The assignment for exercise 3 is to perform the 3rd and 4th steps (only) of the Museum Object Writing Assignment, examining the same image you used for Exercise 2.      Write only the description and formal analysis, labelling each part, and stating at the top the number of your image choice, found to the left of each image below. Refrain from description and analysis, writing, only about interpretation or judgment -- Steps III, and IV.  Limit of 2 pages, typed, double-spaced. due November 14th. Number the pages, please. Attach the paper you turned in for Exercise 2.

III. INTERPRETATION: "What was the artist trying to ‘say’?" "What is happening in this work of art?"

A. Try to explain what the artist seems to have meant to say in the work. Is it narrative – telling a story? Does there seem to be a viewpoint taken? Does the artist seem to endorse the activity or make a statement in opposition? If it is non-narrative, is the work about observation of the material world or perhaps about the formal elements of art? Obviously, you must make some guesses here. Does the title influence your assessment? Is there a wall card which explains any part of it? If so, be sure to give credit to that.

B. Do not be afraid to make an interpretation which might differ from that of someone else. Your response can only come from you. Your interpretation will be affected by what you have seen and done and thought and learned in your life. However, you should be sure that your interpretation is based on facts and clues you gathered in the first two steps of the exercise. Back up your statement with what you have gleaned from careful observation. This helps you to learn what particular aspects of the work led to your own responses and feelings about the work.

IV. JUDGMENT: "What do I think of the work?" "How do I respond to it, personally?"

A. To formulate a credible judgment, you will need to be honest with yourself, and to critically evaluate your own feelings and the reasons why they emerge in response to the work of art. For example, if the work is of the Nativity of Christ, whether or not you endorse Christianity will color your response.

B. Evaluate (only as appropriate) these three theories for judgment which are used by art critics:

1. Imitationalism: It may be important that the work of art imitates what we see in real life, in some manner. This is not necessarily a slavish copying of an exterior visual appearance, but may, rather, include the responses which one might have to a given visual experience. For example, the reddish glow of a sunset cast over a landscape may not seem entirely naturalistic, but may have a strong emotional appeal to you, or not.

2. Formalism: The work might seem successful because of careful or innovative use of formal elements or design principles – in ways which elicit your strong response. Such treatment by the artist may or may not be made in relationship to a narrative basis for the work. For example, the exaggeration and change of compositional emphasis which Giotto used in the rendition of The Lamentation.

3. Emotionalism: The work may derive its impact primarily from the visceral, emotional, reaction of the viewer, in what may be a communication of narrative content, or may rely entirely upon the effects of more or less pure formal elements. See  The Crucifixion, by Matthias Grünewald (23-2) versus Mas o Menos by Frank Stella (34-11).               

   C. You might apply one or two of these theories of judgment to a greater extent than the others, but it is necessary to consider the work in light of all three, even though you do not necessarily respond in writing to all three. Then you will be able to discover the most possible information about the work and your responses to it.  

Not all of these points will be pertinent to the images here.  Use your own judgment as to which questions can be answered about the image you choose.

Avoid a generalized discourse on details of history, culture, style, or personal opinion.  Stick to what you see in the work through careful looking and thinking.

Type your 2 stages of the assignment, putting your name, artist, title, and the number of the work you are examining at the top of the first page. Clearly label the phases of your assessment as listed above.  Use page numbers; staple the pages, with your exercise 2 that was returned to you, and submit at the beginning of class on November 9th.