Art from Caves to Cathedrals

AH 003 - ART FROM CAVES TO CATHEDRALS
PAPER 1: COMMUNICATING ART HISTORY
Important Dates & Deadlines
Library session on resources and citing images: Thursday | September 15
The Overview
Throughout this semester, we’ll see firsthand that there is no single way to study art history; rather, there are many art histories defined by individual scholars, geographic and temporal constraints, and/or the particular body of evidence examined. While many of our readings will come from a single textbook, it is important to understand different types of scholarship in order to experience a broad range of voices and perspectives. For your first writing assignment this semester, you’re going to be considering the way that art history textbooks prioritize different types of evidence and narratives in their presentation of the art, architecture, and material culture of the past.
In addition to your assessment of Art History textbooks, you must also include at least one image with a proper citation and explanatory caption. The image can show an aspect of the text(s) that you found effective, highlight an interesting object presented by one or both of your authors, or simply depict an interesting piece or style of art you learned about through this assignment. I highly encourage you to use the Hofstra Univeristy Library LibGuides for Finding Images and Citing Images.
The Guidelines
1. Choose two of the art history textbooks shared in the list below. Each of these textbooks is available through the Hofstra University Library, either as an eBook or in print. If you come across another art history textbook that you think would make an appropriate addition to the list below, especially textbooks that you might find physical copies of in Hofstra Library, don’t hesitate to let me know.
2. Skim through both textbooks, paying close attention to how each book is organized; how maps, images, diagrams, and tables are used; and what the overall goals and presentation styles are of your particular authors. Read through a chapter in each book (the introduction, if present) to get a feel for the style and priorities of each of the authors.
3. Write a brief essay comparing and contrasting your two textbooks. Try to avoid harshly criticizing or vigorously praising either author. Rather, see this as a chance to think about different ways to present and organize evidence and ideas and the effectiveness of these methods. In your essay, you should aim to answer the following questions (note that you may use the following sections as headings to organize your essay if you think that will help, but you are not required to do so. You can mix all of these together in your analysis, as long as you present it in a coherent way):
1. Organization: How are the books organized based on the Table of Contents and your perusal of the chapters (Chronologically? Geographically? By medium? Some combination of these?)? If the organization between both textbooks is different, which approach do you, as a student, find more effective and why?
2. Presentation: To what extent do the authors utilize charts, graphs, maps, tables, etc. to help you understand the material? Are the approaches in both books similar? Which textbook and approach (as far as the use of these tools) do you find more effective, and why?
3. Narrative: How do the authors present the material? Is it presented as a coherent narrative, through individual objects, or some combination of the two? Do the authors provide you only with descriptions of objects and buildings, or do they draw conclusions for you about this material? Which approach do you find more effective, and why?
4. Goals and Impact: Based on the title of the books, your skimming, and the chapters you read, what do you think are the overall goals of these authors in presenting this material? Are they more focused on art, architecture, archaeology, or some combination of all of these? How do all the above categories (organization, presentation, and narrative) reflect the authors’ overall goals and general approaches?
The List of Textbooks eBooks:
The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology by Donald Preziosi
A History of Art History by Christopher S. Wood
Making Pictures in Stone: American Indian Rock Art of the Northeast (2009) by Edward J Lenik Chinese Art (2012) by Stephen Bushell
Persian Art: Image-making in Eurasia (2018) by Yuka Kadoi
Ancient art of the American Woodland Indians (1985) by David S Brose et al.
Egyptian Art (2014) by Gaston Maspero
Byzantine Art (2009) by Charles Bayet et al.
World Art: An Introduction to the Art in Artefacts (2013) by Ben Burt
Gothic Art by Victoria Charles et al.
Smarthistory.org has both an entire Art History textbook, Reframing Art History, and guidebooks to different regions and time periods available for free download
Print Books:
Dictionary of Art. (1996) ed. Jane Turner. Ref. N31. D5 1996 34 vols
Encyclopedia of World Art. (1959) Ref. N31.E533 16 vols.
Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History. (13th Ed.), ed. F.S. Kleiner ß Our textbook for class Ref. N5300 .G25 2011 vol. 1-2
Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. (2009) P.J.E. Davies, et al. Ref. N5300 .J29 2009
The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture. (2007) ed. Gordon Campbell. Ref. N5610 .G76 2007 vol. 1-2
A History of Art in Africa (2001) by Monica Blackmun Visonà et al. N7380 .H54 2001
A History of Western Art (1961) by John Ives Sewall & John Canaday N5300 .S458 1961
History of Art (2003) by Jacques Thuillier N5300 .T53 2003
History of Medieval Art, 980-1440 (1986) by Georges Duby N5970 .D798 1986
History of Ancient Art (1849) by Johan Joachim Winckelmann N5330 .W743
A History of Far Eastern Art (1973) by Sherman Lee N7336 .L43 1973
Video:
Civilisation a Personal View by Lord Clark: The Complete Series (1969) (“The Skin of Our Teeth” is the first episode and best to use for this assignment)
Civilizations. Episode 1, The Second Moment of Creation (2018)

The Fine Print
Effective writing requires extensive revision and rewriting. The worst thing you can do for yourself is wait until the last minute to begin reviewing, planning, and writing. My suggestion: start early, giving yourself plenty of time and mental space to reflect on what you’ve written and revise before the deadlines.
Remember that spelling and grammar do count. Your paper should be typed, 500-750 words, double- spaced, and in 12-point font. You should include a bibliography for your paper, even if it only includes two textbooks from the list above, and use in-text citations where appropriate. If you have any questions about citation practice, please consult Hofstra University Library’s Citation Help LibGuide or ask me. If you have any questions about writing this type of paper, you are highly encouraged either reach out to me or to make an appointment with the Hofstra Writing Center before submitting your final draft to Blackboard.
When submitting your final draft to Blackboard (under Assignments), you can submit as
a .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .pages file. In order to make my life a little easier, please title your file in the following format: “LastName_Paper1.”