FIRST ESSAY BRIEF

FIRST CONTEXTUAL & HISTORICAL STUDIES ESSAY BRIEF:

1500 words. Deadline Monday, 17th November 2008

Essay brief given on Monday, 29th September 2008

“Analysis of an Object”.

Discuss art & design themes and ideas in relation to one specific work. In this essay you will explore ways of interpreting your chosen object and learning how to analyze it in relation to its cultural, historical, social and aesthetic contexts.

Choose any object: (like a photograph, a painting, a sculpture, a building, a monument, a film, a video, an installation, a piece of furniture/jewellery/clothing etc.) and read about it.

Some questions are more relevant to art, craft or design objects so try and decide for yourself what questions are important to your object.

Introduction – what questions your essay asks and what you intend to conclude?

Introduce your chosen object: (Materials, function, condition, location, surrounding objects and artworks, provenance etc.)

Historically/socially: dates of work or manufacture, what time frame belongs to?

Culturally: What art/design movement belongs to? Why?

How much literature did you find on the subject? Do you think what you found deals with the subject adequately?

What other art/design objects is your subject compared to and what would you like to compare it to?

What makes your object visually or conceptually distinctive or relevant?

Was it commissioned? Mass produced or handmade?

Is there an influence, pattern or design you could trace it back to?

How is it presented/bought/sold/marketed?

Is cost important?

Does it achieve what it sets out to?

How is it used and understood?

Who is the consumer? Who is it aimed at? Is the consumer different to the customer/buyer?

If these questions are not relevant to your object, why? And what questions might be more appropriate?

Conclusion – Summarising the questions and results arising from your research.

Bibliography – Websites/books/journals/documentaries/films. All sources you have consulted/quoted should include: Author, Title, Date, Publisher or Broadcaster (Harvard referencing).

N.B. Un-referenced quotes or extracts from the Internet or other sources will be considered plagiarism. If you quote other authors you must always acknowledge it.