You will compose a 500+ word analysis of a work of a musical composition.

Formal Criticism Analysis Paper: Instructions

This paper is 160 points. It is a Gordon Rule writing assignment and must receive a score of C or better for you to pass the class, even if your combined average for other assignments is a passing grade. DUE BY SATURDAY JULY 25TH AT 11:59 PM. Late papers are only accepted for half credit and therefore CANNOT earn the required C to pass this class.
You will compose a 500+ word analysis of a work of art (painting or sculpture), a fairy tale or myth (NOT the movie version of one), a musical composition, a dance performance, or a scene from play. Due to COVID-19, I do not expect you to go out and see art at a museum or a play, so you may use YouTube or an online museum for this. I will not limit you in anyway in your choice of work, EXCEPT that you may not use any work discussed in class (including PPTs or the TEXTBOOK). Bad Bunny is as important as Beethoven in my opinion. A comic book or zine artist is as important as Michelangelo. If you choose to write about a play or a dance, I only ask that you provide a link to the what you are analyzing. For anything you analyze, please give specific information about who created it, its name, and when it was made.
500+ words double-spaced with proper margins and 12 point font equals about 4-5 pages. These 4-5 pages will not include your works cited page, if applicable. The 500+ words also do not count copying and pasting the instructions or your name, class info, etc. I will be looking for at least 500 words that are your Analysis only.
As a reminder, there is no plagiarism allowed in this course. If I detect a change in writing style and I google the sentence only to find the exact wording used by an expert in the field or by a non-expert, I will give your paper a failing grade and you will fail the class. Do not share work with a friend. Any similarity in ideas, order of ideas, etc. will be a red flag. I use TurnItIn to check for plagiarism, but this is not 100% reliable so I manually check anything that sounds suspicious.
If anyone needs help or suggestions, I am here for that.
Specific Guidelines
Part One: Choose the piece you wish to analyze (keep in mind that this assignment is due BEFORE we cover dance/theatre, so if you do not know a lot about dance or theatre, you do not want to do that unless you have worked ahead).
You will structure your paper corresponding to the critical models discussed in pages 25-36 of the introductory chapter of your book. (Your assessment does not have to be all positive. See note at the end for a more integrative approach.) You may select any creative work you wish, except a piece discussed in class. If you are analyzing a play, limit your analysis to 1 or 2 scenes. You may comment on the overall meaning and mood of the play, but analysis of techniques should be limited to 1 or 2 scenes. Please do NOT just summarize. A long symphony, if that is your choice for music, will also be very difficult. Analyze only one movement of the symphony.
Part Two:
Formal Criticism Analysis (begins on page 27)
Description: A formal analysis includes an analysis of the forms appearing in the work you have chosen. These forms give the work its expression, message, or meaning. A formal analysis assumes a work of art is (1) a constructed object (2) that has been created with a stable meaning (even though it might not be clear to the viewer) and (3) that can be ascertained by studying the relationships between the elements of the work. To aid in writing a formal analysis, you should think as if you were describing the work of art to someone who has never seen it before. When your reader finishes reading your analysis, she/he/they should have a complete mental picture of what the work looks or sounds like.
Yet, the formal analysis is more than just a description of the work. It should also include a thesis statement that reflects your conclusions about the work. The thesis statement may, in general, answer a question like these: What do I think is the meaning of this work? What is the message that this work or artist sends to the viewer? What is this work all about? The thesis statement is an important element. It sets the tone for the entire paper, and sets it apart from being a merely descriptive paper. Ask yourself, does the artist or designer exhibit coherence in relation to a set of standards? Do the artist’s choices in making the composition or design hold my attention, create excitement, and stimulate interest? How do issues of moral, emotional, and realistic value impact the work? You might have particular criticisms and suggest how something might have been done differently (see Textbook page 29).
Often students are reluctant to trust their own eyes or ears or even their own opinions. For formal analysis papers they often automatically go to an outside source in order to further bolster the assertions they make in their papers – this is NOT what you should do for this assignment.
In doing formal criticism you will focus on the formal elements of the work. In this part of your paper, describe how the formal elements work in the piece. For example, in a visual artwork you will describe how line, color, illusion of space, balance, repetition, focal point work in the piece. Refer to the power point and textbook for visual elements and design elements. Many of the elements and design principles of visual art will also apply: balance, repetition, use of curving or straight lines, consistency and variety. In discussing the formal elements of a dance or play, you might discuss lighting, color, editing style, sound effects, music, costuming, sets, etc. In music, tempo, meter, texture, choice of instruments, dynamics and the structure of the composition make-up some of the formal and compositional elements. If you choose a myth or fairy tale as the focus of your analysis, the formal elements include rhyme or lack of it, line groupings, repeated vowel or consonant sounds, meter, metaphor, simile, imagery, and tone.
You will NOT need to do any outside research (in fact you should NOT), however you must cite the textbook at least 3 times, but no more than 6 times. Use your OWN words. Please follow the MLA guidelines for in text citation and works cited page offered by Purdue Owl or any other guideline you find helpful.
Purdue Guideline on MLA formatting of citations
Part Three: Formatting
Format for the Paper:
Make sure you proofread your papers for adhering to the information listed above, as well as incorrect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and other errors. In addition, make sure your paper includes a thesis statement. Your grade will reflect your ability to follow these guidelines.
In the first paragraph, called the introduction, you will include:
• the name of the artist (if known), title (which is underlined or italicizedevery time you use the title in your paper), date, and medium (if known)
• what you think is the subject
• a very brief description of the work
• thesis statement – usually the last line or so of your first paragraph.
From that point, the rest of the formal analysis should include not only a description of the piece, but especially those details of the work that have led you to come to your thesis. Yet, your paper should not be a random flow of ideas about the work (i.e. stream of consciousness writing). Rather, your paper should have a sense of order, moving purposefully through your description with regard to specific elements (ex: one paragraph may deal with composition, another with a description of the figures, another with the background, another about line, etc.). Finally, in your conclusion (the final paragraph) you should end your paper with a restatement of your thesis.
It is important to remember that your interest here is strictly formal; NO RESEARCH IS TO BE USED IN THIS PAPER. In other words, you are strictly relying on your ability to visually or aurally ‘read’ a work of art and make interpretations about it based on your analysis of it. Remember too that your analysis should not be just a mechanical, physical description. Please use descriptive language and adjectives to describe your work. Begin with a general description of the work, and then move on to the more specific elements. In addition, please refer to your syllabus concerning my policy on plagiarism – do not share your thesis or paper with other students and please do not work on your paper with another student. This is considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade for the entire class.

