TWO-DIMENSIONAL (2-D) ART ESSAY
Objective: To help students start to understand and apply ideas about 2-D art media and methods when looking at examples of 2-D artwork.
Materials: Textbook, computer/internet (for finding examples of images), possible outside research.
Assignment Description: Students must choose one (1) example of a historically significant piece of two-dimensional artwork (painting, drawing, printmaking, mosaic, collage) and write an essay of at least 600 words discussing the use of 2-D art media within the piece.
Find a copy of the image online and embed it into your essay document for reference.
Make sure that you name the piece by title, artist, location (where created), and date (when created).
Then begin to discuss the piece based on what its media, or what it’s made out of: oil paint, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, screen-printing, woodblock print, shell mosaic, etc. This should be the focus of your essay.
Firstly, can you tell what it is made of without being told? Can you guess? How can you tell? Be specific!
Second, how does the medium the piece is created with help to enhance the meaning of the piece? Think about things like line quality, intensity, color, opaqueness, etc. Do you think the piece would be different if it were created from another medium?
Really dig deep in your essay! Look at details and specifics, describe what you see and how you come to the conclusions you come to. Make sure you are backing up any statements that you make with evidence/facts/observations.
Discuss the piece in an informed way, using information from the textbook and lectures. Use as many terms as apply, compare to any ideas or images we’ve previously discussed, but make sure that you focus on the main idea: 2-D art media and how it’s used.
What will be due:
- One (1) essay of at least 600 words discussing one (1) specific piece of 2-D art (painting, drawing, mosaic, collage,