Art Final Project - Written Visual Analysis/ Role of the Artist

select a twentieth {1900’s} or twenty-first-century {2000’s} and their work being exhibited at a local museum.
I recommend the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), or any other major museum or gallery that is available to you. If you plan to go to a different museum or gallery, it is required you check in with me to get approval to go to a different museum.
Once you pick the artist, include and reference the four types of investigation Process of Visual Analyze, and explain what role (out of the four roles) your artist identifies with during their creative process.  Also include a biography on the artist in the introduction of your essay.  Be sure to be thoughtful with your essay’s conclusion, {closing paragraph}, it is best to summarize the main points, considerations and concepts covered in your essay.
Essay requirements:

Double-spaced 6 to 7 pages, which includes the images and the assessment of physical properties. One image/artwork page per, and the other pages would be your written text.
Include a biography = this involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, and death; it portrays a person's experience of major life events, focusing on their career as an artist.
Discuss 3 artworks made by the artist, include these images in your essay.
Format the images with the assessment of physical properties, review the sample included in the PowerPoint that discusses the final project requirements.
Include your bibliography, (list of sources that have been used to compile the data for your essay) include links to the websites you used when researching your artist.
1 photo of yourself and the artwork in the museum, so I know you went. It is required you go see artwork in person, the reason for this is because seeing the work in person is far better than simply viewing it on the computer.
It is required to include the Process of Visual Analyze; the four types of investigation, one of the concepts included in the contents of the course. It is prerequisite to review the information in the Introduction Lecture, from Week 1.  The four types of investigation, the Process of Visual Analyze, are described below, however, it is essential to review the information covered in Week 1.


Assessment of physical properties = objective information, the facts (review the sample included in the PowerPoint that discusses the final project requirements).

PICK at least ONE of the artworks and apply the following two ways we have learned how to Visually Analysis artwork:

Analysis of visual or formal structure = discuss the visual elements or formal vocabulary, which would be used to describe the overall arrangement, composition, organization, design, or structure of the artwork. Use the vocabulary terms we have covered throughout the semester.
Identification of subject matter or conventional symbolism = Explain or identify the “subject matter” in the artwork. Also explain or identify, if any, the symbols found in the artwork. Symbols are widely recognized signs that signify a concept or idea that all members of a group (society) identify based on a common cultural understanding.

This is similar to the Bio about the artist, but different.  Pick one of the artworks and apply the cultural context- like what we did with the Civil Rights Essay homework assignment.  And other homework projects.

Integration within cultural context = Cultural context looks at the society the artist lived in and how their culture had an effect on their behavior and their opportunities. And how this effected their artwork and the message in their artwork.


In your essay, you must also discuss the role of the artistyou have chosen. How they incorporated this part of being an artist into their creative process.  The four roles of the artist are described below. It is required to review the information from Week 2 – The Visual World:  Chapter 1:  Discovering a World of Art.


They create a visual record of their time and place.
They help us to see the world in new and innovative ways.
They make functional objects and structures more pleasurable by instilling them with beauty and meaning.
Artists give form to the immaterial—hidden truths, spiritual forces, personal feelings.


It is also required to have a thoughtful conclusion, {closing paragraph}, should summarize, in your own words, reflecting on the main points, considerations, and concepts covered in your essay. This is one of my favorite parts to read, hearing your thoughts on what you learned from your essay and the artist you researched.

San Francisco Museums and Art Galleries:

SFMOMA -https://www.sfmoma.org (Links to an external site.)
De Young Museum - https://deyoung.famsf.org (Links to an external site.)
Legion of Honor - https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Contemporary Jewish Museum - https://www.thecjm.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Asian Art Museum - http://www.asianart.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Yerba Buena Art Center - https://www.ybca.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Minnesota Street Project - http://minnesotastreetproject.com/ (Links to an external site.)

Galleries at 49 Geary- the galleries are free in San Francisco near the Powell Bart station:

https://fraenkelgallery.com (Links to an external site.)
http://hainesgallery.com (Links to an external site.)
http://www.kochgallery.com (Links to an external site.)
http://www.scottnicholsgallery.com (Links to an external site.)

Oakland Art Galleries:

Johansson Project Art Gallery- https://johanssonprojects.com/ (Links to an external site.)
ProArts Art Gallery - https://proartsgallery.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Kala Art Institute - http://www.kala.org/ (Links to an external site.)

Oakland & Berkeley Museums:

Oakland Art Museum - http://museumca.org/ (Links to an external site.)
Berkeley Art Museum - https://bampfa.org/ (Links to an external site.)