Articulate Through Arts

Having an ‘interest’ in arts and studying arts are two different things. It is commonly observed that many students don’t get to study various forms of art subjects till they reach college and opt for a specific course in the arts field. But, as one analysis the nuances of the new subject, the skills attained by a student in other subjects may come handy in this course. If a student has ever perceived the beauty of a poem or developed an understanding of a historical period, then he is good to go with an arts assignment. An argument about an issue may be needed but the same can be done in an artistic way, such as referring to a dialogue from a play. One must remember that in an arts subject, there is more than one way of presenting a subject. A brief understanding of the instructor’s expectations may be very helpful in writing a good arts assignment.

It is very important to analyze the assignment as soon as it is handed out and figure out its type. An assignment may be a formal analysis of a subject, i.e, it may require a detailed description of the formal qualities of the art subject. An example can be taken of an art form where one is supposed to perceive the composition, color, texture design, etc. of a piece of art and explain how the artist has arranged and used these various elements. One should then be able to translate a visual work into a textual work. This may be achieved by summarizing the whole work, then describing the details, and so on.

Arts assignment may also belong to the category of analysis of style. The student may be asked to analyze the style of the work and its comparison with other works. In such a case, one should write about its ‘fitting in the category’ or ‘not fitting’ into the same, and the difference between them. The next analysis may be iconography where one has to pick out a particular icon as listed or of his choice. Then an analysis is to be done as to how it fits into the work and how the same may be analyzed and converted into a textual format. One may also be asked to examine the life of the object which may be done by studying the circumstances in which the object may have passed from the patron to the museum or its destination.

The other kind of assignment is the theoretical study of arts. In this case, the student may be asked to look beyond the object and focus on the historical or theoretical significance of the same. In such a case, one should make sure that it consists of a strong argument.

To conclude, it may be rightly said that an art assignment must enhance the beauty of the art to the reader and make the reader perceive the art through his eyes.