Friday, May 25, 2007

Summer Task for New IB Artists

Your summer holiday task forms the beginning of your I.B. Art practical work and research studies coursework upon which your entire final grade is based. It should therefore be completed to a very high standard of presentation and content.

The first part of the task is to produce written and illustrated research in your first Research Workbook. The Research Workbooks record your personal investigations, practical experimentation, historical and contextual studies and developing studio work in the form of essays, illustrations, notes, photographs etc. They account for 40 % of your final grade. From September onwards you will be expected to complete around 4 sides in this book each week.

First get yourself a Research Workbook ! They Must be A4 size (30cm x 20cm approx.) hard bound (usually in black ) with 140 pages (280 sides). They normally cost around €15.

Your first school-based project will begin with the development and creation of a sculpture that combines ideas of portraiture and representations of the human head from a variety of cultures.

The Research tasks:

Portraiture: Part One : During the summer you are to visit at least one gallery or exhibition that includes some works of art that take the human face or head as their main theme (it doesn’t have to be in Rome). Write and illustrate a review of your visit. It is often better to write about work that you have seen which you like - but it isn’t essential. Whether your critical writing is positive or negative, it must be thoughtful - not just “I don’t like this, it’s boring” or “ I like this because it’s realistic”. You’ve all done critical writing in your G.C.S.E. Art course - remember?!!! Over 6 sides of your RWB consider issues such as:

Scale - how does a work of art’s size affect the viewer (and how is seeing an actual work of art different from seeing a reproduction in a book or on the internet for example?)

· Materials - what is it created from ?- why? - what effect does the material give?

· Content - what does the work represent ? Narrative - does it tell a story ? Does the time and place in which the piece was made affect the style and intended meaning of the work? give your personal interpretation.

· The Artist - Who ? When ?

· Even basic descriptions of colour, shapes etc. are useful - how is the mood or atmosphere of a piece affected by the artists use of colour, texture, line, pattern etc. ?

· Value judgement - is the piece successful ? Why ?

· Why was this piece of Art created? Who paid for it? Why? What task does this piece of Art hope to perform? Instruction etc?

Portraiture: Part Two

One ‘portrait/head’ related art form that is present in many diverse cultures is the mask or head dress. Therefore, as part of your research will fill at least 6 sides with drawings, paintings, photographs and notes on this theme which will form the basis of your research. For example: Native American headgear, gas masks, gimp masks, Japanese theatrical masks, motorcycle helmets, Venetian carnival masks, traditional tribal masks from various African nations, cricket masks, hockey masks, armour, skulls of animals, fish and birds, diving masks and helmets, welding masks, Egyptian burial masks, etc etc etc….

It is vital that you describe the masks and headgear in detail, both through your drawings & paintings and through notes which discuss their visual appearance, function and also WHY THEY WERE MADE. What function do they serve in the society that uses them?

Part Three: Design and create a poster for World Food Day. (This is a coursework project)

The theme of the poster is ‘The Right To Food'. This must be written clearly on your poster (in any language) Your poster can be between 30 x 40 cm and 50 x 70 cm (see me for paper). Aim to illustrate the idea of self help rather than hand outs to the poor. Have a look at www.fao.org/wfd/ and also www.feedingminds.org for more ideas. Do a couple of pages of research and studies in your book before making the final poster. Be bold – which posters do you remember most clearly? which were most effective in communicating their message to you?

Remember lots of nice drawings, clear legible notes, a few photographs - this is the start of your Research Workbook - make it look attractive and interesting. Total 14 sides minimum, split between the three tasks.

NO PART OF THIS WORK IS ‘OPTIONAL’ !!! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER

Friday, May 18, 2007

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Tuesday, May 15, 2007