Norton Museum Writing Assignment

1. de Beaufort
NORTON MUSEUM VISIT WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Your assignment is to visit the Norton Museum (on your own) and then select a
painting from the collection on view that falls within the historical time periods that
we have covered (1200-1900). Make sure that there is a good image available
online to examine and/or ask the guard if it is ok to take a photo. Your paper
should follow the following format:
List the artist, work, medium and date.
BIO/HISTORICAL CONTEXT
Provide a short biographical sketch of the artist and relate the historical
context that the work was made in. Additionally indicate the regional or
period styles that his/her work references.
o What was the artists life like?
o What is know about his/her personality?
o Who were the artist’s main patrons?
o What was the role of art in the period that he/she was
working?
o What style is the artists known for working in?
1-2 paragraph (6-8 sentences total) addressing 4 of the above
30 points
SUBJECT MATTER
Description (the visual facts)
 Who or what is represented ?
 How are they represented (clothes, placement, scale)?
 How is the painting executed formally?

2.  Painting methods (oil paint, chiaroscuro, detail,
texture, color etc)
 Composition
o Balance, Unity, Perspective
Narration
 What is happening?
o What type of action is evident?
o What emotions are communicated?
2 paragraphs (8-10 sentences total) addressing 5 of the above
30 points
INTERPRETATION
 Why do you think the artist chose to describe and narrate the
scene in the particular way that they did?
 How would the meaning of the work change if painted
differently?
 List the iconography and symbolism evident and describe
how it generates meaning in the work?
o Social roles
o Religious symbols
o Intellectual ideas
1-2 paragraph (6-8 sentences total) addressing 4 of the above
40 points
CITING WEB SOURCES
All writing must be YOUR WORDS ONLY. Cutting and pasting from online
sources is plagiarism and will result in a grade of 0 out of 100. I will randomly
check papers by googling suspicious passages.
You must cite all your sources, INCLUDING and ESPECIALLY WEB
SOURCES.
Please list the author if one is given (not the case for many wiki-sites), website,
article, and sub-heading. Provide a direct link to the URL.

3. Example:
[1] A world History of Art, Art of the Greeks: Archaic Period
http://all-art.org/history52.html
You cannot “quote” anonymous sources, and I’m not interested in reading a lot of
poorly re-worded passages from the internet. You need to say everything in
your own words. Providing citations is essential, remember that plagiarism
results in a 0 grade for this project.
Verbs of Communication
These verbs describe how a subject communicates. In art criticism they are useful during the
interpretation and evaluation of an artwork, but please do not use a word just for the sake of it or
if you are unsure of its meaning.
announce, argue, connote,designate, evidence,express,imply,
import, indicate, insinuate, , mark, signify, typify, appeal, assert,
attest, controvert, defend,demonstrate,denote, display, elucidate,
establish, evince, exhibit, explain, justify, maintain, manifest,
communicate,convey, couch, declare, depict,embody,enunciate,
evince, exhibit, formulate, frame*, import, indicate, insinuate, intimate,
proclaim, pronounce, represent,reveal, suggest,symbolize,
emblematize,embody,epitomize,exemplify, illustrate, indicate,
mirror, personify,typify, demonstrate,exhibit, express,incarnate,
incorporate, manifest, materialize, mirror, objectify,personalize,
personify,realize, reify, substantiate, symbolize, define,delineate,
describe,designate,differentiate,discriminate, feature, identify,
indicate, individualize, individuate, inform, mark, outline, portray,
equal, equate, imitate, personify,substitute, uncover, unearth,
unmask, unveil, characterize

4. Norton Museum
The Museum, located at 1450 S. Dixie Highway between the main east-west
thoroughfares of Okeechobee Boulevard and Belvedere Road, is easy to reach.
Driving / Parking
From I-95, driving from the north, take Exit 70 (Okeechobee Boulevard). Follow
Okeechobee Boulevard east to South Dixie Highway. Turn right (south), and
travel 1/2 mile. Traveling from the south on I-95, you can also take Exit 69
(Belvedere Road) east to South Dixie Highway, and turn left (north) for about one
mile. The Museum will be on your right.
Either way, free parking is available in the lot at 1501 S. Dixie Highway across
the street from the Museum. A passenger drop-off area is located near the
Museum entrance. Using a GPS? To park in the free lot, Input 1501 S. Dixie
Highway, West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
Limited 2-hour metered parking, owned by the City of West Palm Beach, is
available on Diana Way and Acteon Way on the east side of the Museum.
Sunday 11am - 5pm
Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 10pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Museum admission is free to the public on Fridays and Saturdays!