artist/s to
help convey meaning to viewers. For example, how would a
black and white photograph impact the ways in which viewers
understand the artist's intentions? Why would one use black and

2. white in any work of art, as opposed to full color?
Important Notice: You must explain how at least one of the art
terms, which you explained in your Chapter 2 assignment,
functions within and is used by the artist/s to help convey
meaning the viewer in each future analysis, in order to earn full
credit.
Note: Students must underline the specific term/s used in each
analysis.
A "Personal Responses" paragraph should follow each analysis,
where you express your personal reactions to, perceptions of,
and insights into each selected work of art. Answer the
questions, for example:
• How does the work make you feel?
• What are you reminded of?
• What do you think were the intentions of the artist/s?
• What value is the work to viewers?
Additional Instructor's Note: What is art? Art is strictly a
human phenomenon, and there is no one definition, which can
be applied to all time and all people or places. Some animals
make tools, but they do not consider the aesthetics of (how to
increase the beauty of) their tools. For example, they do not
consider carving a beautiful handle or decorating them with
jewels. None except human beings make art to better understand
their life experience or to communicate some idea about the
world to other human beings.
You must repeat the topic or specific concept assigned at the
beginning of each of your analyses.
Please follow the same formatting illustrated in the "Exemplary
Student Examples" in order to fulfill all requirements and earn
the most points possible. Also, use the "Guidelines for Writing
about Art" document to help elaborate each analysis, and make
sure you describe not only the obvious but also the subtle
details in each work which support your analyses in order to
meet the minimum requirement of 10 sentences for the analysis
portion of the assignment.
Use the grading rubric provided for this assignment as your

3. guidelines and review the Exemplary Student Examples in order
to develop an in depth response and earn the most points
possible for your efforts. Each analysis portion of this chapter
assignment must meet the minimum requirement of 10
sentences, excluding your personal responses, reactions,
perceptions, insights, etc. for each artwork image you select for
analysis.
The titles of all works of art of must be in italics or "quotation
marks". Give the title of the artwork and either the artist's name
or the name of the culture in which the art was produced if there
is no artist name. Information about each image in our textbook
can be found in the credit lines next to the images in the
textbook.
GRADING RUBRIC - WRITTEN CHAPTER ASSIGNMENTS:
6.5 points - Student has repeated the concept before every
analysis, used correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar and
has placed all titles into italics or "quotes" (if handwritten).
15 points - Student's analysis illustrates, in their own words, in
depth understanding and synthesis of the reading material with
regard to specific, selected concepts for each analysis.
9 points - Student described specific details, both obvious and
subtle, from within the image/ artwork to support their
comments
10 points - Student explained how at least one of the formal Art
Elements (Line, Color, Shape/s, Texture, Contrast, and Space)
and/or the Design Principles (Balance, Rhythm, Proportion,
Emphasis, implied Motion, Time, and Scale) are used in each
artwork to help convey meaning to the viewers.
13 points - Student's analysis (1st paragraph) meets minimum
requirement of ten sentences per analysis, in addition to their
"Personal Response" paragraph/s which must follow each
analysis. Repeated concepts and titles of analysis are not
counted toward this minimum requirement
12.5 points - Student expressed, in one separate paragraph
labeled "Personal Responses" for each artwork selected, in
depth personal responses to, perceptions of, and insights into

4. the piece. A "Personal Response" follows each and every
analysis (see examples).)
TOTAL: 65 points
Assignments with excessive spelling, grammar, or punctuation
errors will receive zero points and will not be returned to
students for revision or editing. Students earn zero points for
copying or rearranging (plagiarizing) the textbook authors' or
any authors adjectives, words, phrases, sentences, etc., and, at
the instructor's discretion, an "F" for the course.
Note: Remember, every artwork analysis must explain the work
in light of one specific different concept, repeated/used as titles
for assignment analyses.
GUIDELINES for discussing and writing about visual works of
art!
Throughout this course, you will be exploring different ways of
seeing, analyzing, and writing about works of art. After reading
the material in the textbook, students are expected to illustrate
their in-depth comprehension and synthesis of that material by
analyzing that information in light of specific, assignment
topics or concepts for each assignment, using their own
personal words.
From our Syllabus: Acquiring critical thinking skills in art
increases our ability to make observations and refines the
perceptual as well as interpretive skills needed to understand
information conveyed through imagery. Thinking about and
interpreting visual information involves four different areas of
inquiry, which all are considered higher level thinking skills:
description, formal analysis, interpretation, and judgment.
Please use the four areas of inquiry when writing your analyses:
• One very good way to understand an artist's intentions and the
ideas embodied in a work of art is simply to describe everything
you see: the objects, people, animals, landscape, architectural
structures, the weather and what that might imply, etc. That will
give you a clear explanation of the ideas and theme/ topics
being addressed by the artists. You should look beyond the

