PROMPT 3. Natural Versus Stylized / The Human Body in Art
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We have seen humans depicted as stick figures and fully natural replicas of real-life. How has the depiction of the human form been used to emphasize meaning? Is there an ideological meaning governing the shifts between the Natural and the Stylized?
Pick 2 objects, one from Antiquity (Prehistoric through Imperial Rome Modules) and one from the Middle Ages (Early Christian & Byzantine Art through Gothic Art Modules), and compare and contrast the 2 artworks through the discussion of the different ways that naturalism and/or stylization have meant different things to different peoples and in different time periods.
https://smarthistory.org/myron-discobolus-discus-thrower/ (Myron, Discobolus (Discus Thrower))
vs. https://smarthistory.org/san-vitale/ (San Vitale and the Justinian Mosaic)
This assignment asks you to write a compare and contrast essay.
Even with a specific prompt you are working with, the essay should ultimately answer the question, “How are the two chosen objects similar?” and “How are the objects different?” The key to a good compare and contrast essay is to organize the paragraphs by theme where both works of art are discussed all the way through. What are the themes? That will depend on the specific prompt you choose. You can organize your paragraphs around formal qualities (style, material, size, use of line, texture, shape, etc.). At least one of the paragraphs should include a discussion of the objects’ functions. What was each object used for? Who used it? Where was it originally located? Who was supposed to see or not see the works? What is the intended message of each work?
The essay should be 3 pages in length, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1-inch margins, double-spaced, with Chicago Style footnotes and a bibliography.
**Remember, the most important thing is to discuss the works together. For example, if you make a point that the materials are different – you need to explain why that is important and talk about both works together. Or if the subject matter is the same – why is it the same? what is being portrayed in each work? If you just write about one work for a couple paragraphs and then the other, that will result in a low grade.
Recommended writing your paragraphs with at least 14 sentences each, following this template with transition words (Template is attached in files)
Essays with Turnitin Similarity of higher than 10% will be downgraded.
Essays with Turnitin Similarity index of 50% and higher will be graded as zero for plagiarism.
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