QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY / QUEENSLAND COLLEGE OF ART
1208QCA MODERNISM & POSTMODERNISM
SEMESTER 2, 2007
RESEARCH ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
LENGTH: 1200 words (total word count – 10% variation only allowed)
DUE DATE: WEEK 12, (in class)
WEIGHTING: 40%
TOPICS:
PLEASE SELECT ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING SIXTEEN (16) QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.
Always do a preliminary library search to make sure that there are sufficient resources available and reserve your books ahead of time. Your course Readings Booklet and the list of recommended texts will be useful references when researching and developing your essay.
QUESTION 1
In the 1st Cubist painting, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), Picasso reversed tradition by suggesting that the artist’s idea of the object could replace its empirical image. How did this new way of thinking impact upon artistic direction in the 1910s?
QUESTION 2
“…one of the aims of Art Nouveau practitioners was to erase the distinction between the fine and applied arts” (Dempsey 2002). Argue the case for and/or against this statement, through an analysis of the work of at least one (1) visual artist (fine artist/craftsperson/designer) and one (1) architect.
QUESTION 3
What roles have appropriation and deconstruction played in either postmodernist fine art, photography or design?
QUESTION 4
“Is it [correct] as many have [suggested] to link Duchamp to the history of sculpture when this artist did his utmost to short-circuit the discipline” (, 2001, p45). Discuss this statement in relation to the Readymade and the idea of ‘a beauty of indifference’.
QUESTION 5
“In the celebrated essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin (1931) already warned us that the point is not to wonder whether photography is an art form, but rather whether it has changed the overall character of art itself” (2001, p178). Discuss this statement in relation to the work of the Pastoralists of the 19th century or the New Objectivity movement in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s.
QUESTION 6
Animation from the last 50 years has often been discussed in relation to its fusion of high art and popular culture – as well as its use of appropriation, pastiche and parody, its ambivalence to new technology and mass media and its avoidance of the narrative ‘closure’. Argue that these characteristics of post modernity can be applied to three (3) animated titles. (Use examples from commercial/independent and/or web-based forms and pop-video clips)
QUESTION 7
Discuss the impact of ‘machine aesthetic’ in the visual arts in the 1920s. Compare and contrast one (1) work from the area of fine art/design and the decorative arts.
QUESTION 8
Discuss the work of at least two (2) artists, in terms of the key characteristics of Surrealism and/or Dada. How does their work exemplify Surrealism and/or Dada?
QUESTION 9
Through the analysis of the work of at least two (2) 20th century photographers, account for the differences between Modernist photography and Postmodernist photography. In your response, be sure to describe the key characteristics of each movement as evidenced in specific photographic examples and, as accounted for, in theoretical literature.
QUESTION 10
“Two great thinkers, Morris and Ruskin, tower above all the rest in the nineteenth century when questions of art and aesthetics are being considered” Uncombed, I. & Geri, C. 1978, “Morris and His Circle” in Arts and Crafts in Britain, Academy Editions, London, pp 63-71).
Discuss the significance and contribution to the Arts & Crafts Movement of John Ruskin, the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and Philip Webb. NB: Do not simply write biographies.
QUESTION 11
To what extent can the centrality of montage to the film practice and theory of the 1920s Soviet film makers be explained as a response to, and an expression of, distinctly Modernists’ concerns in the visual arts during the period? In developing your argument, refer to two (2) film makers.
QUESTION 12
Discuss the significant role that popular culture played in graphic design by the beginning of the 20th century.
QUESTION 13
In attempting to pinpoint some of the defining characteristics associated with Postmodernism in the arts, Featherstone (1992, pp7-8) identifies the following:
…the effacement of the boundary between art and the everyday life; the collapse of the hierarchal distinction between high and mass/popular culture; a stylistic promiscuity favouring eclecticism and the mixing of codes; parody, irony, playfulness and the celebration of the surface ‘depthlessness’ of culture; the decline of the originality/genius of the artistic producer; and the assumption that art can only be repetition.
Concentrating on at least two (2) characteristics identified by Featherstone, investigate their applicability (or otherwise) to the work of two (2) film makers/animators/designers/
photographers/ or fine artists. In your answer, focus on two (2) works produced since 1980.
QUESTION 14
Throughout the 20th century, the link between design and industry strengthened. Discuss this statement referring specifically to the Bauhaus AND the Design School at Ulm.
QUESTION 15
Photography became a kind of visual diary, as well as an incorruptible eye for the critical observer of politics and social life, and a reporter of contemporary events (Bats, 1999, Photography, A Concise History, King Pls: London, pp112-113). Discuss this relationship between art and society by comparing the work of two (2) photographers, each from a different decade.
QUESTION 16
Discuss why post-modern design is sometimes called ‘anti-design’. Choose two (2) examples from either graphic design or 3-D design to illustrate your argument.
QUESTION 17
Referring to the artwork of 2 or 3 Australian Indigenous Artists, discuss what effects colonization has had on their artwork.
CRITERIA FOR ASSESSMENT
1) Evidence of adequate breadth of ACADEMIC research – including demonstrated use of periodicals. Does the paper contain topical and relevant researched material? Does it show evidence of critical analysis and inquiry?
2) Quality of argument–is it cogent, concise and clear? Are the points of argument developed logically and coherently?
3) Pertinence of visual and verbal support? Do the images complement and support the argument presented? Have you included a range and diversity of quoted material?
4) Proper use of the Harvard/Author–Date method of documentation.
5) Effective use of written English (including spelling, punctuation, essay structure).
REMEMBER!
A research essay must show evidence of your ‘researched material’ by including direct quotes, borrowed ideas or summaries of views presented by individual authors, all clearly documented in the Harvard style. If this is not evident in your essay, you cannot receive a pass mark.
Adequate use of English is essential to mount a successful argument. If you have any problems in writing English, you must seek assistance.
ADVICE ON HOW TO WRITE ESSAYS WILL BE OFFERED DURING WORKSHOPS.
SUBMISSION:
Cover Sheet: A cover sheet must be stapled to the front of all submitted assessment for Art Theory. The Assignment Cover Sheet is available via the My Courses on the QUIT Web Site (preferable) or Reception on Level 5, M14. Be sure to fill in all relevant sections and to sign the declaration. Assignments must be double-spaced.
Retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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