n Modules on Canvas there is a “Guide to Writing” that should be your guide to the writing of a Formal Analysis. Please read this first. Essentially though, the task is to describe the object in the very best way you can, from top to bottom, right to left, and so forth. Imagine that I have never seen this thing so you have to try to describe it in such a way so that I might be able to conjure up an image for myself, so that I can actually imagine what this thing looks like even if I’ve never seen it.
This is NOT a research paper. (The research paper will be at the end of the semester.) The only thing you should read is the aforementioned : “Guide to Writing” and the Metropolitan Museum’s link to the object where there is adequate information about the object, both of which are posted in Modules on Canvas. There is even a museum recording you may listen to, in the museum link, if this is helpful. Also, after clicking on the museum link, click on all the photos so they are enlarged. This will help you with your descriptions.
The length should likely be about 4-5 pages (not including the title page.) If you do decide to quote or borrow an idea from the museum’s website, or anywhere else, please be sure to cite your source!!!
So, go to the museum link I provide! Read/listen (there’s a short recording if you scroll down the page). Open up the photos. You may describe the expression, the stance, all of the details (big & small), or perhaps lack of details in some places, the clothing, the base (what is on the base?) Are the incised lines thick, or fine; is it tall, short; what about color, condition, texture? Where does your eye travel when observing this piece (top to bottom?, left to right?, from the large to the small?) What is obvious, or not so obvious? Is it complex or is it straightforward in its execution? Is it elegant, clumsy, subtle powerful, etc etc etc???? (Try using a Thesaurus if you can’t quite find the right words to help you describe or, as importantly, to help you find different ways of describing the piece so that your writing doesn’t sound repetitive!!! It is not a good thing in writing to use the same descriptive words over and over again!)
Also, is the sculpture conveying a certain “message” and if yes, how? Is it, then, successful in conveying this message? If it is symbolic of something(s), what are those things—how is it communicating to you/us? In other words, it could be just a bird and a man OR it could be much more than simply a representation of a bird. If it is, tell me about that too. How does it communicate these ideas in the very way it is sculpted, or visualized? Imagine that the original viewer(s) would have automatically understood all these things! (In the museum, for the contemporary viewer, the object has been placed upon a pedestal, and it is ABOVE eye level. This placement, too, could be a vehicle for the museum to communicate something to us. There is also some dramatic spot lighting, from above, which accentuates the object’s shadows and the deep gray color of this beautiful stone.) What do you see??? All these details are things we usually take for granted. But, if you were the artist, you would be making very deliberate decisions about how every little component should appear. So, tell me about all of these decisions.
Try to order your thoughts & description. Perhaps make a brief outline for yourselves so there is some logic to the way in which you choose to write about this. Use all of my suggestions above and simply order them in a way that you think works best in writing about this piece. Perhaps consider describing the object first, and then tell me how it’s visual details communicate certain ideas. Also, use the measurements provided by the museum to help you better visualize its size! And remember, the basic museum label information—title, date, material, measurements, country of origin, etc.—may simply be put on your title page (I’ve provided the title page template in Modules.) You don’t have to repeat this information in the paper, though you might mention the dimensions since this will help me imagine what the sculpture looks like!
FYI: the label information is the following:
“God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II”
Late Period, 360–343 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Medium: Meta-Greywacke
Dimensions: h. 72 cm (28 3/8 in); w. 20 cm (7 7/8 in); d. 46.5 cm (18 5/16 in); Weight 55.3 kg (122 lb.)
AND remember:
All papers must be typed in Times New Roman font (12 points), be double-spaced, with a 1 inch margin on all sides. Please do NOT make large spaces between paragraphs to make your paper seem longer. And don’t forget to insert page numbers.n Modules on Canvas there is a “Guide to Writing” that should be your guide to the writing of a Formal Analysis. Please read this first. Essentially though, the task is to describe the object in the very best way you can, from top to bottom, right to left, and so forth. Imagine that I have never seen this thing so you have to try to describe it in such a way so that I might be able to conjure up an image for myself, so that I can actually imagine what this thing looks like even if I’ve never seen it.
This is NOT a research paper. (The research paper will be at the end of the semester.) The only thing you should read is the aforementioned : “Guide to Writing” and the Metropolitan Museum’s link to the object where there is adequate information about the object, both of which are posted in Modules on Canvas. There is even a museum recording you may listen to, in the museum link, if this is helpful. Also, after clicking on the museum link, click on all the photos so they are enlarged. This will help you with your descriptions.
The length should likely be about 4-5 pages (not including the title page.) If you do decide to quote or borrow an idea from the museum’s website, or anywhere else, please be sure to cite your source!!!
So, go to the museum link I provide! Read/listen (there’s a short recording if you scroll down the page). Open up the photos. You may describe the expression, the stance, all of the details (big & small), or perhaps lack of details in some places, the clothing, the base (what is on the base?) Are the incised lines thick, or fine; is it tall, short; what about color, condition, texture? Where does your eye travel when observing this piece (top to bottom?, left to right?, from the large to the small?) What is obvious, or not so obvious? Is it complex or is it straightforward in its execution? Is it elegant, clumsy, subtle powerful, etc etc etc???? (Try using a Thesaurus if you can’t quite find the right words to help you describe or, as importantly, to help you find different ways of describing the piece so that your writing doesn’t sound repetitive!!! It is not a good thing in writing to use the same descriptive words over and over again!)
Also, is the sculpture conveying a certain “message” and if yes, how? Is it, then, successful in conveying this message? If it is symbolic of something(s), what are those things—how is it communicating to you/us? In other words, it could be just a bird and a man OR it could be much more than simply a representation of a bird. If it is, tell me about that too. How does it communicate these ideas in the very way it is sculpted, or visualized? Imagine that the original viewer(s) would have automatically understood all these things! (In the museum, for the contemporary viewer, the object has been placed upon a pedestal, and it is ABOVE eye level. This placement, too, could be a vehicle for the museum to communicate something to us. There is also some dramatic spot lighting, from above, which accentuates the object’s shadows and the deep gray color of this beautiful stone.) What do you see??? All these details are things we usually take for granted. But, if you were the artist, you would be making very deliberate decisions about how every little component should appear. So, tell me about all of these decisions.
Try to order your thoughts & description. Perhaps make a brief outline for yourselves so there is some logic to the way in which you choose to write about this. Use all of my suggestions above and simply order them in a way that you think works best in writing about this piece. Perhaps consider describing the object first, and then tell me how it’s visual details communicate certain ideas. Also, use the measurements provided by the museum to help you better visualize its size! And remember, the basic museum label information—title, date, material, measurements, country of origin, etc.—may simply be put on your title page (I’ve provided the title page template in Modules.) You don’t have to repeat this information in the paper, though you might mention the dimensions since this will help me imagine what the sculpture looks like!
FYI: the label information is the following:
“God Horus Protecting King Nectanebo II”
Late Period, 360–343 BCE
Ancient Egypt
Medium: Meta-Greywacke
Dimensions: h. 72 cm (28 3/8 in); w. 20 cm (7 7/8 in); d. 46.5 cm (18 5/16 in); Weight 55.3 kg (122 lb.)
AND remember:
All papers must be typed in Times New Roman font (12 points), be double-spaced, with a 1 inch margin on all sides. Please do NOT make large spaces between paragraphs to make your paper seem longer. And don’t forget to insert page numbers.
PLEASE USE THIS SITE AND NO OTHER https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544887https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544887
