“Exploring Portraiture: A Study of [Artist Name]’s [Artwork Title]”

Assignment: Portraiture is the theme! This semester, you can write on any one work that focuses on a portrait. You may choose any artist, time period, and medium, as long as the work is considered fine art and you can find enough research material to develop a thesis. In your paper, you will discuss the portrait from an art historical perspective (this means including the time period and the movement it is most closely associated with) and a thorough formal analysis. You can also use information on the artist and process, if it pertains directly to the work. A successful choice would provide questions that you can research beyond the basics, like who the sitter is. Portraiture is a broad category so if you’re not sure how to choose a work, search for certain people, artists, or art historical time periods that you like. If you are still not sure, email me with questions or include your interests at the time of your tutorial and I will help you. The topic must be approved by the instructor before you write your Research Paper Proposal, due Monday April 8. Your thesis: As you develop a thesis, remember that this is your paper, therefore you can determine its direction based on your own questions about the work. Think of something to explore and start your research from there. Start broadly and refine as you go. If you feel overwhelmed by too much information, then your working thesis is likely too broad; if you feel you don’t have enough information, it’s likely your working thesis is too narrow. Also keep in mind that newer or younger artists may not have as much written about them. It’s fine if you don’t have a large amount of biographical material, especially because the focus should not be on the artist. Simply re-focus the paper based on your own questions, conclusions, and the information you can find. Sources and Documentation should include: 1) 5-10 reliable and scholarly sources (3 reliable Internet websites max!) 2) An Images page 3) An Endnotes page (not footnotes) 4) A Bibliography page at the end of the paper (Important: Documentation pages, like the Images page, Endnotes, and Bibliography do not factor into the total page count for the research paper and the 20-page minimum for the class.) 5) Chicago Manual of Style citation for endnotes and bibliography 6) Quotes from primary sources only; no direct quotes from secondary sources 7) Sources cited for all direct quotes, paraphrases, and additional information and source ideas