| Written Deconstructive Analysis
Students will engage in writing a two deconstructive analysis paper throughout the course.
The examples will include historical and contemporary visual works that I will assign to students from our text.
In addition to the five exams given throughout this course (the lowest grade of one exam will be dropped), the average of both papers may assist you in replacing a second lowest exam score in your overall grade for the course.
Methods
Found visual examples will include historical visual works from the areas we have studied.
Always provide bibliographical source material, noting ARTIST/DESIGNER, TITLE/PRODUCT, YEAR, DIMENSIONS, MEDIA and URL link source, other pertinent bibliographic information. Embed the visual image on your written paper.
Make a number of notes that thoroughly describe how the fundamental elements and principles of the design application are working in the image / object.
Each element should be expressed in narrative form, at minimum, one paragraph each.
Elements + Principles of
Design to be described
line
plane
shape
space
volume and mass
color and hue, saturation, intensity, temperature of color
pattern + texture
scale and proportion
direction and movement
composition and organization
focal point and emphasis
unity and balance
contrast
visual weight
Is there a psychology of expression operating within the work being discussed? Explain.
If out of the ordinary, how is media being handled? Mona Lisa drawn in chocolate is very different from the DaVinci original. How?
At minimum, you need to explore 4 elements / principles of design.
In narrative form discuss each thoroughly. At completion, your analysis should be a minimum of 1,000 words (3 pages).
Make use of your Word Count feature!!
EXAMPLE:
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Da Vinci . Dachshunds . conte crayon on paper . c. 1510
Line moves in a variety of directions to express movement. There are strong verticality and diagonal lines, each add speed and focal point or emphasis, especially to the Dachshund in the foreground.
Accumulation of mark on the largest dog's face create a toned value area around the head bringing emphasis to this dog as well.
There is a strong geometric grid in foreground (lower right) on drawing. This adds an great contrast to the naturalistic, organic pose of the three dogs. Perhaps Da Vinci used these straight gridded lines to transfer the drawing onto a new substrate?
Cross Hatching lines are those that move in a diagonal on the dog's ears especially, to fill in an area to become darker, thus, producing value.
SCALE The three dogs in the drawing frame, adds different sizes of dogs - small (background), medium (middle ground), large diagonal Dachshund (foreground). These different sizes or difference in scale produces varying visual weights in the Da Vinci drawing. The scale also presents an illusionistic spatial field that is deep and not shallow.
SPACE : The deep (illusionistic) space drawn is due to scale of dogs. Space is also illustrated through the light and darkness of the dogs value, overall. The darkest lines (most accumulated) in the diagonal dog makes the dog advance forward. The other two dogs recede into the spatial field. This is also known as atmospheric perspective, a human made spatial device that can be drawn or painted. We see a great deal of atmospheric perspective used during the Renaissance period. For instance, in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the mountains in the far background not only are smaller than Mona herself, but are not in focus and have a blue color to them.
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GO to the page on Student Writing samples to see previous students' take on subject matter.... I have posted a number of these on this blog.
Grading Assessment
1. 80% of overall grade goes towards content and description of how the formal elements (above) are operating in the sculpture in the round. The essay is well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature.
Essay brings in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in this particular work of art.
(Each element will receive approximately 20%)
1. Line actual line and implied line
2. Depiction of space and shape scale
3. Repetitive shapes found throughout the work
4. Color including primary, secondary, tertiary, complimentary and analogous colors
2. 10% of overall grade
i. Material and application and process of tools. 5%
ii. Compare the selected work of art with another from our text and describe the differences of both.
Include an image of the work you are making your comparison with. 5%
3. 10% of overall grade towards the essay's mechanics of writing. The essay's structure is well organized, transitions are smooth, grammar is excellent, and includes the addition of image with proper labeling. Essay is coherent and illustrates excellent technical control of the author.