Art Journals / Compare Contrast
Throughout the semester a journal will be kept and created cataloguing one piece from each
chapter theme, artist, or major style. Each entry must have a good copy of the work in color and no
larger than 2” x 3” or smaller than 1” x 1“. Each page must be appropriately titled and labeled. On each
page must be included the following topics and each topic must be answered fully- yes or no answers
will NOT be accepted.
Each work must be fully identified. A fully identified piece must include the following information: 1Name of the piece, 2-name of the artist(s), 3-style associated with, 4-size, 5-medium or media used, 6-the
date or the century.
There are six (6) topics that must be covered for each piece and they are: Subject Matter,
Function, Artistic Decision Making, Contextual Analysis, Cultural Impact, and Comparison.
Each of these topics has specific questions that have assigned for each set of images. You are REQUIRED
to only use the questions provided.
Art Journal #9 Justinian and Attendants (Image 51), and Wall Plaque from Oba’s Palace (Image 169)
Subject Matter:
Subject- What does the work depict? Who is depicted in the work?
Function:
Why:
Was it created to commemorate the life of a famous person?
Whom:
Why did the patron commission the work?
Where:
Was it created as a complement to another nearby work of art? (such as a building or a
sculpture?)
Artistic Decision Making:
What:
What medium was used and why?
Contextual Analysis:
How:
How does the work reflect a culture’s concept of power and authority?
How does the work reflect political ideologies?
Cultural Impact:
Did:
Does the work provide a sense of cultural or national identity? Explain in detail.
Comparison:
What cultural / religious similarities do these two images share and how is it expressed in these
two works of art?
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