SU HUM1002 Discussions Latest 2022 April (Full)

HUM1002 History of Art from Middle Ages

Week 1 Discussion

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

For this week's discussion assignment, you will explore the characteristics of Early Renaissance art in both Northern and Southern Europe. Address each part of the assignment below:

Part 1

Two of the great innovations of the Renaissance in painting were the artist's ability to depict a more contemporary world, and to create the illusion of a three-dimensional world in a painting. By studying and comparing paintings created in Italy from the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries, you can see how this innovation developed:

Giotto. Lamentation Fresco in the Scrovegni (Arena) Chapel, 1305–06

Masaccio, The Tribute Money, c. 1427

Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, 1481

In a minimum of 2 well-developed paragraphs, identify and describe at least 3 specific details or elements that progressively illustrate the artist's concern for depicting a more natural world and for creating the illusion of three-dimensional space on the two-dimensional surface of the painting.

Part 2

As we learned this week, art historians analyze a work of art using a specific vocabulary to describe its physical and visual properties, and by interpreting its subject matter, symbolism, and socio-historical context. Select one of the following paintings:

Jan Van Eyck, Double Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife, 1434

Petrus Christus, A Goldsmith in His Shop, 1449

Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece, 1474-76

For your selected painting:

In a paragraph of 4-6 sentences, describe the composition of the painting, including its use of color and light, and the representation of space. Explain why some artistic elements in the painting look realistic to you and some do not look realistic. Discuss whether the figures fit into the space, whether their movements seem believable, whether their clothes fit their bodies properly, and whether there are shadows that make sense.

Read about your selected painting in the course textbook and/or through reliable online resources. In a paragraph of 4-6 sentences, describe the overall subject matter of the painting; the meaning of some of the objects in the painting; and any social, historical, political, and/or religious factors that are important to understanding the painting. Be sure to provide citations for any outside sources you reference in this part of your response.

Respond to both parts of the assignment thoroughly, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.

As soon as possible, review and comment on the work of two of your peers. In your comments, consider areas you would suggest for expansion or clarification

HUM1002 History of Art from Middle Ages

Week 2 Discussion

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Question 1: Renaissance and Baroque Sculpture in Italy

The biblical hero David was a popular subject for sculpture and painting throughout the Renaissance and into the Baroque period. By studying, comparing, and contrasting sculptures of David created in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries, you can begin to see the stylistic changes that occurred across these centuries. In a minimum of 3 well-developed paragraphs, compare and contrast the following 3 sculptures of David:

Early Renaissance: Donatello. David. 1446-1460.

High Renaissance: Michelangelo. David. 1501-1504.

Baroque. Gianlorenzo Bernini. David. 1623.

In your comparison, discuss:

What specific visual similarities do you observe in these three sculptures?

What specific differences do you see? Consider the representation of the figure, additional objects portrayed, and the role of the viewer for each sculpture

How has the attitude of David changed between these three representations?

How is each sculpture representative of the time period and style in which it was created?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Question 2: Dutch Baroque Painting

As we learned this week, Dutch Baroque art showed the influence of Protestantism and the middle-class merchants and traders who served as patrons. Dutch Baroque artists created portraits, still lifes, landscapes, and genre scenes of domestic life.

In a minimum of 2 well developed paragraphs, discuss how the following paintings reflect the social and historical context of sixteenth-century Holland. Consider the influence of religion, commerce, social structure, and/or patrons of the art in your response. Offer specific examples of how the subject of each painting reflects the society and culture in which it was created.

Frans Hals, The Women Regents of the Old Men's Home at Haarlem, c. 1664

Rembrandt van Rijn, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, 1632

Johannes Vermeer, Woman Holding a Balance, c. 1664

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

Respond to both questions as thoroughly as possible, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.As soon as possible, review and comment on the work of two of your peers (click the rubric below to learn how to achieve the most credit). In your comments, consider areas you would suggest for expansion or clarification.

HUM1002 History of Art from Middle Ages

Week 3 Discussion

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Question 1: Monumental Architecture and Sculpture

The cultures we studied this week produced architecture and monumental sculpture, in addition to smaller works of art. Locate three examples of architecture or monumental sculpture from three different cultures listed here: India, China, Japan, Korea, or the Pacific Cultures.

First, completely identify each structure or sculpture you would like to discuss by listing its name, date, and location.

In a minimum of 3 well-developed paragraphs address the following questions:

Who created each work of architecture or sculpture? Who commissioned its creation?

