Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Senior Research Paper: Researching and Writing About Artists and Their Work

Overview and Steps 1-2

Overview: You will be choosing one artist, either from the following list or a contemporary artist (or 20th Century artist) of equal historic merit (he or she must have adequate primary and secondary source material from which to research). The research you gather will help you prove your thesis about specific pieces of art (1-5).

Choose an artist whose work you like, and even more importantly, who you think makes an interesting statement through his or her artwork that you think you can explain for about 15 pages.

Step 1: I have set up hyperlinks for about 40 artists. Spend the next 40 minutes or so choosing an artist that you would like to focus for the next few weeks. You will want to have a back-up choice or two for various reasons. I know a bit about each of these artists and have an idea of what you will face if you choose to research any of them. I’ll be around to answer questions. Enjoy.

For some of these artists, it is just as easy to do an image search.

Painters and Artists:

White Cube also has a good list of contemporary artists.

I chose these artists because they should be easy enough to find research on but have not been written on endlessly. If you have an artist in mind, I’d be happy to add it to the list.

Step 2: Post a Comment on which artist you want and why (brief). Check with me first. You can pick someone that is not on the list. I would also like you to hyperlink the title of an image that you like from the artist, so a quick minilesson:

Kevin Ta 5 said...Alright, here’s my quick mini lesson on how to hyperlink in comment boxes. Say you want to make a link like this. All you have to do is type the following into the comment box:
<"a href=http://www.google.com">"this"<"/a">
and get rid of the quotation marks. When you publish it, it will look like:
this
Replace the URL (making sure you have the http:// part) and the “this” and it’s as simple as that. Remember that the Preview button is your friend. Hope that helps.

48 comments:

Thespina says: said...

Yo Mr.G!
If I were still in school, I would choose David Hockney.

FYI.

Angela S5 said...
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Janelle C. 5 said...
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Angela S5 said...

I choose Wangechi Mutu. I really love her work and how it connects with female identity in society. I also think that I can use the feminist criticisms and other knowledge to help me.

Wangechi Mutu Adult Female Sexual Organs

Janelle C. 5 said...

I chose painting 1946 by Francis Bacon, because the first thing I noticed about the painting was it looked like a headless groom under an umbrella which I found really oddly interesting. Also there is a gigantic skeleton in the back ground and what seems to look like pieces of meat in the front. I wonder if these representations of meat have anything to do with the “groom”, sort of making him to be how the saying goes “a piece of meat”.

Mista D said...

The artist I would like to research is Jerry Uelsmann. I am interested in this artist because his work looks fascinating and it has to do with dreams which will make my research different from everyone else’s. When I was browsing through the blog and looking at all the different artist’s work, the first image on Jerry Uelsmann’s page really caught my eye. The images look deep and moving, they make me want to buy his work and put it in my house just because it all looks so unreal.

Jerry Uelsmann tree over water

Mista D said...

The artist I would like to research is Jerry Uelsmann. I am interested in this artist because his work looks fascinating and it has to do with dreams which will make my research different from everyone else’s. When I was browsing through the blog and looking at all the different artist’s work, the first image on Jerry Uelsmann’s page really caught my eye. The images look deep and moving, they make me want to buy his work and put it in my house just because it all looks so unreal.

Jerry Uelsmann waterfall

Doris T5 said...

I choose to do Sandy Skoglund. She is an interesting artist with very creative ideas. All of her photographs seem peculiar at first but each one has a different idea within the photo. Her photos are known as Tableau French for living picture. The technique that she uses is interesting and unique.

Blue Bulb

Diana P5 said...

The artist that I have chosen is Roy Lichtenstein. Roy Lichtenstein’s style is a mixture of real life objects such as people with a cartoon twist which is called pop-art. Also his work has disfigurements showing parts of art that the viewer would not necessarily see. Such as Collage for Interior with Diana, 1997 which shows at first glance a women in a mirror but looking closer you see that the actual women body is off to the left. His sculptures are abstract to say the least because they don’t really look like they are really anything unless you look at them from other directions. Roy Lichtenstein’s art is really cool so even if you haven’t chosen him still take a look at some of his work.

Ricki said...

