Category: Art

Social commentary art is any artwork that makes a statement about society either past or present. Choose an artist that creates work that fulfills this purpose.

A definition of social commentary can be found here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_commentary)

Issue can include: poverty, racism, AIDS, smoothing, drugs, crime, gangs, abuse, child abuse, family, violence, torture, modern slavery, terrorism, environmental issues, technology, relationships, war, political injustice, social criticism, feminist criticism

For a list of artists see below.

Your paper should:

Be at least 450 words  long

Discuss the background/biography of the artist

Describe the work of art

Explain how the work of art is an example of social commentary

All assignments must be in 12-point font (Arial or Times New Roman), use correct grammar and spelling, and coherent sentences. Please proofread, Please use your own words (no plagiarism); I want to hear what you think, who you are, and what you have to say. Please include the image you are discussing and works cited.
Artists may be but are not limited to:

Pablo Picasso Guernica

Francisco Goya May 3rd, 1808

Van Gogh The Potato Eaters

Van Gogh The Absinthe Drinker

Barbara Kruger Your Body is a Battle Ground

Barbara Kruger I Shop Therefore I Am

Banksy

Keith Haring

Roger Gordy

Dorothy Lange

Kelly Finlaw

Mark Jenkins

Sarah Kiser

Music 133, Music Appreciation                                                                  Final Paper Guidelines

Write a 3 to 5  page paper on a musical related topic ( a double spaced page is about 250 words) . Any quotes or words that are not your own must be cited. Please use proper Modern Language Association (MLA) form for citations with a works cited list at the end of the paper. In other words tell me where you got the information.

Some topic suggestions may be but are not limited to the following. Remember these are just some suggestions to get you started.  You do not have to include every thing in each  topic suggestion. For example if you choose to write about Beethoven and the paper is a Biography then title it so. If it turns out you wrote about his symphonies the title it The Symphonies of Beethoven.

If you title your paper for example ” Biography of Ludwig van Beethoven” the first sentence better not be ” I have chosen to write my paper on the great Ludvig van Beethoven” I ALREADY KNOW THIS FROM THE TITLE.

1) Write a brief biography of a composer. Include references to his or her most famous works and how his life experience, education, employment, etc. may have influenced those works. You may want to include when the works were published, if the original manuscripts still exist and if so, where they are.

2) Compare or contrast two works by the same composer. Some ideas might be to pick one from his or her early years and one from his or her later years. The pieces should be in the same or similar genre such as, symphony, piano sonata, chamber music, etc. Discuss when and where they were written, where and when were they premiered. How has he/she developed? What techniques do you or other scholars notice that are similar or different, such as form, instrumentation, length, and number of movements?

3) Pick one or two of your favorite classical pieces of music and discuss as much as you can discover about the piece.  Information should include, but not be limited to: composer, date of composition, where it was composed, how long the composer took to create it, how many revisions it has undergone, whether or not it was commissioned, when it was first performed, when it was published, whether or not the original manuscript still exists, what critics have said about the piece, a brief analysis of the form, and a brief review of recordings.

4) Select an instrument (or family of instruments)and trace its history and development. You may also include any instrument makers, composers, and famous players that have helped in its development.

5) Write a biography of a popular artist, jazz musician, song writer, conductor, or film composer. You should include what his or her major influences were, how the artists style has or has not changed through the years, and whether or not they have had an influence on music or any other artists. You should include a discography, or filmography. (If you choose a prolific song writer or artist that has a discography of 2 or more pages just list the important, or most recent entries.)

6) Watch a movie with an original score (soundtracks made only of pop or rap songs dont often work well, but animated movies often work very well for this example) Tell as much as you can about the music in the film, who wrote the score, who orchestrated the score, musicians credited, who directed the movie, and whether or not  any existing songs or pieces were used. Did the composer use any leitmotifs (themes) in the film to represent a person, place, emotion, etc.? In analyzing the score, examine if there is a theme, or themes that are used throughout the film. Were they transformed to fit various scenes and situations? Listen to see if the notes of the theme have been lengthened (augmented), or shortened (diminished). Has it been fragmented (using little sections of the longer theme)? Does the composer change the way the theme sounds, happy, heroic, tragic, melancholy, or nostalgic to fit what is happening or about to happen on the screen? If so, how does the composer do it? (different instruments, tempo, pitch, use of major or minor, etc.)

-OR Compare the scores of two movies that have the same composer. What similarities, and or differences are there? Use some of the guidelines from the previous example.

If you have other ideas for a topic please see me first.

Grades are based on content and organization, length, and sources. Dont repeat similar statements and facts. I only grade down grammar mistakes if I cant understand the paragraph.

