Art History Research Paper

peteaboda1

So I need to do a research paper on a specific work of art (any medium) that is between 800-1800. Any suggestions? We weren't given a list of possible artists or artworks and I'd like to do something I don't know too much about, thanks.









Man I sound lazy

Hevach

The date range gives you the entire length of the Renaissance, which will be a good starting place, as some of the most famous artists and artworks date from then. Wikipedia has a list of artists from the period. Not a great primary source, but it will give you a starting place to pick a piece.

You could go big and famous and do something like the ceiling of the Cistene Chapel, David, Mona Lisa, or just pick an artist and find one of their less famous works. If you want to make sure nobody else picks the same piece, you can get creative and do it on one of the more elaborate works of architecture from the period, as many people don't immediately connect architecture and art. Depending on your professor, they may love the idea or hate it.

peteaboda1

Yeah, we've actually been studying more the architecture and how cultures interacted with each other and how it showed in their own buildings. I just need to look over the list and research a bit

Thanks

RUNN1NGMAN

I second picking architecture, as the subject will be very rich from an art history standpoint. Almost all architecture forms some functional purpose, whether it's a place of worship, a dwelling, or a place of business, and there are often important inferences about society that can be made by examining architecture. For instance, why did architects begin using the gothic style for churches and other public buildings? What does that style reflect about society at the time? What was going on in the world that influenced the architects of these massive cathedrals? What advances in science made these buildings possible? How did the designs fit into the larger ideas about art at the time (was it devotional, or populist, or what?)

Architecture, more than any other art form, is about functionality and how people live their lives, and that can tell you a lot about the world in which a structure was built.

Artonos

If you want to go with architecture you could use bruneleschis (sp?) dome. Its a pretty cool building and its got some awesome art on the inside of it.