ART 101: Faculty Resources: Unit 5 Assignments

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).