1.2
First, go to the Internet Medieval Source book, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook1old.html#byz1. Choose a source text (a piece of text composed in ancient times) about Byzantium by clicking on an link under the heading “Byzantium” (there are several pages worth – keep scrolling down until you find something that looks interesting, but stop when you hit “Islam”). Read the text.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post that includes the title of the source text, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To find images of artworks in the textbook, use Google Image Search (https://images.google.com/) and type in the caption of the image from the textbook.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry. When writing comments for this assignment, read the source texts selected by other students and describe what you learned from these texts.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
2.1
First, go read the introductory website for the Islamic Art Galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/museum-departments/curatorial-departments/islamic-art. Imagine that you have been hired to lead a tour of these Galleries. Your goal is to teach the tour group about the range of artistic forms and media employed in the art of the Islamic World. Choose five objects from the galleries to include in your tour. To see the objects in the galleries, you can browse all of the Islamic art objects here: http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search?deptids=14&ft=*, or you can look at the objects the museum considers the “highlights” of its Islamic art collection here: http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/highlights-of-the-collection?pg=1&deptids=14.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry. When writing comments for this assignment, click on the links to look at the objects they have chosen. You might want to suggest alternate objects from the galleries that would better fulfill their goals or interest the group they describe.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
2.2
First, visit the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 110th St. (take the 1 train to 110th St. and walk east one block to Amsterdam). The Cathedral is open 7:30-6 pm daily; for more information, go to http://www.stjohndivine.org/visit. There are donation boxes and signs encouraging visitors to make donations at the doors, but you do not have to pay to enter. The Cathedral is a medieval-style building; for more information about its architecture, go here: http://www.stjohndivine.org/about/architecture and click on the links on the lefthand side of the page.
When you visit the Cathedral:
1. Observe the architecture of the Cathedral. Ask yourself how it was built, and if the methods or materials differ from those used in the medieval period. Pay special attention to the unfinished parts of the Cathedral, since you can see the construction techniques best there: look at the central crossing pillars and ceiling from both the inside and the outside of the church (you can get a good view by going into the gardens and walking along the righthand/south side of the exterior of the main church).
2. Draw a simple floor plan of the building (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_plan). Since the space is too big to measure yourself, try to figure out a way of measuring approximately (for example, by counting floor tiles).
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. include an image of your floor plan; and
2. discuss what you learned about the construction methods and materials of the Cathedral from your trip.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save an image of your floor plan, you can take a photograph of it and upload it to your computer, or you can create a floor plan on your computer by using a drawing program.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
3.1
First, sit on the interior stairs John Jay’s New Building and draw a perspectival view of the architectural elements of the interior that you can see from your viewpoint. There are helpful hints on how to draw a perspectival view here: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Draw---Basic-Linear-Perspective/.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. include an image of your perspectival view (and, if you want, another image of a photograph from the same point of view); and
2. discuss what you learned about the progress in representing perspective from the Early to the High Renaissance by making this drawing. Was the process more or less difficult than you expected? Were the rules for drawing it intuitive or difficult to understand or figure out? Are you satisfied with the results of your effort? Do you have any insight into what Renaissance artists may have been thinking, feeling, or trying to do when they were experimenting with perspective?
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save an image of your perspectival view, you can take a photograph of it and upload it to your computer.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
3.2
First, review what you have learned from the reading about the importance of the representation of emotion in Baroque art, especially for the artist Bernini, who thought that he could surpass Michelangelo by representing emotion in the faces and bodies of his sculptures. Pay special attention to Bernini’s sculpture “Damned Soul”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damned_Soul_(Bernini). One of Bernini’s earliest works, Bernini used his own face as a model for expressing extreme emotion.
Next, take a photograph that expresses emotion. Be creative: you can create a self-portrait, take a photograph of someone else, or take a photograph of a work of art, natural object, or anything else that you think expresses emotion.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. include the image you created;
2. specify the emotion you think the image expresses, discussing in detail what about the image expresses emotion (shapes, colors, angles, etc.); and
3. discuss what you learned about expressing emotion in artwork while creating your image. Was it easier or harder than you thought? Are you confident that your image will be understood by all viewers to be expressing the emotion you think it expresses?
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save your image, upload it to your computer.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry. When writing comments for this assignment, you might want to look at other students’ images and come to your own conclusions about what emotions these images express before you read their discussions of what emotions the creators of the images were trying to express. Then, comment about the similarities and differences of your reaction to their goals.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
4.1
First, review what you have learned from the reading about the techniques of early photography. You might find the video “Early Photography: Making Daguerreotypes” a helpful review: http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/videoDetails?segid=378.