I choose to do my research paper on Max Ernst. Max Ernst focused on Dadaism and Surrealism as part of his life and works, and has influenced many artists as well as worked with several famous ones including Joan Miró and Salvador Dali. One of the paintings in which I want to focus on is The Virgin Chastises the infant Jesus before Three Witnesses: André Breton, Paul Éluard, and the Painter because it is a controversial and unique piece that raises many questions to the painter’s motives and ideas and perhaps his life.

Diana P5 said...

Also guys i didn't pick that art work because it had my name. That was just a plus!!!

Kathleen D5 said...

The artist I chose to do is Jean-Michel Basquiat because I found his art to be unique. It looks like a child art but only his art has meaning behind. Jean-Michel Basquiat Icraus Esso In this artwork he repeats a lot of the images over and over again. His painting is also has hidden symbols in that I like.

Mark D5 said...

I am going to choose Jerry Uelsman for my research project. His use of mystical settings and dream-like objects caught my attention. The painting Inspirational image made me stop and stare for longer than any other painting I looked at over the past two days. After seeing it I had to know more about Uelsman.

Inspirational Image

Mark D5 said...
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Shaun N 5 said...

I am going to be doing my research paper on Joan Miró. I know a little bit about him but not enough and I find it very interesting how his style of...well basically randomness at first glance...came to be so influential, especially in today's world of surreal art. The paintings that he has done (that I have seen so far) are so simple and they look almost as if a child drew them. But it’s interesting to see how a balance of color can transform something so basic into something appealing to the human eye.

Miro The Red Disk

Alexander A.6 said...

The artist I chose to research about was Max Ernst. Ernst’s work displayed the cultural tide in the 1920’s called Surrealism. Ernst was a pioneer of this movement and revolutionized French art during the early 20th century. His focus on history is what really drew me to his artwork and a prime example would be Europe After The Rain because the painting represents the horrors of war while also projecting his views in a free and open manner.

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michelle p said...

For my research paper, I am thinking about focusing on the artist Jay Defeo for her take on a more modern looking art in the 1970's. Her art spans from paintings and photography, bringing a variety I think will add to my paper and research on her life.
Her painting, Cabbage Rose, captured my eye at first because of its floral aspect. At first it looked like a blossoming flower but when my eye focused on it, it came across as a cabbage plant of sorts. This illusion, in a way, really interested me in continuing to research her.

Cabbage Rose

Faedhra W 6 said...

I choose the painting “untitled” 2003 mixed media on mylar by Wangechi Mutu. She uses odd artificial extensions that replace a missing body part. So many unfit objects together make it both elegant and perverse which reminds me of the qualities of man. Individually, a man is just a man but when encompass with people is life became more complicated but interesting.

Wangechi Mutu untitled

Unknown said...

The artist I choose for my research paper is David Hockney. He was known as an influential artist in the 20th century. His paintings are really creative and you can see the differences from his 50’s painting until 00’s paintings. He starts off using dark colors and along the way he started to add more colors to it. His painting started to have more details to it as well. His 70’s paintings look for like 3-D painting. The first painting I want to do my paper on is Model With Unfinished Self-Portrait, 1077.

Meaghan S6 said...

I chose Vik Muniz for my research paper. His art is so interesting and creative and while I was looking at it, I loved trying to figure out how or what he used to create each piece. Some of the art is an imitation of other famous works, while others are of his own creation. I think it will be fascinating to look into how he created these pieces and why. The three pieces I am going to focus on are as follows:
-Gordian Puzzles, Marilyn Monroe, actress, NY City, May 6 1957, after Avedon (2008)
-Monads, Small Change (2003)
-Aftermath, Socrates (1998)

To see these images, go to the Vik Muniz website and follow the categories in the gallery (as indicated above in the titles).

sarah c 6 said...

The artist that I chose to do my research paper on is Jerry Uelsmann. I really like his artwork because it’s very different. His use of mystical images and common symbols is very interesting. I also like the way that he can use both real and mystical images in one photograph. I’m excited to do research on this artist because his artwork is more diverse from other art I have seen and all his works draw my attention. I also think its cool that his works are all in black and white.
Tree Goddess
Dream Theatre
Small Woods Where I Met Myself

Katie S6 said...

