ARTHIST 1A03 McMaster Medium Sized Ivory Relief Depicting Otto I Art Analysis AH 1AO3 remote – final exam For the at-home final exam, your task will be to

ARTHIST 1A03 McMaster Medium Sized Ivory Relief Depicting Otto I Art Analysis AH 1AO3 remote – final exam

For the at-home final exam, your task will be to write a paper according to the following guidelines:

I.

Choose one of the four objects on the list:

1.

Ivory relief: Otto I presenting Magdeburg Cathedral to Christ, c. 962-968 [Fig. 15-24]

2.

Book painting: Presentation page with Abbess Hitda and St. Walpurga, Hitda Gospels, early 11

th

century [Fig. 15-28]

3.

Book painting: Masons at work. Detail of a miniature from a Picture Bible made in Paris, 1240s

[Fig. 17-7]

4.

Marble relief: Nicola Pisano, Annunciation, Nativity, and Adoration of the Shepherds. Detail of

pulpit, Baptistery, Pisa, 1260 [Fig. 17-36]

Two of these objects are book paintings, and two are relief sculpture. In your description, be aware of

the medium that you are dealing with.

There is neither a work of architecture nor of sculpture in-the-round on this list, because these would

require the analysis of multiple views of the object. However, you can (and should) discuss sculptural

aspects in the reliefs, and you will find in the book paintings elements of architecture for which to

employ some architecture-specific terminology that you have learned.

II.

Provide your object’s basic data: subject, provenance, material, period (exact/approximate

date), artist (if known), place where it is today (including country), heritage designation (if

applicable) AH 1AO3 remote – final exam
For the at-home final exam, your task will be to write a paper according to the following guidelines:
I.
Choose one of the four objects on the list:
1. Ivory relief: Otto I presenting Magdeburg Cathedral to Christ, c. 962-968 [Fig. 15-24]
2. Book painting: Presentation page with Abbess Hitda and St. Walpurga, Hitda Gospels, early 11th
century [Fig. 15-28]
3. Book painting: Masons at work. Detail of a miniature from a Picture Bible made in Paris, 1240s
[Fig. 17-7]
4. Marble relief: Nicola Pisano, Annunciation, Nativity, and Adoration of the Shepherds. Detail of
pulpit, Baptistery, Pisa, 1260 [Fig. 17-36]
Two of these objects are book paintings, and two are relief sculpture. In your description, be aware of
the medium that you are dealing with.
There is neither a work of architecture nor of sculpture in-the-round on this list, because these would
require the analysis of multiple views of the object. However, you can (and should) discuss sculptural
aspects in the reliefs, and you will find in the book paintings elements of architecture for which to
employ some architecture-specific terminology that you have learned.
II.
Provide your object’s basic data: subject, provenance, material, period (exact/approximate
date), artist (if known), place where it is today (including country), heritage designation (if
applicable).
You find these data in the textbook. In order to indicate the source of your information, create a
footnote: this needs to enable your readers to find the spot to which you make reference.
III.
Give a detailed description of your object, using appropriate terminology. Insert an
illustration into your text, calling it Fig. 1. If you want to insert further images, e.g. of details
of your chosen object, call them Fig. 2, Fig. 3, etc.
IV.
Formal set-up: The paper shall have a title, and the text length shall be 2-4 pages (not
counting title page).
• Cover sheet:
Name
Student Number
Discipline (Art History) & course number
‘Writing Assignment 1’
Date
Title
•
V.
The text is to be typed in font size 12, double spaced. A header needs to provide the
student’s first and last name and student number.
Due date of the final exam: The written and illustrated paper is to be submitted by the
students via e-mail to the instructor’s McMaster University email account no later than on
June 22 at 12 o’clock noon.
Evaluation of the final exam (weight towards final mark: 28 %)
1.
2.
3.
3.1
3.2
Set-up according to guidelines:
Basic data and illustration of object:
Own description / analysis of object:
Use of Art History-specific terminology:
Grammar & Spelling:
10
7
63
10
10
——————————————————————100
Hints for your analytical description (= the text portion of your paper):
–
You should first read the textbook information about your object thoroughly, so that you
understand ‘what is going on’ – but do not copy the textbook (or any other author) – this task is
meant to enhance your own skill of seeing and verbalizing what you see. Whenever you rely on
textbook information (or that of another source), you must make that clear in a footnote
(otherwise, you are committing plagiarism, which can lead to bad consequences).
How to proceed with an object description:
1. Give basic data (as specified above)
2. Imagine that you are describing the object to a person who cannot see it, but who you want to
be able to picture it exactly.
3. Begin by naming the kind of object again (e.g. small sculpture, wall painting, etc.). Give an
overall impression – is the depiction dense or open, busy or calm?
4. Analyze the structure of the composition: e.g. balanced, symmetrical, linear, circular or spiral
arrangement? Space: Foreground, middle ground, background? Figures: in interaction or
isolated from each other?
5. Go into the detail: Where is the focus of the composition? How did the artist enable viewers to
recognize where the focus lies, and what is it?
6. Keep describing….
Below is an example:
“The alabaster disc is decorated
with relief on one side and bears an inscription on the other side which specifies the event that
is depicted in relief. The decorated surface of the disc is organized in three horizontal sections of
approximately the same height. A figural relief is carved into the middle section, filling its space
completely, while the top and bottom portions of the disc surface are plain. Some damage has
affected the relief and part of the plain surface.”
7. Now, become more specific. Same example: “The relief presents four human figures lined up in
the right portion of the relief; they occupy more than half of the relief width and reach from top
to bottom of its height. All figures are seen in composite pose – a combination of frontal and
profile view: their shoulders are given frontally, while their heads are turned to the left and their
right arm and hand are seen in profile (no feet are given below the long garments). The figures
seem to be moving towards an altar which is positioned in front of a ziggurat. The four-stepped
ziggurat closes off the scene at the left edge of the composition. While the altar relates in
proper proportion to the figures, reaching about half of their height, the ziggurat is
proportionally much too small: the artist’s prerogative was to fit it entirely into the image.”
Note: When you describe a figure, always think of ‘left’ and ‘right’ limbs from the figure’s
perspective: his/her right arm (not the arm that we see on the right)!
Next, go into detail. If several different materials have been used, name them when you are
describing the respective areas. For the above example, the description might continue as
follows: “The altar is shown to consist of a slim stand with a top in the shape of an inverted,
truncated pyramid or cone. The figure next to the altar is dressed in a long, plain skirt, does not
seem to have worn a headdress (part of the head is damaged), and is stretching out one arm in
order to drop or pour something (an offering) on the altar top. A second figure follows closely,
distinguished by a headdress and an elaborate, multi-teared garment– etc. etc.”
8. Finally, make iconographic observations that provide clues for the interpretation of the subject
matter of the work of art that you have chosen. Here, you should definitely consult the
textbook, and perhaps do research on iconographic details.
[For our example, you would now point out the special headdress as that of a priestess; the hair
of the two figures behind her as most likely a female hairdo – etc. etc.

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