Next, replicate the challenges of early portrait photography by taking a photograph of a friend or yourself. First, take a photograph as you normally would. Then, set a timer for two minutes, and take another photograph when the timer goes off – but only if the person has not moved. If they move, even a tiny bit, restart the timer and try again.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. include both of the images you created, labeled so the reader knows which one is the modern photograph and which one was taken after two minutes of stillness; and
2. discuss what you learned about the challenges of early photography while creating your images. How does the expression of the person photographed change between the modern photograph and the early one? Did the person make a different facial expression when told that they would have to hold this expression without moving? What other observations about the process did you make?
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save your images, upload them to your computer. Remember to give the image files names that will tell the reader which one is the modern photograph and which one was taken after two minutes of stillness.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
4.2
The artistic style known as Impressionism had a huge impact on artists around the world. For example, in Latin America, many artists were influenced by Impressionism in the late 19th and early 20th century, including Francisco Oller (Puerto Rico), Joaquín Clausell (Mexico), Emilio Boggio and Armando Reverón (Venezuela), Carlos Baca-Flor and Teófilo Castillo (Peru), and Leopoldo Romañach (Cuba). Find an artist outside of France who was influenced by Impressionism. There is a list of some global Impressionists here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism. You could also identify an artist, including a contemporary artist, whose work doesn’t initially appear similar to that of the French Impressionists, and explain the similarities and influence you see.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save your images, upload them to your computer. Remember to give the image files names that will tell the reader which one is the modern photograph and which one was taken after two minutes of stillness.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
5.1
Visit the 19th and Early 20th Century European Paintings and Sculptures galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 5th Ave. at 82nd St.). Information about the Museum’s hours: http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/hours-and-admission. Directions to the Museum: http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-your-visit/getting-here. Admission to the Museum is free when you show your CUNY ID. For other visitors from NY, NJ, and CT admission is a suggested donation – these visitors can give whatever amount they wish, such as $1, if they show proof of address.
The 19th and Early 20th Century European Paintings and Sculptures are located on the second floor of the Museum in rooms 800-830.
Before you visit, read the Museum’s webpages on Impressionism (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm), Post-Impressionism (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/poim/hd_poim.htm), and Symbolism (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/symb/hd_symb.htm). Find one artwork from each period (Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Symbolism), and write down a few initial impressions about the work. You can click on the links within the text or on the images at the top of the pages (then click on “see complete record” to go to a webpage with more information about that painting, including what gallery it is displayed in).
When you visit the Museum, locate the artworks you choose and examine then. Then react to the works in some way – make a sketch of your favorite, take a photograph of a detail, take a photograph of a related work or of a work that’s the complete opposite of the work, etc.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. discuss in detail the ways in which your experience of the artworks at the Museum was different from your experience of the artworks as digital images. What surprised you? Think about size, texture, framing, the surroundings of the museum, etc.
2. include an image of or a link to the work you chose for your reaction; and
3. include an image of your reaction to the work and a discussion of why you chose that reaction and what your reaction expresses about the work.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save an image of your floor plan, you can take a photograph of it and upload it to your computer, or you can create a floor plan on your computer by using a drawing program.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
5.2
Many wars and conflicts have also threatened artwork. Find an online article describing the damage or destruction of artworks in other conflicts or wars. Come up with your own search terms or try the following: war, conflict, attack, terrorism, bombing, looting; art, artwork, antiquities, museum, cultural heritage; Egypt, Syria, Mali, Iraq, Napoleon, Yugoslavia.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post that indicates what war or conflict you are discussing, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
1. include the direct link to the article and summarize the article, especially the information about what artwork was damaged, by whom, and why; and
2. discuss what you learned about protecting art in future conflicts by the lessons of this damage or destruction. Be specific – how should museums or collectors prevent what happened in this case from happening again?