5. obvious details to include the more subtle ones as well in order
to decipher the specific ideas being portrayed.
• One should always include an explanation of at least some of
the formal art elements (Line, Color, Shape, Texture, Contrast,
and Space) as well as the Design Principles (Balance, Rhythm,
Proportion/Emphasis, Implied Movement and Time, and Scale)
at work in the piece as they are used to reinforce or embody the
ideas of each artists and help to convey meaning to the viewer.
This art terminology is covered in Chapter 2 of our textbook
and in the 3rd paragraph of the "Exemplary Final Exam".
Note: Each of these art elements and design principles is used in
every work of art and you are required to explain where in the
artwork you see each.
• In addition to discussing the facts presented in the textbook,
online, etc. about the artworks, you must explain the artist's
intention or the ideas the artist/s is conveying to viewers in the
work. In other words, how have you or do you interpret the
ideas embodied in the image/ artwork?
• Finally, you can discuss what value a work of art has in terms
of its effect on the viewer or the importance to society. For
example, you might explain the specific historical and/or socio-
economic references or content, its impact on the art world or
society as a whole, and/or how it reflects the idea of art for art's
sake, etc.
Answer the question: What is the importance, significance or
contribution of this work?
Additionally, you are required to express your own personal
responses to, perceptions of, and insights into each of your
selected works of art: what resonates with you personally about
the image: what are your unique connections or perceptions of
it? etc.
• Please include each of the above four areas of inquiry in order
to respond in depth and earn the most points for your
assignments. Remember; follow the specific instructions for
each assignment, as they vary.
Note: Copying or simply rearranging the words of our or any

6. other resource (without proper citation) will result in an F for
the assignment, and, at the instructor's discretion, an F for the
course.
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Chapter 1 Example: Art is a Human Phenomenon
You may not use this artwork for any of your analysis or
anywhere in the course assignments.
CONCEPT: Visual form, sculpture and three-dimensional
pieces, are created from costly materials in order render large
scale, strong, lasting historical symbols, sometimes lasting for
thousands of years
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius(3rd Edition, Fig. 1.2
or 4th Edition, Fig. 1.3) is a Roman statue that was created in
175 CE. This statue has an impressive, complex visual three-
dimensional form in that it is made of hollow cast bronze and
stands over eleven feet tall: it is therefore, large scale and
larger than life. The statue displays the mighty Marcus Aurelius
who appears to be waving to his adoring people as his powerful
horse gallops obediently and gracefully. The function of this
statue is to illustrate Marcus Aurelius' power, strength, and
dominance as a ruler. His STATURE is illustrated in the
PROPORTIONS of his body, which are exaggerated, making
him EMPLASIZED because he is taller than the horse if he were
to dismount the beast! This work of art conveys a sense of
superiority and leadership that is intimidating due to the
massive SCALE/overall size. I would consider this to be an
idealized piece of art because of Ancient Rome's dominance in
conquering other cities, and the fact that Marcus Aurelius is
swiftly moving on a horse, implying an overall function of
glorifying war. The stylistic trait of an important figure being
on a horse also gives insight to Rome's cultural style at the
time, which was heavily influenced by war and dominion in the
world so that the statue's overall purpose is to glorify his ruler,

7. Marcus Aurelius, and Rome's powerful in the world during this
historical period of time.
Personal Response:
What resonates with me personally in this work is the seeming
gentleness of Marcus' outstretched hand. The horse's gaze, as
well as the look on Aurelius' face, conveys a peaceful and
compassionate state of mind to me, even as the overall the
artwork embodies the idea of superiority, dominance and
strength. The sculpture is very large-scale and therefore, meant
to be a little intimidating, like the dominance over more
'ordinary' people and thus, ensuring his image as a 'ruler' of
others. I found the material used, bronze, also contributed to the
grandeur and authority of this three-dimensional sculpture, as
bronze seems to me a timeless art material that equates in my
mind with objects, and therefore the events they reflect, that
endure in time and are part of history.