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�THE WORD PAINTING OF JOHN RUSKIN �(1819-1900)

Leading art critic of Victorian England
Presented theory of art and advocated the work of the painter JMW Turner in Modern Painters (1843)
“The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something, and tell what it saw in a plain way. Hundreds of people can talk for one who can think, but thousands can think for one who can see. To see clearly is poetry, prophecy, and religion, – all in one.”

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EXCURSION ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Go to Galerie Connexe, a free outdoor art showcase near the

corner of Rue des Seigneurs and Rue Notre Dame in

Griffintown (a 10-minute walk from Georges-Vanier metro, across

the street from 1886 Notre Dame West).

https://www.mtl.org/en/what-to-do/heritage-and architecture/galerie-connexe-montreal

Choose one work that appeals to you and take a photo of it.

Then write a word painting of 250-300 words to describe it.

Like Ruskin, your goal is to recreate your experience of the

work in the mind of someone who has never seen it.

Send your word painting and photo to

introartsculture@gmail.com by midnight, Friday, Aug. 30.

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INFORMAL WRITING�EXHIBIT B:

ARTWORK ANALYSIS

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INFORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Go to the Warren G. Flowers Gallery on the main floor. Choose

one work in the current exhibition, Rebellion of My Ancestors,

featuring the work of Jobena Petonoquot.

First, take notes on the following elements of the work you’ve

chosen. If an element is not relevant to the work, just write “NA.”

-material elements -subject matter

-line -content

-shape

-mass

-colour and value

-texture

-pattern

-spatial aspects

-temporal aspects

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INFORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Then write a 250-300 word description incorporating the

elements you’ve noted. Try to make your description lively and

engaging.

Send your notes (a photo of them is fine) and the description to

introartsculture@gmail.com by midnight, Sunday, Sep. 8.

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INFORMAL WRITING�EXHIBIT C:

INTERPRETING ART

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INFORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Go to https://artpublicmontreal.ca/en/tours/

Choose one of the following tours:

Walk Among the Skyscrapers

City of Circus Arts

Quartier des Spectacles

Underground City

Where the Business World and Art Come Together

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INFORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Choose one piece in the tour, take a photo of it, and answer the following questions. (Answers should be around 500 words total.)

Give information about the artist that could be pertinent to understanding the artwork.
What is the subject matter of the work? (What is it about?) Support your answer by citing specific internal or external elements.
What does the work mean? (What is it saying about the subject matter?) Support your answer by citing specific internal or external elements.
Explain how your own ideas, beliefs, background, etc. shape your experience of the work.

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INFORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT (2%)

Send your photo to introartsculture@gmail.com by noon today.

Send your answers to introartsculture@gmail.com by midnight, Sunday, Sep. 29.

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INFORMAL WRITING�EXHIBIT D: POETIC ART WRITING

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�GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE (1880-1918)

Picasso, Portrait of Guillaume Apollinaire (1913)

“J’émerveille.” (“I amaze” or “I release wonder.”)

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WRITING EXERCISE (1%)

Go to wikiart.org and choose a work that appeals to you. Contemplate it; try to discern its mood or spirit. Let it work on your imagination; see what images or feelings it brings to mind.

Then write a poetic piece that expresses this.

Minimum 150 words.

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INFORMAL WRITING�EXHIBIT E:

EVALUATING ART

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GALLERY ASSIGNMENT 2 (4%)

Exhibition: Omar Ba, Same Dream (MAC)

Imagine three art critics visit this exhibition. One is from the 18thcentury and evaluates art according to the criteria of Diderot and the Royal Academy. The second is from the 19^th century and evaluates art according to the criteria of Romanticism. The third is from the 20^th century and evaluates art according to the criteria of Formalism.

Write a dialogue of 500-600 words in which the three critics debate the value of one or more of the works in the exhibition.

Graded according to level of engagement with the artworks and understanding of the three critical perspectives.