• Artistic Elements Wrap-up

    • Discussion Topic 5: Objective Description and Subjective Analysis

      Reflect on the following discussion prompt. If you wish, please post your thoughts on Saylor's Discourse forum . Leave a reply to your classmates' posts as well!

      Find two works of art from the sites listed below: the first one two-dimensional, the second three-dimensional. For each one, write four sentences describing the elements present in the work using the Formalist Method. This method describes what you see in a totally objective way. Do not refer to any subject matter. Remember, be objective in your descriptions. An example might be; “The work uses a majority of organic shapes”, or “It uses the complimentary colors yellow and violet for contrast”.

      Then, for each work, write one sentence that describes your subjective reaction. An example might be “The artwork has a chaotic feeling to it”, or “Looking at the work made me feel lonely.”

      This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the great online galleries out there. If you find another collection you like, please let us know about it, especially if it might help us fill a gap artistic styles that are represented here!

      • ART 21 : Includes interviews with major contemporary artists, studio visits and explanations of their work
      • Google Images : A comprehensive search engine for images
      • Artcyclopedia : Good general art site, mostly image links to museums:
      • Mark Hardin's Artchive : Great link with alphabetical listing of artists, mostly contemporary and historical European
      • Art History Links : An amazing collection of links specific to sites related to the practice of art history, many are written, not visual, information
      • Cities and Buildings Collection : Over 5000 architectural images maintained by the architecture department at the University of Washington
      • Web Gallery of Art : Good reference for lots of art history images
      • Saatchi Gallery, London : Cutting edge contemporary art, plus a site where any artist can post their work
      • The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC : Our national art museum
      • Seattle Art Museum
      • Museum of Modern Art New York : A treasure trove of modern art
      • Metropolitan Museum of Art : Extensive collection database from many cultures and time periods
      • Islamic art collection : An extensive collection of Islamic art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
      • Museum of Fine Arts, Boston : An extensive digital collection with text information
      • Currier Museum of Art : A smaller museum in Manchester, NH with a fantastic collection, much of it online
      • Henry Art Gallery : The art repository of the University of Washington. An extensive image database and excellent search system
      • National Galleries of Scotland : Extensive collection of artwork from many cultures and
      • time periods
      • ARTstor : Nearly one million images here. For access to this site, please check with your campus library or public library
      • CAMIO : 95,000 images of all kinds. For access to this site, please check with your campus or public library
      • Smarthistory : Smarthistory.org is a free and open, not-for-profit, art history textbook. We use multimedia to deliver unscripted conversations between art historians about the history of art
      • Tibetan Book of the Dead : Literature and Artwork on Prayer, Ritual, and Meditation from the Religious Traditions of Tibet, India and Nepal. Special Collections Department at the University of Virginia Library
      • Day of the Dead Celebration : History and images from the Mexican “Dia de los Muertos” celebration.
      • Frank Gehry sketches : Initial sketches of building design ideas by architect Frank Gehry
      • African Art: Death and Rebirth : Sculpture images and text describing ritual beliefs from African cultures. Other themes included
      • Burke Museum : Artwork database from their ethnology collections. Administered through the University of Washington
      • All Together Now : A digital collaborative and interactive music project
      • AIDS Quilt Information Website
      • What is a Print? : Interactive tutorial on printmaking processes, with images. Created by the Museum of Modern Art, New York
      • Edvard Munch Museum : Image database for many of Munch’s paintings and prints
      • Nuxalk Sun Mask : Image and context for the Mask of the Sun from British Columbia Nuxalkculture
      • Bradshaw Foundation : Excellent source for images and information on prehistoric rock art, Cycladic figures, the Pyramids, ancient temples and geometric signs
      • The Art Story : Movements, Artists, Theory and the Progression of Art History
      • Francis Bacon Estate : A website devoted to the images and explanations of the important and idiosyncratic English painter
      • Mayan Temples : An excellent site for historical information about the Temples of Palenque in Mexico