Paper Analyzing Mona Lisa painting

Selecting an Art Exhibit

You may write your paper by choosing and viewing from the following artwork: painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, or full-round sculpture. Selecting an art exhibit may be a challenge or it may be easy, depending on what you have available. However, even if you live in a small community, you may have some wonderful examples of art available to you, so be sure to look at all the possibilities. Use the following criteria for determining if the work is acceptable for your paper: the level of the artwork must be advanced, and you need to be able to photograph the piece of work you choose for your evaluation. A gallery may have postcards of the work you could use, and this may be useful, since they may not allow you to take photographs of the artwork.

Chuck Kimmerle copyrighted by the University of North Dakota. You must submit the photograph or gallery postcard with your paper so that I can see the work. Please do not plagiarize another paper. I do keep copies of the papers, and I am especially careful when I see people choosing the same piece of artwork. You may fail the lesson and/or fail the course if you plagiarize someone else's writing.

Search for the highest level of artistry you can find. The artist may be a college student, a member of the community, or a nationally known professional. Do not use elementary or high school student's exhibits or artwork for this assignment. If you have plans to visit another city with a better selection of exhibits, incorporate this project into your agenda. Newspapers and local press list the times and locations of exhibits in their area. Also, you can check out the Chamber of Commerce for any city via the Internet.

Selecting the Piece of Artwork for Your Viewing and the Paper

Once you have decided on the gallery exhibit you wish to visit, take a pencil and paper with you. View all the pieces in the exhibit, and be aware of your responses to the artwork. Choose ONE piece of work for your evaluation and paper. Sometimes a work of art that is unsettling is more satisfying to evaluate than one you immediately "like." Allow yourself plenty of time to make a selection, and give yourself the freedom to change your mind. Being in the gallery with the artwork is the most important time; your memory will not provide you with the minute details you notice and record in person. Do not rush this part of the assignment! You only shortchange yourself if you do so. Allow an hour or two, and take notes of your evaluation. Don't discard information or personal responses that seem unimportant at the time-this may be valuable later on.

Structure of Your Paper

Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font. The paper should have all of the following sections and information:
1.Cover sheet: Art exhibit location and date of viewing; title of the artwork, artist's complete name; type of artwork; and your name, course name and number, and date of paper.
2.Body of the paper should be at least two full pages, must contain all the aspects of the evaluation defined below, and must be carefully edited and proofread, or points will be lost.
3.Final page: Copy of the photograph of the artwork, either your own photo or a gallery postcard. Type the artist's name and the title of the work below the copy of the photograph or gallery postcard.

Notice that there is no bibliography with this paper; this is because it is an analytic evaluation, not a research paper. The paper is worth 40 points and is graded on how well you presented each of the four aspects of evaluation described below.

Keep a copy for yourself!

Evaluation of the Artwork

Using Sporre's four questions as a guide, be sure to include all appropriate vocabulary and explain how they are important in the artwork. Look at the table below, and use it as a guide for your evaluation:

Sporre's Four Questions Categories Vocabulary 
What is it?
(5 pts.) Subject Matter •Representational
•Abstract
•Referent

How is it put together?
(20 pts.) 
Medium

Elements of Design

Principles of Design
•Materials
•Techniques
•Line, form, color, value, mass, texture and space
•Repetition, balance, unity, and focal area
•Linear and aerial perspective, chiaroscuro, touch, movement, proportion, and environment

How does it
stimulate our senses?
(5 pts.) Mental Images of
Artwork •Trompe l'oeil, contrast, and dynamics
•Juxtaposition and objectivity

What does it mean?
Artist's Unique Message

Viewer's Personal Response
•Holistic synthesis of the previous terms
•Exploration of your own reactions and response to artwork


You should take the table with you to the exhibit to be sure that you are investigating all aspects of the artwork for your evaluation. Your personal response is very important, but it should be done after your analysis is complete. Explore why you chose this particular piece of work and how the evaluation affected your initial view of the art piece. Try to express the connections you feel with the art in your response. I hope you enjoy this adventure into the art world!