What historical events or social or cultural influences affected the creation of each work?

How do the visual characteristics of each work contribute to or enhance its message or meaning?

How do the reasons these works were created compare with those of a more modern example of monumental art work, such as Mount Rushmore, the 9/11 Memorial, etc.?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific details about each work of architecture or monumental sculpture.

Question 2: The Function of Art Objects

Some of the art objects created by the cultures surveyed this week, whether African masks, Japanese tea bowls, or Micronesian navigational charts, served functional roles in their society. Locate three such objects, one each from the following: Asia, Africa, or the Pacific Cultures.

First, completely identify each object you would like to discuss by listing its name, date, and location.

In a minimum of 2 well-developed paragraphs discuss:

What was the function of each object at the time of its creation?

What historical events or social or cultural influences affected the creation of each work?

How do the visual characteristics of each object contribute to or enhance our understanding of its meaning?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific details about each work.

Respond to both questions as thoroughly as possible, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.

As soon as possible, review and comment on the work of two of your peers.

HUM1002 History of Art from Middle Ages

Week 4 Discussion

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Question 1: Art of the Americas

This week, we studied a vast array of cultural objects produced in North, South, and Central America prior to 1492. Select one object from each of the following cultures: Aztec, Inca, and North (Native) American.

First, identify each object, including its name, date, medium, and location/geographical region of origin.

Then, in a minimum of 2 well-developed paragraphs, address the following questions for each object:

What are the unique and specific visual characteristics of the object? How are these visual characteristics typical of the time and place in which the object was created?

How does meaning or function of the object reflect the culture in which it was produced?

Question 2: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism

Beginning in the 19th century, artistic movements carry the suffix "-ism" to their name. Originally derived from Ancient Greek, "-isms" is appended to a word that then reflects a philosophical concept. In the case of art, it comes to mean the philosophy or approach to art that binds a group of artists together.

Select one representative example from each of the following "-isms" studied this week: Neoclassicism, Romanticism, and Realism. In 3 well-developed paragraphs, discuss:

What is the philosophy or approach to art that is defined by the –ism.

What are the specific visual characteristics of your example that are representative of the overall style of the –ism?

How does the specific subject of your selected work reflect the philosophy of the –ism?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas.

HUM1002 History of Art from Middle Ages

Week 5 Discussion

By the due date assigned, respond to the assigned discussion questions and submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Start reviewing and responding to your classmates as early in the week as possible.

Question 1: The Painting of Modern Life

The late nineteenth century is often cited as a critical point in the development of a "modern" art. Impressionists and Post-Impressionists turned to the contemporary world as primary subject matter, and depicted elements of that world using an innovative style.

Carefully examine the following paintings:

Monet, Rouen Cathedral: The Portal (In Sun), 1894

Manet, Bar at the Folies-Bergère, 1881-82

Seurat, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, c. 1884-86

In 3 well-developed paragraphs, address the following questions:

How is the subject of each painting representative of Impressionism or Post-Impressionism?

How are the style and visual characteristics of each painting representative of Impressionism or Post-Impressionism? Be sure to discuss specific elements such as brushwork/application of paint, use of color and light, and composition, in your response.

Describe the specific ways that each painting shows tension between its inherent two-dimensionality and any illusion of three-dimensionality created by the artist.

Question 2:

Modern and Contemporary Art may seem alien to many people— seemingly without content, message, or purpose. But it can be argued that Modern and Contemporary Art visually reflect the complex and abstract ideas that we experience every day. Although not for everyone, art of the 20th and 21st centuries is often a key part of the collection in many art museums. As you consider the wide range of modern and contemporary art types that we studied this week, think of yourself actually visiting a modern art museum. In 2 well-developed paragraphs discuss:

While you are visiting, what type of Modern or Contemporary art will you most want to see and why? Be sure to name the specific style (e.g., Analytic Cubism, Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism)

What type will you put last on your list of "things to look for?"

Why do you feel that way?

Be sure to explain your ideas clearly and support them by discussing specific works of art that you have read about this week, talking about how they illustrate and support your ideas. Include the images of these specific works of art in your response.

Respond to both questions as thoroughly as possible, making sure to use information from the readings and the lectures. All responses should be in complete sentence form, using proper spelling and grammar.

As soon as possible, review and comment on the work of two of your peers. In your comments, consider areas you would suggest for expansion or clarification.