Select one object or image to be the focus of your paper, begin your in-person analysis by noting the information that is provided by the
Learning Goal: I’m working on a art multi-part question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.
Chicago is home to several collections of South Asian art, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the South Asia Institute. For this topic, you should plan to visit either of these museums and select on object that is presently on display for careful analysis and research.
Select one object or image to be the focus of your paper, begin your in-person analysis by noting the information that is provided by the museum. Then turn your attention to the object and examine it with care. It can be helpful to ask questions of the object and notice how your observations also create questions. While not relevant to all museum object, here are some questions you might consider while you are at the museum:
Medium and Format:
Is your object a painting, a sculpture, a vessel, or other format?
Can you tell what materials have been used to create this object?
Is the object complete or a fragment from a larger whole?
Does anything about this image’s appearance suggest its original location or use?
Subject Matter:
Can you identify the figures, if any, represented?
Do these figures seem to be humans, deities, or animals?
If the human figure is not present, what other forms convey the subject of the object?
Is there any indication of a narrative or a specific moment in time?
Composition:
How are the figures or other motifs positioned?
How do you move your eye through the scene?
Does a particular figure or feature attract your attention? Why?
Does the scene suggest motion?
Does the scene have a clearly defined setting?
Space:
How is space represented?
Is there a sense of distance? Can you identify a foreground and a background?
How has scale been used?
Are some figures or objects larger than others?
Where are you, the viewer, located in relation to the scene?
Do you view these events from a single vantage point?
Color and line:
How has color been used?
Do any obvious contrasts in color draw your attention?
How would you describe the pigments used: opaque or translucent, dull or glossy?
How are the various forms and figures differentiated?
Are objects defined by lines or shading?
Surface and Depth: (perhaps more relevant to three-dimensional objects)
Is the surface smooth or rough?
Are the lines deeply or shallowly carved?
Do the forms seem to emerge from the background or is the surface flat?
Do the frontal and side views differ?
Is the object “in the round” (or fully finished on all sides)?
The Museum: (Carefully observe the gallery.)
How is this image displayed?
How is the image lit?
What other objects surround this image?
Can the images in the gallery be read together to create a larger meaning?
What type of information does the museum provide about the gallery space or the object?
How did this object leave South Asia and arrive in Chicago?
Response:
What is your reaction to the object?
How do the formal elements of the object contribute to your reaction?
Does the museum space contribute to your response?
As noted. not all of these questions will be applicable to the object or image you have selected. You might also choose to begin by thinking more broadly–why does this object look as it does? At some point in your examination of the object, you should make a sketch of it. Your drawing need not be “suitable for framing,” but you should turn it in with your final paper.
Your careful analysis in the museum will reveal a great deal of information about a piece of art, but it will also raise a number of perplexing questions that you will not be able to answer. What is the subject depicted? Why was this object made? Where was it originally installed? These questions and many others will guide your initial research. You will now want to turn to addition sources of information to begin to address some of the most intriguing questions that your visual observations may have raised. You might find very little information about the specific object in the museum, but can you begin to find related objects that other scholars have discussed? How is the object in the museum similar to or different from these objects? How might you account for those similarities and differences? Such questions will not only provide direction for your research but also serve as the foundation of your paper’s argument.
General Expectations:
In this paper, you will be expected to combine careful analysis of visual material (objects, images, or architectural sites) with some preliminary research in order to advance an argument. Your paper must have an identifiable thesis statement, and you must provide evidence to support that thesis within the body of your paper. Evidence should include your observations of an object and information found in primary and secondary sources. For example, if you were to write a paper on the pillar capital from Sarnath, your primary sources would include analysis of the capital and of the inscription carved into the pillar. Secondary sources would be your consideration of other scholars’ analysis of the capital. Think of your paper’s thesis statement as the answer to one or two key questions.
Whenever you cite the work of another scholar (either directly or indirectly), you must be certain to include a complete citation of the source from which you took the relevant information. Please consult the Chicago Manual of Style for guidelines on the appropriate formats for footnotes within the body of your paper and for your list of works cited. Be sure to use the “notes and bibliography” documentation system.
Bibliographic requirements:
You must create a list of works cited. You should consult a minimum of six sources, at least one of which should be a journal article. You may count only one reputable internet source (such as a museum website) toward the six required sources; however, you are free to use as many reputable on-line resources as you wish. Note: articles from peer-reviewed academic journals that are accessed through on-line databases such as J-stor will count as journal articles rather than as internet sources.
Final Submission:
Upload the three main components of your paper–six-eight pages of text (typed, double-spaced, with standard margins), your sketch (for Topic 1) and illustrations of all objects discussed in your paper, and a list of works cited–as a single pdf.
Here are a few works of art to study:
- God Krishna Dancing on the Head of the Snake Demon Kaliya (Kaliyadamana), Vijayanagar period, 14th century
- Buddha Shakyamuni Seated in Meditation (Dhyanamudra), Chola period (c. 855-1279), about 12th century
- Twenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, 10th century
- The Birth and the First Seven Steps of the Buddha, Kushan period, about 2nd/3rd century
- God Shiva Seated in Loving Embrace with Goddess Uma on the Bull Nandi, 9th century
- Bracelets with Confronting Makara Heads (Karas), 19th century
- Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja), Chola period, about 10th/11th century
- God Vishnu with Goddesses Lakshmi and Sarasvati, Pala period, 10th/12th century
Answer preview Select one object or image to be the focus of your paper, begin your in-person analysis by noting the information that is provided by the
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