The artist I would like to focus on for the research paper is Jim Dine. I chose this artist because I find his work so captivating and fun. He is known to be a pop artist however I noticed that some of his work also incorporates some abstract ideas which I love. I think the colors he uses and the painting he comes up with are so original and really intriguing for the viewer to look at. I chose Jim Dine Yellow Side, Red Side as my first piece to describe.

Katie S6 said...

The artist I would like to focus on for the research paper is Jim Dine. I chose this artist because I find his work so captivating and fun. He is known to be a pop artist however I noticed that some of his work also incorporates some abstract ideas which I love. I think the colors he uses and the painting he comes up with are so original and really intriguing for the viewer to look at. I chose Jim Dine Yellow Side, Red Side as my first piece to describe.

Caitlin H 5 said...

The artist I chose for this research assignment is Lucien Freud. What really draws me into his work is the fact that he doesn't exactly paint the physical attributes of a person as everyone else sees them, but paints them for what they really are like inside. He brings out the darker and more desperate side of human nature and combines this with his subject's portrait. It is fascinating.

Girl With Leaves"

Interior at Paddington

Ib and Her Husband

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Wendy C.5 said...

The artist that I chose to research about is Fred Tomaselli. His style is really interesting and original. He created his painting using layered collages and materials not used in a normal artist’s creation. His art transform into magnificent works and sometimes a new view of painting. I was attracted to Tomaselli’s artistic method of creating painting in a form similar to mosaic pictures. The materials used along with the basic collage to create the mosaic effect links the modern advancement to the old cultural piece work.

Anonymous said...

For the research paper, I choose Anselm Keifer. After clicking on the many links, I stumbled upon Keifer as one of the only artists whose art did not look like a blob of colors. He adds a sense of his fantasy into his paintings, but he also uses very ordinary and realistic objects into them. The colors he uses are not vibrant but combination of dark colors that causes the paintings to appear dirty.

Wendy C.5 said...
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Wendy C.5 said...

Sorry! I forgot to add this painting is going to be in the research paper, Big Bird (2004):
Big Bird

Shuyi G 6 said...

I’m going to choose Jess Collins. Jess has a unique style that he combines many different shapes to make them become one. He likes to place the cutouts from the magazine on his works and then make them cohesive with his work. Jess also has a strong character that he can express his thoughts through his paintings; I’ve developed some thoughts while I was looking at his art works and I found most of his works meaningful. I wish I will increase my knowledge on art after I did this research paper.

Jess Collins

Ping L 6 said...
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Ping L 6 said...

There are many different artists on Mr. Gallagher’s list. After carefully viewing the artworks of each artist, I choose to do a research on Jerry Uelsmann. The photographs that Uelsmann create are very inspirational. After looking at a few of his works, I felt that I must learn about him and how he create the pieces. The thing that I like the most about his photographs is that most of them are related to nature in some way. I love the environment and the views nature provides. The unrealistic, and yet, real images in his photographs really caught my attention. I am looking forward to research about Uelsmann.

Headrock

Amy H 6 said...
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Amy H 6 said...
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Amy H 6 said...
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Amy H 6 said...

I have decided to change my artist to David Hockney. He seems a little more interesting then Tom Phillips. I will be concentrating on his photo gallery. I liked how Hockey had an original picture then cut it up or made a whole new creation with the picture. To me, this form of art symbolizes struggle. Also, his photos are artwork that I have never seen before. So I believe it will be interesting to research on.


Hockney

Kevin Tr . 5. said...

I choose Ja DeFeo.
JaY DeFeo

Steve T5 said...

Initially, I was choosing Jerry Uelsmann, but more than 2 students other than myself have already found Uelsmann as someone they would want to research about. So, I am choosing Amy Sillman. Uelsmann was associated with Phycoanalysis and such, which I have knowledge in, but Amy Sillman associates with a type of art I know nothing about. Amy Sillman works with modern Abstration, and since this is new to me, it will be challenging and worth researching. Here is one of her latest work:
Untittled

R. Gallagher said...

remember this for next year: http://www.leewaisler.com/Gallery/Lee-Waisler-Gallery.asp (Lee Waisler)

R. Gallagher said...

http://www.norbert-bisky.com/

and norbert bisky too...