Term Paper on "Art in Non-Western Societies Ritual Object From the Iroquois Tribe"

Quoted Instructions for "Art in Non-Western Societies Ritual Object From the Iroquois Tribe" Assignment:

I will be be emailing (4) pictures of the object along with personal notes taken at the museum.

COURSES > ARHS220_01SP05 ART IN NON-WESTERN SOCIETIES... > PAPER: PREPARATION

When you are in the Museum

Take a note pad to the museum and take notes for your description there. You will be surprised how little detail (colors, designs, shapes etc.) you will remember without notes when you are home at the computer. Make a drawing of the object - all of you can draw well enough to produce a sketch to assist your memory.

Choose an alternative work of art or object. It may be that you find it difficult to research the work that was your first choice. This saves you a second trip to the museum.

Before you Begin to Write

Look through the literature and decide if you want to explain how the work was made or whether you are more interested in how it was used. You may use the Handbook of North American Indians for reference, but you should also find other literature. Use the Art Index - an art bibliography compiled annually, to identify books or articles. It makes sense to go ten to fifteen volumes (years) back when looking through the Art Index. This bibliography is cross-indexed - so you may try to find information under different headings (example: Pottery, Native American; Acoma pottery; Native American Art; Crafts, Native American, - etc.). You may also use the on-line Sprague Library catalog and the online county library catalog to find books and articles in MSU as well as public libraries.

You will not necessarily find the exact object discussed in any of the books or papers, but you may use information about objects that are very similar: same type (war shirt) same culture (Plains Indians), same tribe (Sioux), and similar materials. Evaluate carefully what you read and apply it to the work you want to discuss.

THIS IS IMPORTANT

WRITE AN OUTLINE. This technique helps you organize information in a way which guides the reader from the introduction to the conclusion without confusing him.

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarizing is not permitted at MSU and may lead to dismissal from the university. You MUST paraphrase all information which you obtained in books, magazines, online and in other publications. IN YOUR NON-WESTERN ART PAPER YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE ANY DIRECT QUOTES (This includes partial sentences) and YOU MUST CREDIT ALL YOU SOURCES OF INFORMATION PROPERLY.

The Description

Writing in art history always requires a description of the work of art which you intend to discuss in your paper. This is necessary as an introduction to your subject. The description tells the reader what the work of art LOOKS LIKE. You must describe the work of art even if you provide the reader with an illustration. A description introduces the artwork to the reader and enables him to envision the work. Furthermore, it prepares the reader for your analysis or discussion because you will guides the reader to those areas or aspects of a work of art that are going to be the focus of your research paper. In other words: You must include those details which you are going to discuss in the research part of your term paper in your description.

DO NOT scan the work like a computer scanner. You only confuse the reader by elaborating on minute detail without providing an idea of the general appearance of the work first.

This is what you should do:

1. State the name of the artist, title, what kind of artwork it is (sculpture, painting, print, bowl, basket, etc) material and date, you may also include the work’s present location. (If the artist is not known, you may substitute the culture or place of origin)

Example 1: A handscroll from the T’ang dynasty in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, entitled ‘Night-Shining White’, has been attributed to the painter Han Kan. The ink on paper painting .....(you may move some of the information into the next sentece to create a better flow)

Example 2: A wooden stool in the Metropolitan Museum of Art was created by a carver of the Luba-Hemba people of Zaire in the late 19th century.

Example 3: A beautiful glass bottle from the Mamluk period in the Metropolitan Museum of Art dates from the 14th century and was created in Egypt or Syria.

2. Begin your description with a brief overview of the work of art to provide the reader with an idea of the work's overal design, form or shape:

Example 1: The focus of the ink on paper painting is an animated white horse which is tied to a post located to the left of the scroll’s center. It is surrounded by calligraphic inscriptions and stamps which are not part of the original work but were added on by successive owners of the work.

Example 2: A nude woman forms the single support of the stool. Her feet securely planted on the base, she delicately balances the seat on her head using her hands for additional support.

Example 3: The bottle is composed of a bulbous onion-shaped body which rests on a slim foot and is offset by a long, graceful, downward tapering neck. [I recommend that you look up the technical terms for the individual parts of functional objects such as vessels, baskets, clothing, etc.]. The bottle is decorated with several bands of images and patterns.

3. Now you may go into detail.

Example 1: Describe the horse in detail. You may make reference to its temperament, its flared nostrils and wild eyes. Tell the reader that it pulls at its reigns trying to brake away from the post. etc. In this part you may guide the reader to the subject of the second part of the assignment: if you want to discuss Chinese painting technique, take special care to describe the brushwork. If you want to discuss the emperor’s horse, focus more on the animal. etc.

Example 2: Describe the figure of the standing woman in more detail: her ritual scars, her hairdo, the rendering of anatomical forms, proportion, etc. Keep in mind what your research goal is in the second part of the assignment and prepare the reader for it. You may discuss the style particular to the Luba-Hemba, the usage and function of stools in Africa, you may go into ritual scarring or hair fashions, etc.

Example 3: Describe the individual bands: you may keep body and neck separate, you may also separate the design into figurative and ornamental bands. Keep your research goal in mind and prepare the reader for the second part of the assignment. You may discuss Mamluk glass in general, you may discuss the Mamluk style, or you may explain how such a glass bottle was made. etc.

NOTE: It is common in art history and archaeology to include the following in a description: what is incomplete or missing in a work of art; any damages or repairs which are visible in the work of art.

