Reference no: EM133768401

Assignment: Art

I. Video: First look at the original painting by Frans Hals, then watch the video, Titus Kaphar Can Art Amend History and answer the following questions:

A. In looking at the Frans Hals painting, Family Group in a Landscape, what observations can be made about the work?

B. What characteristics of the Frans Hals painting are relevant to Dutch portraiture of this time period?

C. How do these observations reflect the socio-economic status of the subjects?

D. After watching the video, what does Titus Kaphar comment on with his replicated painting?

E. What other examples from your textbook might include references to a similar socio-economic schism or overlooked figures subordinated in the composition?

Be sure and include any references cited. Your answers should be in paragraph form and 250-500 words.

Artist Titus Kaphar makes paintings and sculptures that wrestle with the struggles of the past while speaking to the diversity and advances of the present. In an unforgettable live workshop, Kaphar takes a brush full of white paint to a replica of a 17th-century Frans Hals painting, obscuring parts of the composition and bringing its hidden story into view. There's a narrative coded in art like this, Kaphar says. What happens when we shift our focus and confront unspoken truths?

II. Discussion: Consider the debate among historians about art restoration. For example, in 2016 the Louvre Museum made the decision to restore Leonardo da Vinci's St. John the Baptist. This sparked a debate regarding the altering of the image and artist intent. In this discussion students should consider the positions of the historians and decide should the artwork undergo restoration. Be specific in your reasons as you detail what the restoration would imply (the removal of glazing or varnish) and how it might impact (or if it will not) the artist work. Compare and contrast the results from the Da Vinci restoration.

A. Did the restoration alter the artist's work?
B. How did the removal of the varnish change the work?
C. Or was the varnish altering the artist's work? How so?
D. Does it change the way we experience the work? Or the content/meaning of the work?

III. Essay: Drawing vs Painting: British artist David Hockney refers to his works created on the iPad as drawings. Compare his iPad drawing with the watercolor painting by John Singer Sargent. Does the distinction between drawing and painting make sense in this case? How do our definitions relate to each of these images? Where should the line between the two be drawn? What is the subject of each of the artworks. Describe each artwork in formal terms (using visual elements and principles of design). How does the medium affect the content or meaning of the work? Answers should be between 250-500 words in paragraph format and include works cited.

A. Based on the article "If Hitler asked you" analyze the power/influence of social groups in your life. Try to think of a situation in which you felt uncomfortable that the group had as much influence over you as it did. Analyze your resistance or other reactions to that influence or power.

B. If you have ever been a victim of police violence, know someone who has been, or seen such an event, analyze it from the framework of the article "Police Accounts of Normal Force". If not, read an account of the Rodney King beating and analyze that event from the framework of this article.