Critical Thinking Paper Art Appreciation
The critical thinking paper will be an analysis of a work of art of your choice at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Museum will be open again June 30. Considering Covid-19, you have the option of going in person or looking on their website for an artwork. There is no comparison of looking at an artwork in person, but it might not be realistic. I am leaving that up to you to decide. Your paper will be submitted in the Journal the week it is due. The Journal can be found under Course Content. You must include an image of the work with your paper, both can be submitted as an attachment (make sure the image is small enough to see easily). You must cite any references you use although references are not required. This is not a research paper, but a paper demonstrating your observation and critical thinking process.
Cleveland Museum of Art 11150 East Blvd
Cleveland, OH 44106
Paper Format: 300-500 words. If citing a source, you can use any method, but make sure it is consistent. No plagiarism.
Questions to ask when analyzing the artwork:
7 questions on critical thinking from your preface.
What is the role of the artists?
Is the work representational or nonrepresentational?
Describe the formal elements – line, space, color & light, texture, pattern, design elements.
Is the work expressive (emotional) or analytical?
What color scheme is used? How does this affect the meaning?
What medium is used?
The above list is for ideas. Each work will be different and what is written about may vary. Everyone should start by looking at the artwork and describing what you see (the subject matter), then what that means (content). Remember artwork can be open ended. If you think this is the case with your artwork, you need to make this clear. You can give more than one interpretation if you feel it is necessary. If you go to the museum, you can write about your experience at the museum. How it is different seeing an artwork in person. Make sure to have a clear introduction, body, & conclusion for your paper. This means you should have at least 3 paragraphs, not one giant paragraph. I do not want a list, but a well written analysis of the artwork & museum experience. Your introduction should be something that captures your
reader’s attention, the body should lay-out the nuts and bolts of the artwork, and the conclusion should sum up your experience with the artwork &/or the museum. Remember to spell check and use complete sentences!