Art Extended Essays

2 examples of very good or excellent essays in Visual Arts

Essay 1


Essay 2


Read them through!

Recomended Exhibitions

Dino Valls at Il Polittico





Marc Quinn and Christian Boltanski at MACRO

Summer Holiday Task for Pupils Beginning I.B. Art in September 2006

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 Research Workbook. The Research Workbook records your personal investigations, practical experimentation, historical and contextual studies and developing studio work in the form of essays, illustrations, notes, photographs etc. It accounts for 30 % 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. I know it seems a bit mean expecting you to buy your own, but if I bought everyone a book then we’d have less money for paint, paper, clay etc. etc…. Also I feel students are less likely to leave their book on the bus, or drop it in the river if is their own.

The Research tasks:

Part One : During the summer you are to visit at least one gallery or exhibition (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?

· Part Two : Research for IB Coursework Project

Your first school-based project will begin with the creation of a sculpture taking the form mask or head-dress that will be the final outcome of your research into a wide range of existing examples and other relevant inspiration and references. Therefore you will fill at least 6 sides with drawings, paintings, photographs and notes 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….

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

The theme of the poster is ‘Investing in Agriculture for Food Security’. 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.

http://saintgeorgesart.blogspot.com/ is the Art Department Weblog. I add useful ideas, information and links to this fairly regularly so check it out.

NO PART OF THIS WORK IS ‘OPTIONAL’ !!! HAVE A GREAT SUMMER G. MORGAN 2006

Year 12 IB Art Holiday Task

The Research Workbook tasks:

Part One : (5 sides) During the summer you are to visit at least one gallery or exhibition (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?!!! 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 ?)

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

· Content - what does the work represent ? does it tell a story ? 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 ?

Part Two : (5 sides) Record a visit to a specific building, built environment or monument. Examples: Piazza Navona, The Pantheon or Trajan’s Column etc. etc. They don’t have to be “old”, but it’s probably best to avoid writing about “the porchetta stall near my house” !

In your written and illustrated report, record your observations whilst considering issues such as:

· Scale - how does the building, monument or built environment relate on a “human scale” - does it “dwarf” people - why? (to impress, to accommodate a specific use, to inspire fear, devotion etc.)

· Inspiration/style - can you see any connections with art or design movements (Art Nouveau, Neo Classical, Art Deco, Modernism? Etc.)

· Decoration - is it decorated ? Why? - Why would you decorate a building? In what style ? Describe - organic (plant forms etc.), geometrical simplicity etc .

· How well does the space, monument or building fulfil its intended role ?

· How does it relate to the location in which it is placed (natural environment, other buildings etc.?)

Part Three : Preparing for Year 13 Coursework Projects

At least 10 sides relating to images, artefacts, techniques, experimentation observations and artists’ work connected with your chosen theme for you first personally directed project. Good preparation is essential for a successful project. Take loads of photographs, make loads of drawings – even stuff which is too large to fit in your book. Go nuts – develop an obsession!

Remember lots of nice drawings, clear legible notes, a few photographs - this is the start of your second Research Workbook - make it look attractive and interesting. Total 20 sides upwards, split between both tasks.

AND FINALLY:

At least one major piece of NEW studio work relating to your chosen theme. This could be a large drawing, painting, sculpture etc. It could be a project in its own right or a high quality ‘study’ leading up to an even more ambitious piece of work. It should be at least equivalent to your Tuscany canvas in terms of quality and time spent on it.

Work to the best of your ability. You will be amazed how fast those 2 remaining terms of IB Art will go. Don’t forget – there’s no final exam in this course. It’s just you and your Research Workbook and the studio work that get the final grade…

An ex-student of Mr Morgan's