8th Grade Essay: Renaissance Critique

This is a "take home" essay exam.  You may get help from any available resource (books, parents, teachers, peers)

You will be writing a critique of the painting that inspired you for your painting.  We will be looking at the work of 1960's "Pop" artist, Andy Warhol, before we select our colors (in particular Warhol's Renaissance series)

Below are things that must be included in your paragraph(s) for a grade of "C" or better. SEE SUGGESTED OUTLINE FOR IDEAS OF ORGANIZATION.

1.    Name of the artist and name of the painting.  Be sure to indicate if you used a detail of the work (many of the Botticelli postcards were details).

2.      Why did you choose that particular piece? 

3.      What characteristics of Renaissance art does this work exhibit?

4.      What is the subject or theme?  How does it relate to the beliefs and values of the Renaissance man?

5.      You must include in your description of the painting:

At least three art elements (color should be one of the elements)

At least two principals of design

At least five descriptive words (see word lists provided for ideas)

Suggested outline:

First paragraph:

·   Title of painting and artist

·   Subject of painting --what do you see?

·    Elements of art (sensory properties (colors, shapes, values, textures, lines)

·    Characteristics of Renaissance art

Second paragraph:

·     Analyze based on formal properties--principles of design (balance, repetition, unity etc)

·     Artists skill and technique

Third paragraph:

·     Meaning or interpretation

·     Evaluation or judgment--why you think this is a great work of art--why you selected it---what appealed to you.

ELEMENTS OF ART:

Line: a dot moving through space or across the picture plane.  Lines can be thin, thick, straight, curved, crooked, wiggly, jagged, light, dark…. How may other descriptive words can you think to describe a line?

Shape: something created when a line encloses a space or when a line separated one area from another.  Shape may be organic or biomorphic , and geometric (circle, triangle, rectangle, square and so on)

Color: the way we see light reflected from a surface or refracted through a prism.  Colors may be subjective (artist selects his/her own colors) or objective (what the eye actually sees).  See color vocabulary sheets for more information.

Value:  Lightness and darkness of tones.  Adding white or black may change value in colors. 

Space:  Positive space is the subject of the work.  Negative space is the area around the subject.  Also- illusion of depth on a flat surface.

Texture:  The way a surface feels or looks like it feels.  Textures may be real or simulated (made to look like a texture).  These are all texture words - smooth, rough, hard, soft, bumpy, scratchy, or velvety.  How may other texture words can you name?

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

            Repetition:  the use of an object or element is repeated to create rhythm.

Variation:  changes in the way an object or element is repeated to prevent boredom or monotony.

Focal point, dominance, center of interest: the first thing that attracts your eye to a work of art or what the artist wants to emphasize the most.  

Balance:  elements of equal weight that appear on opposite sides of the work of art. These may be symmetrical (same on both sides), asymmetrical (balanced by not the same). And radial (all elements in a picture branch out in all directions from a common point).

Unity:  All elements and principles work together to create the whole - colors, shapes are repeated.

Movement:  real or implied movement.  The imaginary path the eye takes across the work of art.

Contrast:  Dark against light.

These are some characteristics of Renaissance art that your peers came up with.

What other characteristics can you find?

Emphasis on human anatomy

Realistic shading- soft modeling of the figure

Correct proportions of the figure - more life-like

Emphasis on showing three dimensional space

Utilizing tools of perspective

Architectural elements

Showing emotions

Interest in nature and the world around them

These are some themes in Renaissance art that your peers came up with.

What other themes of subjects are represented?

Religious - Mother and child, Biblical stories and heroes

David the Giant killer - (youth)

Portraiture and self-portraits (wealthy in Italy, Northern Renaissance did show common people)

Nature

Architecture

Classical - Greek and Roman mythology

Human anatomy

Saints, angels

  [BACK TO RENAISSANCE PAINTING UNIT]