HUM 1 – DB: Using Art to Explore Culture

Course Texts:
Arnold, D. Art History: A Very Short Introduction
ISBN: 978-0192801814

Dana Arnold uses four examples to show how art historians can use pieces of art to better understand aspects of human culture and human experience. The four pieces of art are:
The Strozzi Altarpiece
Las Meninas
The Apollo Belvedere
The Dinner Party
Your first task is to choose one of these pieces of art and to explain Arnold’s analysis of it. This task will require level one and level two thinking. Separate those two kinds of thinking in your post.
In one section, create a list (bullet points are fine) of information drawn from the text that you think will be useful in explaining Arnold’s discussion. Your list may include quotations and paraphrases.
In a second section of the same post, use the information you’ve gathered to explain what Arnold’s central points are about your chosen piece of art and how she uses that piece of art as evidence for her claims. Your analysis of Arnold’s discussion here should be 1-2 paragraphs.
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Once you’ve completed this first task, go back and look at other students’ posts. Find one person who used the same piece of art that you did and compare their post to your own. In a reply to that student, explain how your level one information and level two analysis was similar to and different than their own. In the same reply, do the level three task of evaluating those similarities and differences. What would you change about your own analysis now that you’ve seen theirs? What do you think they might change to improve their own discussion? Why?

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