Writing about art

9780205645787
020564578X

Sixth edition

xi, 148 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-140) and index

Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction : writing as critical thinking
1. Choosing images : how to select the works of art you plan to write about
Visiting museums and galleries
Choosing works of art to write about : some questions of taste
Writing comparative essays : some advantages
Choosing works form "the museum without walls"
The computer and "the museum without walls"
Summary
2. Using visual information : what to look for and how to describe what you see
Considering the subject matter of the work
Describing the formal elements you discover in the work
Line
Shape and space
Light and dark
Color
Other elements
Recognizing the principles of design
Rhythm and repetition
Balance
Proportion
Scale
Unity and variety
Considering questions of medium
Beginning your essay by describing the work
Asking yourself about the work of art : a summary
Questions to ask before writing about a work of art
3. Responding to the verbal frame : where else to look for help in understanding what you see
Taking the title and label into account
Considering informational labels accompanying the work
Consulting artists' statements and exhibition catalogues
Discovering other helpful material in the library and online
Research online
Using the library catalog and databases
Using art dictionaries and other guides
Considering the work's historical and cultural context
Quoting and documenting your sources
Learning the art of quoting
Acknowledging your sources
Choosing your footnote style
Citing Internet sources
4. Working with words and images : the process of writing about what you see
Gathering together what you know
Taking notes in a gallery or museum
Taking notes as you read
Focusing your discussion
Brainstorming and mapping
Using prewriting as a way to begin
Online writing
Creating a finished essay
Organizing your essay : from description to the verbal frame
Developing an argument or thesis
Revising and editing
A revision checklist
Writing about art : the final product
Appendix. A short guide to usage and style : the rules and principles of good writing
1. Possessive apostrophes
2. Commas
3. Comma splices
4. Run-on sentences
5. That and which
6. Titles
7. Foreign phrases
8. Split infinitives
9. Sentence fragments
10. Colons
11. Semicolons
12. Dashes
13. Parentheses
14. Quotations
15. Ellipses
16. Dangling modifiers
17. Subject-verb agreement
18. Pronoun agreement
19. Pronouns and gender issues
20. Indefinite antecedents (it and this)
21. Correlative expressions
22. Verb tense consistency
23. Diction consistency
24. Concrete and specific language
25. Frequently misspelled words
Notes
Index

2008016670

2352379