Reflection Paper: A Comparative Visual Analysis

Below is a list of five pairs of paintings on view at the Norton Simon Museum. Select ONE pair and write a comparative visual analysis of the two images.

Choose ONE of these PAIRS from the Norton Simon Museum:

1. The Ragpicker by Edouard Manet, 1860-65 and Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier), by Vincent van Gogh, 1888.

2. Still Life with Cooking Utensils, by Jean-Batiste Simeon Chardin, 1728-30 and Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose, Francisco de Zurbaran, 1633.

3. Evening in the Meadows, by Aelbert Cuyp, mid 1650s and Three Great Trees in a Mountainous Landscape with a River, by Jacob van Ruisdael c. 1665-70.

4. Tahitian Woman and Boy, by Paul Gauguin, 1899 and In a Villa at the Seaside, by Berthe Morisot, 1874.

5. David Slaying Goliath, by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1616 and The Sense of Touch, by Jusepe de Visual Analysis Assignment SPR 2015

Final Paper: Due 5/14; only hardcopy, no late papers will be accepted.

Length: 4-5 typed pages (MLA format; double-spaced, one-inch margins etc.)

Value: 20% of your overall course grade

Instructions on VISUAL ANALYSIS

A good way to begin looking at works of art is by comparing and contrasting what you see in a pair of images or objects. Whether you are looking at works of art, apartments, cars, clothes, whatever, comparing and contrasting sharpens your awareness of the similarities and differences. When looking at works of art, your aim is to understand the details of what you are seeing and to formulate ideas - ideas that can be proved by recourse to what can be seen in the image you are discussing.

This assignment is primarily descriptive. Once you have chosen one of the pairs, you might begin by contrasting the general structure of each work; the arrangement of the composition - of objects, forms, space, and lines.