Here is the list of prompts to which you’ll be responding for the first critical response. Choose one of the following and write a short essay (500-750 words).
Not all artists have deliberate or overt political goals when creating work, however, it is apparent that all artwork and cultural production is inherently political. Attending to the work of one artist (or an affiliated group of artists), discuss how art production is implicitly entangled with social movements. Your chosen artist(s) might explicitly intend for their work to fulfil a political function, or you might explore how their work has become caught up in political struggles or controversies that they might not have necessarily intended to address.
• In the first half of the 20th century, it could generally be assumed that artworks could only be understood as artworks within the context of the museum or gallery. However, as we’ve seen, from approximately the 1960s on, artists have been creating works and projects that are meant to be experienced outside of these traditional institutions. Describe the role that site or location play in how artworks are produced and received. You may focus on the work of one particular artist, or you can examine site-specificity through the similarities or differences artists working in similar (or different) movements or traditions.
• While postmodernism didn’t constitute an obvious, clean break with modernism, as we’ve seen, there are clear and identifiable strategies that artists adopted in response to political disillusionment following the end of the 1960s. Discuss how postmodern strategies inform or influence the work of one artist or on an affiliated group of artists. You might, for instance, pay attention to how a particular feature of postmodernism (intertextuality, for example) functions in the works of a related group of artists. Or, you might focus on one artist and the ways in which multiple facets of postmodernism are at play in their work.
Rubric (2) Criteria Ratings Pts This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeQuality of analysis Does the essay offer a clear thesis or argument? Is the thesis supported by the writing? 7 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOriginality Do you develop your own interpretations or opinions or are you simply drawing from points developed in course texts and materials? 4 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeClarity and style Is the essay well-written? Does it follow a clear and logical structure? Is there good attention paid to grammar, spelling, etc? 4 pts Total Points: 15