One of the more traditional assignments students encounter in an introductory Art History class is to go to a museum to observe Greek pottery object(s) discussed in Module 5 and write a paper that describes in detail their stylistic features.

One of the more traditional assignments students encounter in an introductory Art History class is to go to a museum to observe Greek pottery object(s) discussed in Module 5 and write a paper that describes in detail their stylistic features.

A strong paper could trace the development of Greek pottery, by examining the various techniques and quality of naturalism that evolved over the course of approximately four centuries.

if you do not have such a museum near you or cannot travel to one, you may virtually visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art (in New York): http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/. Click on “All thematic essays” and choose the Greek periods (i.e., Geometric, Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic) we have studied. Select four objects in the collection to analyze (JPEGs of which are uploaded into Blackboard). Pay close attention to each of the object’s stylistic features, describing each element and integrating into your analyses comparisons to object(s) we have studied on-line or in the textbook.

Be discerning when selecting objects to compare the museum pieces. That is, try to find objects that share more characteristics than not. The aim of this assignment is for students to develop an eye for style and locate the subtle differences that distinguish one technique or tendency from another. As such, the paper should be organized with an introductory paragraph, body, and conclusion. The introduction may include some general period information (e.g., historical, economic, cultural) about the objects’ specific time period(s), and the technique(s) utilized to create the object(s). More importantly, the introduction should include a thesis statement.  Be sure to organize the body in a logical, analytic fashion, and conclude the paper with some remarks about the significance of the objects. In other words, describe how they fit into a larger Greco-Roman art historical framework. Remember, this is NOT a research paper; however, if you quote a source (e.g., a placard or web site from the museum), be sure to somehow cite it.

3 pages, new times rome 12 double space