The aim of this Assignment is for students to produce a c. 1500-word essay on a work of art of their choice, in your own words.

The aim of this Assignment is for students to produce a c. 1500-word essay on a work of art of their choice, in your own words. The essay can explore any aspect of the art work that the student wishes, but it should include a detailed analysis of the work of art. They can also draw on material from the artist’s career, other relevant art works and the context of its production. Complete the essay as follows – research, write and submit the final essay including:

• Title – full details of art work
• Main essay including an introduction, setting out what the essay will discuss, the main section and a brief conclusion, all with appropriate referencing
• Bibliography
• Illustration of the art work with caption, at the end of the essay
• Upload the essay on Canvas, in the place provided

Plagiarism Alert: Please note that all assignments are checked to ensure you have written them in your own words. You must avoid copying text from web sites and if you do wish to quote a source, it needs to be in inverted commas with a reference to its source. If you do copy text without the correct acknowledgement, your grade may be affected. For more details, please see Appendix 4 on Academic Integrity in the Course Handbook.

Please note the following important information about submission requirements.

• Essays must be c. 1500 words in length, including references and footnotes and excludes the bibliography. Full details of requirements and guidance for Referencing and Bibliographies which have been provided.
• Essays that are not fully referenced with a bibliography will be penalised. In particular, citations of statements or opinions of other people must clearly be shown as such, with a footnote or reference. Direct quotes should be placed in single inverted commas.
• In your research and writing students should ensure that electronic resources constitute authoritative and reliable sources on the subject – this does NOT include Wikipedia!

Some Qualities of Good Essays:

• Start your essay with a clear statement of what your essay is about and how it is structured. Essays should be logically structured, with an introduction, central section organized to present points and arguments lucidly, and a conclusion.
• The essay should be focused on your chosen art work – avoid getting distracted onto irrelevant topics.
• Good essays contain ‘signposts’ for the reader to follow the points and analytical steps taken through the essay, so that the reader is able to follow the thread.
• It is not enough to ‘tell a story’ – avoid long passages of narrative, biography or description unless they are strictly relevant to your selected work of art.
• Enrich your analysis with reference to specific works of art, details, examples, citations, quotes and case studies, not randomly but strategically, in order to substantiate your argument.
• Ensure all material is referenced, so the reader can substantiate information from other sources.
• Good essays demonstrate evidence of some independent, creative and original thought derived from looking, thinking, reading and analysing. They utilise different types of source materials, e.g. art objects, primary texts, art historians or critics.
• It is clear that to arrive at this level of complexity your essay needs careful planning.

Learning Outcomes

This Assignment relates to the following learning outcomes:

• The ability to successfully research and analyse a work of art to gather information from a range art historical resources
• Demonstrate understanding of artist’s careers, stylistic characteristics and context
• Written communication skills
• Research, note taking and organisation skills
• Use academic conventions correctly, including referencing and a bibliography