500 words (500+ words required for an A/Exemplary paper, as 500 is the bare minimum). You do not need to write 100 pages (please don’t – I have 90 students!) but if it goes a bit over 600 words, that is fine.
Use “I” / write in first person. This is a formal analysis, meaning YOUR opinions are necessary and important, so saying “what I see is the use of blue in 5 different ways” would be appropriate because you are telling me what YOU think.
Remember-
Be specific, cite actual elements in your work in a descriptive way
Avoid generalizations (“it’s a nice painting” or “all paintings from the Renaissance are about religion” for example.)
Avoid cliché or overused phrases that mean nothing, such as: “since the dawn of time, people have made art” or “back in the day, music was very stuffy”
Avoid adjectives that do not really tell your reader anything specific: amazing, wonderful, good, nice, interesting, beautiful, etc.
Write in paragraphs! Each paragraph should have a focus. If you feel your focus changing, it is time for a new paragraph.
Do not spend an excessive amount of space on an introduction or on your conclusion. Start right in on the work itself. Your conclusion should naturally occur, as you attempt to access the value and quality of the work.
Approved Museum Virtual Tours (to find an art piece)
Stuck at Home? These 12 Famous Museums Offer Virtual Tours You Can Take on Your Couch (Video)
Uffizi Gallery – Firenze, Italy (Florence) https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery?hl=en
Musée d’Orsay – Paris, France https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris?hl=en
MoMA The Museum of Modern Art – New York, New York https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/moma-the-museum-of-modern-art?hl=en
The J. Paul Getty Museum – Los Angeles, California https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum?hl=en
The Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-art-institute-of-chicago?hl=en
Detroit Institute of Arts https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/detroit-institute-of-arts?hl=en
THE MET – The Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York, New York https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art?hl=en
Tate Britain – London, United Kingdom https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/tate-britain?hl=en
Tampa Museum of Art-Tampa, FL: https://tampamuseum.org/
British Museum-London, UK: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Museum of Fine Arts-St. Petersburg, FL: https://mfastpete.org/
Rijksmuseum https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/rijksmuseum?hl=en