4-5 pages double spaced, 12 point font
Please type your paper. Where you refer to specific images, include a few of them at the end of your paper.

This paper will be an argumentative essay rather than a research report, though you will use research in gathering evidence to support your argument. Remember that when we speak of an argument in this context, we dont mean a fight. Rather, we mean a logically structured discourse that is intended to convince someone of something. The question I want you to address in this paper, through a case study of an artist or art movement, is the following:

What is influence and how does it work in the modern and contemporary art of China? What do we mean when we say that one style or technique influences another? What are some of the factors that cause this influence to occur?

Heres how to do it. You should choose one example (or a couple of related examples) of influence in Chinese modern or contemporary art. (anyone but li hua ) Introduce it first, with a brief description (as you know how to do). Then identify its influences. DONT STOP THERE.

Once youve identified its influences, please explain how they work, and why they happened. This explanation can draw on what youve learned about 20th-century Chinese history. For example, if you choose a realist oil painter, then obviously your artist was influenced by the European and/or Soviet oil painting traditions (although youll want to be more specific than that: whose oil painting in particular, and why?). However, the realists of the early 20th century were influenced by European oil painting for very different reasons than those that affected the realists working after the founding of the PRC. Artists choices never occur in a vacuum – they are shaped by changing standards of value. Historical, political, and cultural context will help you explain the flow of influence from one art tradition to another. You spent the last paper thinking about how your chosen artist was a product of his times and experiences. This paper is in some ways a continuation of that thinking – because influences are also a product of their times.

Your job is to convince your reader that your explanation of how influence works in this case is the most reasonable and convincing one, out of all the possible explanations that could be offered for this issue. In your conclusion, please spend some time thinking about what your example tells us about influence in general and how/why it works.

In the last writing workshop we spent a lot of time talking about the relationship between claims, reasoning, and evidence, and about the warrants or unexamined assumptions that connect them. I expect you to make use of what you learned in the last workshop to write this paper. Obviously, in this case, your main claim will be your answer to the question What is influence and how does it work in this historical moment? You must support this claim with reasoning and with evidence, and you must make the logical connections between these clear (remember that examining your warrants is one way to do this).

The research will come in when you need to cite specific evidence to support your claims and your reasoning. This evidence can come from course readings, from the research you did for Paper #2, or from additional research as you wish. Wherever you get it from, the same standards of citation apply to this paper as to the last: provide a citation for everything that doesnt come from your own brain in this case, your evidence, and perhaps some reasons if you happen to get them from someone else — use a standard citation format, and DONT only cite direct quotations.

The next writing workshop will focus on making and refining points and claims. To give yourself a head start, a word about your main claim, which is the answer to the question above. Your main claim should appear near the front of the work, ideally at the end of the introduction. Then you can follow it with the argument that supports it. Many students are tempted to hold off till the end of the paper to reveal their main point. In workshop, well talk about why this is confusing to the reader.

A new link will be posted for each performance of War of the Worlds! For tomorrow, visit:  https://youtu.be/PkuHDl1Sg78  Adapted by Ben Hernandez. Based on the novel by H.G. Wells. This production will be directed by Professor Stephen Rothman

All performances are free.

Direct link for tickets: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1033485 For updated information, go to https://www.calstatela.edu/al/theatre-and-dance/fall-2020-theatre-production and https://www.facebook.com/Calstatelatheatre
Performance Schedule: Saturday, November 14 @ 7pm Sunday, November 15 @ 7pm Wednesday, November 18 @ 7pm Thursday, November 19 @ 7pm Friday, November 20 @ 7pm Saturday, November 21 @ 7pm #csula #csulatad #calstatela #calstatelawow #theatreanddance #losangeles

Questions to Consider:

You can focus on the questions that interest you the most, but you should address question(s) from each section.

Description: describe the production (what you saw and heard)
Include basic details: titles, director, major performers
Describe the audience and the performance venue, if shown
Describe the structure of the piece (episodic, climactic, etc.)
Describe the acting or performance style and performances that stood out to you
Describe the world of the piece (sets, lighting, costumes, etc.)
Describe staging conventions (example: do performers acknowledge the spectators?)
Interpretation: interpret the production (refer to programs and other sources)
What was it about to you? (Do not include a plot synopsis. You can assume your reader is familiar with the play.)
What do you think was the artists intentiondesired effect on the audience? (Why here? Why now?)
Evaluation: evaluate what you saw within the context of what you think they were attempting
Was the intention worthwhile?
How effectively did it fulfill what you believe was the intention?
How did the spectators respond?
Would you recommend production?