P 1 – introduction
a) introduce the culture you have chosen and the object that represents it.
b) Limit the culture to a single theme (rulership, spirituality [which may include ritual, funerary rights, gods, etc.]). The object you select should exemplify this theme.
c) Include a thesis sentence (Example: This essay will examine the Tatanua’s (New Ireland, Papua New Guinea) use of masks in the practice of ancestor veneration. I will explain the culture, describe the mask, and explore the meaning and use of the mask.)
d) Tie your image to the text by adding (Figure 1) at the end of the sentence and before the period when you first mention the object.
e) At the end of the essay, include a large image with a full caption underneath it.
Example:
(image of Tatanua mask)
Figure 1
Anonymous, Helmet Mask (Tatanua), before 1900. Mixed Media, 17 x 8 1/8 in. North Carolina Museum of Art.
(Artist name (anonymous if unknown), title of work, date. Medium, size. Museum name.)
Paragraph 2 – Overview of culture (footnotes in this paragraph)
a) social/political organization
b) spiritual beliefs
Paragraph 3 – Description of your object (no footnotes – tell me what you see)
a) start with what it is (bronze, stone, or wood sculpture, print, hanging scroll, etc)
b) how it looks overall (seated male figure, standing figure, etc)
c) specific aspects (clothing, body decoration [jewelry, clothing, scarification, colors used (if color is present)
Paragraphs 4 and 5 – How your object functions within the culture, what it meant, what the people believed they gained by making or using the object, how people treated the object (displayed in a shrine/temple/community house, etc. (footnotes needed)
You may use a second object from a similar culture as a comparison or contrast. If you do, you may include its image as Figure 2
Consider
1. Cultural Context: How does the artwork fit into the culture’s history?
a. From what culture does it come? What year or era?
b. To what movement(s), religion(s), political cause(s) or other ideas does it relate?
c. Does it reflect the values, events, and technologies of its time? How?
2. Theme: What does the artwork mean?
a. Do we have any information from the artist or culture that explains it?
b. How does it represent the interests of its culture?
c) Does it include specific iconography that imparts meaning?
1) Can you find other works of art that support the interpretation of the iconography?
2) Do certain colors have cultural meaning?
3. Form: Does the material used for the object have meaning?
a. What processes are involved?
b. Did this material present difficulties (transportation of heavy stone / curing or firing clay / etc.)?
1) Do any difficulties in production tell us something about the culture?
c. Did the choice of material reflect the power/influence/importance of the patron/the deity/object depicted?
Paragraph 6 – Conclusion Summarize what you wrote.