ARTH 110_01: Intro to the Arts of Asia
PODCAST PROJECT: ASSIGNMENT #2
D U E by 10/25—turn in through Moodle
Trout Gallery Object: Description & Context
Length: At least 2-3 pages (double spaced, 12 point font)
Work to date:
 You have written your initial description and received my comments regarding further
research
 You have viewed your object with the Trout and made additional observations about its
materiality, size, weight, and other physical properties not obvious from the 2D image.
 You have begun to research the culture in which your object was made, and the period
(or at least presumed or closest period) of its creation & use.
Now that you have written an initial description and actually seen your object, your next task is
to combine a new description with an account of its historical & cultural context.
New Description:
Your new description will take into account any of my comments on your initial paper and
combine them with observations you have made while actually viewing the object. Your
description here does not have to be exhaustive, but it should cover the object as a whole and
include descriptive material about the object’s physical properties:
 Think back to the podcast about the Jomon pot and the narrator’s description of it—
though brief, his aim was to give his audience a sense of what it felt like to hold the
object. Now that you have seen your object and acquired a sense of what it would have
been like to view & experience it (and perhaps even hold it, if allowed), try to capture it a
bit more completely by including the comments you wrote when you viewed the object.
 Your description should not be copied and pasted from your original paper. Blend your
new observations with the old. Include meticulous details when you think they are
relevant, but make sure to also capture a sense of the object as a whole.
Historical and Cultural Context:
You will need to do some research for this paper. Most of you have a date or at least know the
period during which your objects were made—others can at least guess at a period (see me if
you are having trouble).
Continue your description by setting the object within this historical period:
 A good place to start is the Encyclopedia of Asian History by Ainslie Thomas Embree,
which is located in the Reference Stacks on the ground floor of the library (DS31 .E53
1988 vols. 1-4).
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You can also look to the link on Moodle: “Looking for Resources for your Podcast
Essay?” Here, our Visual Resources Librarian, Jennifer Kniesch, has compiled a listing
of links to useful Art History resources. Check out “Oxford Art Online,” the first link, for
historical information.
Each of the above sources are good starting points, and will usually include references &
bibliographies at the end for further, more specialized research.
Enhance our understanding of this historical context by adding further information—shape a
cultural context around your work:
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Search the library catalog for sources on your particular item. Look for books that focus
on this type of art work or object, including catalogs for museum exhibitions. These
sources will give you a good introduction to the significance and use of your object in a
cultural, social, religious and/or political context.
Look further in the links on Jennifer Kniesch’s page for specialized articles on your
subject. Articles cover a range of topics in a more focused manner, including how your
object was produced, how it was viewed or perceived by contemporary (original)
audiences, and more detailed information about social, religious or political contexts.
Some good links to start with include “Arts and Humanities Search,” “Art Full Text,” and
“JSTOR.”
** Ms. Kniesch (knieschj@dickinson.edu) will actually come to our class in early October to
discuss with you ways of researching your object.
Ending Paragraph:
Complete your paper with a paragraph that describes an idea you would like to pursue for your
final podcast presentation. Now that you have viewed the work and have begun to understand
the context in which it was produced and experienced—and perhaps you know a bit more about
the content of the work—ask yourself what you think is most important or interesting about the
object. Why is it important that your audience know about this object? What about it aids in our
understanding of the historical period and culture from which it originated? Will you begin your
presentation in an interesting way? Will you focus on a particular aspect of your object (ex.,
how it was produced, how it was used or experienced, how it was important to religious or
political ideals, the particular story depicted, or more about the content of the imagery)?
Describe in this final paragraph how you will capture the attention of your audience as you
present on your chosen work.
Sources:
Now that you are using resources to understand your work, you must include bibliographic
references within your text and at the end of your paper. If the ideas that you are presenting are
not your own, you must cite the book or article from which they originated!
In Art History, we cite sources in the following way:
Book:
 Bibliography at the end of your paper: Dehejia, Vidya, Art of the Imperial Cholas (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1991).
 Footnotes: Vidya Dehejia, Art of the Imperial Cholas (New York: Columbia Univesrity
Press, 1991), 6-10.
Article:
 Bibliography at the end of your paper: Srinivasan, P. R., “Siva Nataraja, the Cosmic
Dancer,” Roopa Lekha, no. 26 (1955): 4-12.
 Footnotes: P. R. Srinivasan, “Siva Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer,” Roopa Lekha, no. 26
(1955): 4-5.
**For more information on citing sources in Art History, see Sylvan Barnet’s Short Guide to
Writing About Art, on reserve in the library.