Visual Art Writing. Visual & Performing Arts Essay

The assignment is divided into 3 part. (Approx 300 words each)
Part 1: Read through all of the examples of art criticism included in the week’s reading assignments. Which reviews did you find particularly compelling? What about their writing style or structure formed your opinion? Point to certain phrases that you found to be descriptive, poetic, or insightful and explain what you liked about these phrases. Did you detect any instances of bias in the critics’ reviews? Was the bias fair, unwarranted, well-reasoned, or inevitable? Did they provide substantial evidence to support their opinions or merely rely on their presumed authority as the critic?
Part 2: On pg. 9-10, Berger writes, “An image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced. It is an appearance, or a set of appearances, which has been detached from the place and time in which it first made its appearance and preserved—for a few moments or a few centuries. Every image embodies a way of seeing.”
How do you understand Berger’s description of what an image is and represents? How might Berger’s idea of the image affect the way you approach an artwork in your writing?
Part 3: Write a two or three-paragraph art review based on a formal analysis that compares and contrasts two works of art of your choosing. You are free to choose two works by the same artist, from the same country, and made during the same date range OR two works made by different artists, from different countries and different periods OR works from different countries but the same period OR the same country but different periods, etc. Similarly, you may choose to compare two paintings or, for example, compare a painting with a sculpture. Pick what you think will make for the most interesting comparison.
If possible, pick art work that you can actually see in person so that the writing really will be an art review. If that is not possible, pretend that you are an art critic and that the works you are describing are part of an exhibition that you are reviewing.
You may choose to organize your comparison by first discussing one and then the other, by comparing them point-by-point, or by combining both methods. You will find that a point-by-point comparison organizes information thematically. For example, perhaps one section will compare the subjects of both objects, another will pertain to materials, then the size of both, the mood, and so on. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods.
If you write a point-by-point comparison, make sure that your reader can keep up with the back and forth movement. Make sure the sentence structures do not become repetitive. Do not leave any loose threads. If you mention the color of one, you must also mention the color of the other.
If your comparison describes one in detail before turning to the other, make sure there is a good transition between the two sections. Let your reader know where you are going by using introductory and concluding sentences. In the second section, remind your readers that this is a comparison by alluding to the first object and stating how this other object compares.
Both a point-by-point and a split comparison will inevitably contain phrases such as “Although Y resembles X, X is less…” “Unlike Y, X is…” “Both X and Y…” “While X is Z, Y is V.” Remember that a good comparison is more than just a list of similarities and differences: it makes a point. As you revise your first draft, make sure the point of your comparison is clear and if you offer an opinion, that opinion is supported by visual evidence. Check to make sure that all the similarities and differences have been covered and in a way that makes it easy for your reader to understand.