Essay on European Paintings
Instructions
access the remarkable collection online at www.nortonsimon.org/
you need to select two European paintings for a compare/contrast essay from the collections.
*paintings need to have been created before 1900.
The first half of the paper is “fill in the
blanks” format. The first half, which lists important facts about the paintings–will
involve short answers. The second–and most important–part of the paper is the
essay, which needs to be a minimum of 500 words in length. Although your fill-in-
the blank answers can be single words or short phrases, the essay needs to be
carefully written in complete sentences, with correct spelling and grammar. I will
look at organization and clarity, with focus on the content of the essay.
I. FIRST PAINTINGA. First, select, identify, and photograph a painting created in Europe either
before 1900.
Download an image of the painting into your paper.
1. Name of the artist
2. Name of the painting
3. Name of the country of the artist’s birth
4. Date of the painting
5. Size of the painting (You may need to estimate height and width)
6. Medium of the painting
7. Copy the museum text about your chosen painting here. This text will be
on the wall next to the painting (in person) or underneath the photograph of the
painting (online). You must type out the entire text.
8. Describe the artwork in your own words. What do you see? Give a
complete description. Be very thorough and precise.
B. Next, find a closely related painting in your textbook. It can be by the same
artist, but does not have to be. Identify the painting fully (artist, country of his/her
birth, name of painting, date of painting, size of painting.) Summarize what your
textbook tells you about the artist and/or the art historical period in which s/he
worked. Then discuss how it is similar to and different from your Norton Simon
selection in a paragraph-long essay.
2
II. SECOND PAINTINGC. Next, select, identify, and photograph another painting created in Europe
before 1900 submission). Download an image of the painting into your paper.
1. Name of the artist
2. Name of the painting
3. Name of the country of the artist’s birth
4. Date of the painting
5. Size of the painting (You may need to estimate height and width)
6. Medium of the painting
7. Copy the museum text for your chosen painting here. This text will be on
the wall next to the painting (in person) or underneath the photograph of the
painting (online). You must type out the entire text.
8. Describe the artwork in your own words. What do you see? Give a
complete description. Be very thorough and precise.
D. Next, find a closely related painting in your textbook. It can be by the
same artist, but does not have to be. Identify the painting fully (artist, country of
his/her birth, name of painting, date of painting, size of painting.) Summarize what
your textbook tells you about the artist and/or the art historical period in which
s/he worked. Then discuss how it is similar to and different from your Norton
Simon selection in a paragraph-long essay.
IV. COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAYE. Finally, you need to write a short essay comparing the two paintings you have
chosen. This part of the paper needs to be a minimum of 500 words. It is the most
important part of the paper.
Here are some of the things you should cover in your essay:
1. Start by briefly discussing the subject of each painting. Is it a portrait of an
actual human being? A divine figure? Is it a scene with several people—or divine
beings—interacting? What are they doing? Is the subject religious? Historic? Is it a
landscape? A still-life? An abstraction?
2. Now look at the style. How is the surface finished? How does the artist use
space? Is the figure realistic? Abstract? Idealistic? Or a combination?
3. Discuss the possible function of the artwork. What purpose did the
artwork serve? Answering this question may require research.
What do you think the artist was trying to communicate? You certainly can talk
about your own ideas about the art, but be careful NOT to project your ideas onto
the artist.
4. Finally, compare the two artworks in terms of form, style, function, and
cultural context. How are they similar? How do they differ?
5. Conclude with a paragraph that sums up your ideas.
6. Note that you are not asked to write about the artist’s life. Your focus is on
your selected artworks, not the personality of the artist.
you need to select two European paintings for a compare/contrast essay from the collections.
*paintings need to have been created before 1900.
The first half of the paper is “fill in the
blanks” format. The first half, which lists important facts about the paintings–will
involve short answers. The second–and most important–part of the paper is the
essay, which needs to be a minimum of 500 words in length. Although your fill-in-
the blank answers can be single words or short phrases, the essay needs to be
carefully written in complete sentences, with correct spelling and grammar. I will
look at organization and clarity, with focus on the content of the essay.
I. FIRST PAINTINGA. First, select, identify, and photograph a painting created in Europe either
before 1900.
Download an image of the painting into your paper.
1. Name of the artist
2. Name of the painting
3. Name of the country of the artist’s birth
4. Date of the painting
5. Size of the painting (You may need to estimate height and width)
6. Medium of the painting
7. Copy the museum text about your chosen painting here. This text will be
on the wall next to the painting (in person) or underneath the photograph of the
painting (online). You must type out the entire text.
8. Describe the artwork in your own words. What do you see? Give a
complete description. Be very thorough and precise.
B. Next, find a closely related painting in your textbook. It can be by the same
artist, but does not have to be. Identify the painting fully (artist, country of his/her
birth, name of painting, date of painting, size of painting.) Summarize what your
textbook tells you about the artist and/or the art historical period in which s/he
worked. Then discuss how it is similar to and different from your Norton Simon
selection in a paragraph-long essay.
2
II. SECOND PAINTINGC. Next, select, identify, and photograph another painting created in Europe
before 1900 submission). Download an image of the painting into your paper.
1. Name of the artist
2. Name of the painting
3. Name of the country of the artist’s birth
4. Date of the painting
5. Size of the painting (You may need to estimate height and width)
6. Medium of the painting
7. Copy the museum text for your chosen painting here. This text will be on
the wall next to the painting (in person) or underneath the photograph of the
painting (online). You must type out the entire text.
8. Describe the artwork in your own words. What do you see? Give a
complete description. Be very thorough and precise.
D. Next, find a closely related painting in your textbook. It can be by the
same artist, but does not have to be. Identify the painting fully (artist, country of
his/her birth, name of painting, date of painting, size of painting.) Summarize what
your textbook tells you about the artist and/or the art historical period in which
s/he worked. Then discuss how it is similar to and different from your Norton
Simon selection in a paragraph-long essay.
IV. COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAYE. Finally, you need to write a short essay comparing the two paintings you have
chosen. This part of the paper needs to be a minimum of 500 words. It is the most
important part of the paper.
Here are some of the things you should cover in your essay:
1. Start by briefly discussing the subject of each painting. Is it a portrait of an
actual human being? A divine figure? Is it a scene with several people—or divine
beings—interacting? What are they doing? Is the subject religious? Historic? Is it a
landscape? A still-life? An abstraction?
2. Now look at the style. How is the surface finished? How does the artist use
space? Is the figure realistic? Abstract? Idealistic? Or a combination?
3. Discuss the possible function of the artwork. What purpose did the
artwork serve? Answering this question may require research.
What do you think the artist was trying to communicate? You certainly can talk
about your own ideas about the art, but be careful NOT to project your ideas onto
the artist.
4. Finally, compare the two artworks in terms of form, style, function, and
cultural context. How are they similar? How do they differ?
5. Conclude with a paragraph that sums up your ideas.
6. Note that you are not asked to write about the artist’s life. Your focus is on
your selected artworks, not the personality of the artist.
Excerpt
This is a busy artwork. The main characters in the painting talk to each other, the parents and the kids alike. On their side, angels also seem to be so busy looking at them, perhaps wanting to become Christ and John’s playmates too! The details do not end there. There are fishermen behind, two are in the boats and another two are just on the coast. I would say that the colors are very calm, not so vibrant nor lifeless. It must have been a good day, with the clouds and blue sky. The light of the sun touches Mary and the kids’ skin, while Joseph appear to be a bit dim lighted. John is older than Jesus as the Bible accounts, so it totally makes sense that little John is already standing while Jesus remains on her mother’s lap.
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