Rosa Bonheur; her work as a queer artist and it’s impact on her work and upbringing

Description

​The point of this eight-page paper is to advance an interpretation of an artist’s work based on three kinds of evidence: a) your visual analysis of the work itself, b) the artist’s own writing or that of a contemporary critic (i.e.: living at the same time as the artist), and c) what modern scholarship has to say about your artist. “Interpretation” can be a somewhat slippery notion, especially as much of modern art tends towards abstraction. Some ways of thinking about interpretation include: that the work conveys a specific meaning you think the artist intended, that it communicates or responds to social values more widely prevalent at the time, or that the most significant aspect of the work has to do with its engagement with new media and expectations about it. In arriving at an interpretation, it’s helpful to look closely at the work, to compare it with other examples by the artist or his or her contemporaries, and to see how modern scholars have discussed it (in particular, thinking about why or why not you agree with some scholars versus others, as well as what might be missing from these analyses). In addition, you can choose how much of an artist’s work to focus on or even think about a specific group of artists; however, remember that in-depth analysis and discussion is more important than the number of works you consider. In writing the paper, you want to explain how you’re interpreting the work and support your contention with three kinds of evidence: ​1. Your visual analysis of the work itself. Be sure to pick your examples carefully and to explain how these works relate to the artist’s overall career (do they constitute a temporary set of interests or a trajectory of major works indicating a recurring focus for the artist? what visual features make your point most convincingly? are there visual features that don’t fit your reading?). ​2. Your understanding of your primary source. Rarely do artists or critics speak directly to the questions we as a contemporary audience have about their work. Moreover, they may use terms and expressions that have lost their original meaning. Therefore, you will need to interpret their writing and also explain why your reading is valid (by connecting it to the conclusions of modern scholarship and your own visual analysis). ​3. Modern scholarship. Make sure to choose scholarship that is recent (within at least the last twenty years) and that examines your subject closely. Your first page or so should contain your thesis in which you address, briefly, the essential points of this assignment – what you think the work means or how it is significant. You should also explain the historical context of the work and how relevant scholarship has understood it (again, briefly, no more than a paragraph or two – for example, if the focus of your interpretation relates to the topic of industrialization, just go over those scholars who discuss that topic). Then, in the body of the paper, support your thesis through the three kinds of evidence mentioned above. ​The paper should be eight double-spaced pages, with no title page, just your name and the name of the class at the top of the first page. You also need to include the following: ​1. A one-page bibliography. 2. Copies of all images discussed in the paper, no more than two per page. Remember to number these images as “figure 1,” “figure 2,” etc., and to refer to them as such within your paper. Be sure also to put captions below the images with artist, title, and date information. Black-and-white reproductions are fine. 3. A copy of your primary source. If your source is a book or is longer than twenty pages, come see me about how to choose which sections to include in your final paper. ​Be sure to cite your sources for quotations or any information or arguments that you’ve taken from them. I prefer Chicago Manual style, but I’ll accept other systems, just as long as citations are consistent. The Chicago Manual has a convenient website that explains how to cite different types of sources in multiple styles.