Writing About Art

by Sayre, Henry M.

• ISBN13: 9780131945609
• ISBN10: 0131945602
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-01
• Publisher: Pearson College Div

Summary

For one/two-semester courses in Art History Survey and Art Appreciation, as well as a supplement in Art Studio and Writing Across the Curriculum courses. This straightforward guide prepares students to describe, interpret, and write about works of art in meaningful and lasting terms. Designed as a supplement to Art History survey and period texts, this efficient book features a step-by-step approach to writing from choosing a work to write about, to essay organization, to research techniques, to footnote form, to preparing the final essay. For beginners as well as more advanced students.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	viii
Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xi
INTRODUCTION: The Process of Writing About Art	1	(14)
Writing about Art as a Process of Interpretation,	6	(6)
The Test of Interpretation,	12	(3)
1 CHOOSING IMAGES: How to Select the Works of Art You Plan to Write About	15	(18)
Visiting Museums and Galleries,	15	(7)
Choosing Works of Art to Write About: Some Questions of Taste,	22	(2)
Writing Comparative Essays: Some Advantages,	24	(3)
Choosing Works from "The Museum without Walls,"	27	(3)
The Computer and "The Museum without Walls,"	30	(1)
Summary,	31	(2)
2 USING VISUAL INFORMATION: What to Look For and How to Describe What You See	33	(35)
Considering the Subject Matter of the Work,	35	(3)
Describing the Formal Elements You Discover in the Work,	38	(20)
Line,	38	(2)
Shape and Space,	40	(4)
Light and Dark,	44	(2)
Color,	46	(4)
Other Elements,	50	(8)
Recognizing the Principles of Design,	58	(5)
Rhythm and Repetition,	58	(1)
Balance,	59	(1)
Proportion,	60	(1)
Scale,	61	(1)
Unity and Variety,	62	(1)
Considering Questions of Medium,	63	(3)
Asking Yourself about the Work of Art: A Summary,	66	(1)
Questions to Ask Before Writing About a Work of Art,	66	(2)
3 RESPONDING TO THE VERBAL FRAME: Where Else to Look For Help in Understanding What You See	68	(30)
Taking the Title and Label into Account,	68	(4)
Considering Informational Labels Accompanying the Work,	72	(2)
Consulting Artists' Statements and Exhibition Catalogues,	74	(2)
Discovering Other Helpful Material in the Library and Online,	76	(8)
Research Online,	77	(2)
Using the Library Catalogue and Databases,	79	(4)
Using Art Dictionaries and Other Guides,	83	(1)
Considering the Work's Historical and Cultural Context,	84	(6)
Quoting and Documenting Your Sources,	90	(8)
Learning the Art of Quoting,	90	(1)
Acknowledging Your Sources,	91	(1)
Choosing Your Footnote Style,	92	(5)
Citing Internet Sources,	97	(1)
4 WORKING WITH WORDS AND IMAGES: The Process of Writing About What You See	98	(28)
Gathering Together What You Know,	98	(1)
Focusing Your Discussion,	99	(14)
Brainstorming and Mapping,	101	(2)
Using Description and Formal Analysis to Begin Writing,	103	(3)
Using Prewriting as a Way to Begin,	106	(5)
Online Writing,	111	(2)
Creating a Finished Essay,	113	(8)
Organizing a Comparative Essay,	113	(3)
Developing a Thesis,	116	(2)
Revising and Editing,	118	(1)
A Revision Checklist,	119	(2)
Writing about Art: The Final Product,	121	(5)
Appendix A SHORT GUIDE TO USAGE AND STYLE: The Rules and Principles of Good Writing	126	(14)
1. Possessive Apostrophes,	127	(1)
2. Commas,	127	(1)
3. Comma Splices,	128	(1)
4. Run-on Sentences,	129	(1)
5. That and Which,	129	(1)
6. Titles,	129	(1)
7. Foreign Phrases,	130	(1)
8. Split Infinitives,	130	(1)
9. Sentence Fragments,	130	(1)
10. Colons,	131	(1)
11. Semicolons,	131	(1)
12. Dashes,	132	(1)
13. Parentheses,	132	(1)
14. Quotations,	133	(1)
15. Ellipses,	133	(1)
16. Dangling Modifiers,	134	(1)
17. Subject-Verb Agreement,	134	(1)
18. Pronoun Agreement,	135	(1)
19. Pronouns and Gender Issues,	135	(1)
20. Indefinite Antecedents (it and this),	136	(1)
21. Correlative Expressions,	136	(1)
22. Verb Tense Consistency,	137	(1)
23. Diction Consistency,	137	(1)
24. Concrete and Specific Language,	138	(1)
25. Frequently Misspelled Words,	138	(2)
Notes	140	(3)
Index	143