ArtH 1111
Fall 2004
Prof. Dabbs
DejA Vu paper/project
“Deja vu”: from the
French for “already seen”; “an impression of having seen or experienced
something before” (American Heritage
Dictionary)
Objectives: this paper (or project, if you prefer) will
give you the opportunity to explore how the Ancient to Medieval past is still
very much with us in our
present-day visual culture through a direct comparison of works of art or
architecture. You will also gain more
experience in visual analysis and
descriptive writing.
1) Choose
a subject for your comparison, with the “modern” example being something
created between approx. 1800 - present.
For an effective
comparison, there should be some elements of style or subject matter that are
shared. You do not have to have seen the
modern example in person,
but be sure you can find good
visual images to make the comparison.
Some examples are:
- the influence of
ancient/medieval architecture on a specific, “modern” building
(such as a church, stadium, or government building)
- statues of athletes (to what
extent is this still done? What has
changed?)
- grave steles vs. modern
tombstones
- modern reconstructions of
ancient monuments (such as the Nashville Parthenon, or
- the influence of Celtic design
on modern tattoes
-
a work of art you create which has been inspired by an
example of ancient/medieval art (such
as a votive figure, icon, illuminated manuscript page, etc.)
[or
feel free to come up with your own comparison!]
2) Email me (dabbsj@morris.umn.edu) with your
paper topic idea by Fri. Nov. 19. If you haven’t notified me by that date,
there will be a 5 pt deduction from your paper grade. This is designed to 1) give you some impetus
to start before the week the paper is due; and 2) to be sure youridea
fits within the scope of this assignment
3) Choose
your format:
A) Research paper:
Content
should include: an introduction to your
comparison; some historical background
on the works you’re comparing; your own
visual analysis, description, and comparison of the works (about 3 pages); some discussion of techniques involved, if
available; and a conclusion - what’s
changed, and why or why not? What does
this comparison tell us about the role of art/architecture in society, past
& present?
Format: 5-7 pages of text, double-spaced, 1"
margins, and either footnotes/endnotes/parenthetical references**; include
illustrations of
works
compared (black/white is fine, so long as legible), with captions identifying
each, and source from which obtained;
bibliography of sources used (minimum 3 sources; websites o.k. if authoritative)
Or B) Original work of art: this also
must be your own creation and done this
semester. You can apply an
ancient/medieval technique to a modern
subject, or update an
ancient/medieval subject in a modern style.
Along with your work of art (which I will be sure you get back!), please
turn in
a
two page description of the intentions of your project, some background on the
ancient/medieval prototype, comparison of techniques used, and bibliography of
3 sources consulted.
4) Ask me if any
questions! I’m happy to take a look at
rough drafts, outlines, etc. The
reference librarians can also assist with research questions.
5)
PROOFREAD! Evaluation will be based on how
thoughtfully, carefully, and clearly you have considered and presented your
topic.
Then turn
it in on Monday Dec. 6, by
* A useful source for
background on visual analysis is Barnet, A
Short Guide to Writing About Art, ON RESERVE: N 7476.B37 2000
** A note on citing
sources: ALWAYS do this when using
information taken from another source, even
if you are paraphrasing in your own words.
There will be a grade deduction if this is completely ignored. You can use whatever citation style you like
(MLA, for example is fine). Some useful
resources can be found at:
http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/mla.html