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry. When writing comments for this assignment, read the articles selected by other students and comment on them, for example, by describing additional lessons you learned about how to protect art during conflict.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
6.1
One common feature of modern art is the public art installation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_art). Find and photograph a work of public art. There are several on John Jay’s campus, mostly around the New Building, and many hundreds around New York City; you can wander and stumble across one, or locate one in advance by using a website listing such as the map on http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcla/html/panyc/percent-for-art.shtml. Once you find and photograph the work, find and read information about the work and artist online.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title that contains the name of the artist and work for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. describe the work of art;
2. include the photograph you took as well as the best link or links you found about the work or artist (or a note that you cannot, despite diligent searching, find any information about the work or artist online); and
3. discuss whether you think that the use of public funds to purchase, install, and maintain this work of art is a valuable use of this money or not, giving reasons why or why not.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save your images, upload them to your computer.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry. When commenting, you might want to discuss why or why not you agree with other students’ evaluations of the worth of the artworks they choose.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
6.2
Graffiti is a controversial topic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti). Some characterize it as vandalism, defacement, and crime. Others argue that it can be a legitimate and highly-skilled art form. What do you think? Take a photograph of a piece of graffiti in your neighborhood.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 100 words. Your post must:
1. include the photograph you took;
2. discuss whether you think graffiti is a crime, an art form, neither, or both; and
3. describe how the photograph you took expresses your opinion about graffiti.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To save your images, upload them to your computer.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
7.1
First, go to the website of the Rubin Museum of Art: http://www.rubinmuseum.org. (You’re also welcome to visit the Museum itself – John Jay students get in for free.) The Rubin Museum has a large collection of art from Tibet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibet), a country located between China and India. Choose one work of Tibetan art from their website and examine it. Think about what parts of the work are similar to and different from the art of China and India.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post that includes the title of your chosen work, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
1. include the direct link to the chosen work;
2. describe what you learned about this work from the Museum’s website and any other research you did; and
3. include an image of either a Chinese or Indian artwork from the textbook and describe how, in detail, your chosen Tibetan artwork was influenced by Chinese or Indian models and how it is different.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To find images of artworks in the textbook, use Google Image Search (https://images.google.com/) and type in the caption of the image from the textbook.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
7.2
Many of the artworks that we have seen in this module are extremely important to the life of the communities for which they were made – but they have also been vulnerable to theft, because of their appreciation by wealthy Western art collectors. Joy Lynn Davis is an artist and activist who is working on the problem of religious art stolen from shrines in Nepal. Learn about her work on her website, especially http://rememberingthelost.com/about-the-project/ and http://rememberingthelost.com/paintings/. You can also watch short videos about the project here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkTI5L_09Mo or here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xWfM_biYb4, or, if you’re really interested, listen to her giving a talk about it here https://soundcloud.com/rangjung-yeshe-institute/joy-lynn-davis-remembering-the-lost.
Unfortunately, Nepal is just one of the many areas from around the globe where people are losing important artworks. Find a story about art theft, where the stolen art was especially meaningful or important to the community that lost it. One good place to look is here: http://news.culturecrime.org/. You will probably need to do additional research to discover more information about the meaning or importance of the stolen art.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post that includes the title of your chosen work, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
1. include the direct link to the news story;
2. summarize the story and describe the meaning or importance of the stolen art; and
3. describe a project that you might carry out to raise awareness about the theft of this type of art, as Davis is doing for art from Nepal.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To find images of artworks in the textbook, use Google Image Search (https://images.google.com/) and type in the caption of the image from the textbook.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
8.1
Artists of Hispanic descent, especially those in the Chicano Art Movement, often create images inspired by the pre-Columbian art of ancient Mesoamerica. Read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicano_art_movement for more information (or https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/cfb4/e9d79dccbe80be8003cb894d3f5ac0c35787.pdf for a deeper discussion). Then, find an example of modern or contemporary art inspired by ancient Mesoamerica by searching online - or you can probably spot an example on a mural wall in Brooklyn, hanging in your favorite Mexican restaurant, or even as a tattoo or t-shirt worn by a friend.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post that includes the title of your chosen work, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
1. include an image of the artwork you found;
2. identify what Mesoamerican model it is inspired by, or your best guess; and
3. describe why you think the artist and/or owner or user of the art is interested in emphasizing their connection to ancient Mesoamerica.
To attach an image to your blog entry, first make sure that the image is saved to your computer. Then, when writing the blog, click the “Browse My Computer” under “2. Blog Entry Files” and follow the instructions. To find images of artworks in the textbook, use Google Image Search (https://images.google.com/) and type in the caption of the image from the textbook.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).
8.2
Read this article, “Africanizing Wikipedia,” written by Alexandra Thom for the Brooklyn Museum’s website: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/blogosphere/2013/07/02/africanizing-wikipedia/. Next, explore some of Wikipedia’s pages on African art. A good place to start is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_art - then keep clicking on links. You should also search for various objects and terms from the African art sections of your textbook to check if Wikipedia has entries for them.
Next, please click “create blog entry,” enter a descriptive title for your new blog post, and then type a post of at least 150 words. Your post must:
1. summarize Thom’s argument: what does she think is wrong with Wikipedia’s treatment of African art?
2. discuss, with links, the Wikipedia posts you visited. What sort of information did they give? Is Thom’s criticism justified?; and,
3. answer the question of which page would you revise the most - or create, if Wikipedia has no page on a topic at all. Include links to the top three images you would include on the new page and list the top three things most important things to communicate to readers about this topic.
To comment on a classmate’s blog entry, click “comment” underneath that entry.
This is a graded assignment. See the associated rubric for grading details (click “View Rubric” in the Blog Grade section to display the rubric).