You can view the examples online at Metmuseum.org, click the collection: Example 1: Click Asian Art, Highlights 6 of 50 ; Example 2: click Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, Highlights 14 of 50; Example 3: Click Islamic Art, Highlights 24 of 50.

REMEMBER: Good descriptions re-create the work of art in the reader’s mind. The more lively your description the better. Use comparisons (a kidney-shaped box, a pompom-shaped, feathered head ornament, a war club with a J-shaped handle, a war-club whose stone head looks like a big, black egg, etc.). Descriptions prepare the reader for whatever you want to discuss in your paper. If your research subject is the production of the artwork or its usage and meaning etc. your description should include all detail you will talk about later.

Do not include in your description how a work of art is actually made or what the images or designs on it mean. This should belongs in the second part of your paper.

The Research Part of the Paper

Limit yourself to ONE aspect of the work you want to investigate. Your paper will be more focused if you do. Below are some suggestions of what you can research in a work of art - CHOOSE ONE ONLY

a. How Was the Work of Art Made

If you choose this as your focus of research, you may proceed as if you were writing a cooking recipe:

1. What materials are needed

2. How are the materials prepared

3. How is the object assembled, constructed, woven, etc.

4. How is the decoration applied

5. Further processing or finishing (how is the work cast, fired etc. and what is done to put the finishing touches on afterwards.

b. How Was the Work of Art Used

If you choose this subject, there are different approaches depending on the usage:

If the work of art is a functional object, such as a cooking utensil, a bag, cradle board, or weapon, you may provide the reader with a brief introduction to the aspect of the culture to which this object belongs - child-rearing, war, etc.

If you are writing about cooking utensil - make a statement about staple food items and cuisine of the tribe (there is a difference between hunters in the Prairie and fishermen at the Pacific Coast);

If you are writing about a bag, tell the reader if it was for carrying large or small things, or special things (like arrows), if it was attached to a saddle or carried by a person, and how it was carried, etc.

If the object involves ritual use, you need to very briefly introduce the basic ideas of the religion, and explain the ritual in which it was used. Let the reader know what the purpose of the ritual was.

If the object is used to convey magic you must explain what the nature of the magic is.

c What is the Meaning of the Work of Art

The meaning of a work of art is often, but not always, linked to usage. The images on a Northwest Coast house, for example, generally depict family crest (coat of arms) of the family inhabiting it. However, you may want to find what the meaning of the images on such a house might mean (they generally illustrate the acquisition of the ***** ancestor or ***** ancestors of the house’s owner). The meaning of the images on religious items are often linked to their use in particular rituals or ceremonies, so you need to take this into consideration. However, you should emphasize the meaning, i.e. the religious story of myth that is depicted or the philosophical, social or political background of the piece.

Annotations and Bibliography

ALTHOUGH YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO USE DIRECT QUOTES YOU MUST GIVE CREDIT TO ALL SOURCES OF INFORMATION YOU USE IN THE PAPER. This is done through annotations.

What is an 'annotation'?

An annotation gives credit to the sources of information which were used to create a a certain amount of text (which can be a paragraph or several sentences long). It may appear in a very abbreviated form in parenthesis or as a footnote at the bottom of the page or as an endnote at the end of your paper.

If you use footnotes or endnotes you must mark the place where the annotation occurs in your text with a superscript number (all word processing softwares provide you with footnote or endnote keys. Look under ‘Format’ or ‘Insert’). ). You must number in ascending order beginning with annotation 1. You MAY NOT use any number a second time even if you are referring to the same page in the same text.

In art history it is not proper to give credit within the text [example: The totem poles of the Northwest Coast Tribes are not of a religious nature, but celebrate the ***** ancestors of a clan (Doe, 1965 )]. You must use Annotations according to the Chicago Manual of Style, i.e. footnotes (at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (at the end of your paper). Example: The totem poles of the Northwest Coast Tribes are not of a religious nature, but celebrate the ***** ancestors of a clan insert superscript number here. (Unfortunately Blackboard does not allow me to demonstrate that) At the bottom of the page or at the end of the paper write: , Title of the Book, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, page number

If you cite the same book by the same author again you may abbreviate: Doe, Op.Cit. page number.

If you cite an article write: Author of Article, “title of article”, in: Title of periodical, number, year of publication, page number.

If you cite the same article again, write: Author of Article, Op.Cit. page number.

(For an internet citation, write the site, preceded by the title and section of the entry. Annotations are number from 1 to .... and appear in chronological order. You are not permitted to use the same number more than once even if you refer to the same page in another part of the paper.

The bibliography appears at the end of your paper and is arranged alphabetically by last name of author. Only include those books that you cite in your paper.

YOU MAY USE WHATEVER SYSTEM OF ANNOTATION YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH BUT YOU EARN 10 EXTRA CREDIT POINTS FOR USING CHICAGO STYLE ANNOTATIONS.

How Do I Find Literature

NOTE: Unless you are looking at a fairly well-known work of art - don not expect to find literature on the particular work of art you have chosen. But you are likely to find literature on works that are similar or works by the same artist. This is still helpful. yes, you read this before, but it is so important I need to repeat it many times.

How to Start?

There are many places where you may start to compile a literature list: LIBRARY (here you find books), BIBLIOGRAPHY (books and articles in periodicals), TEXTBOOK (bibliography in the back or annotations), EXHIBITION CATALOG (if done properly, you will find a bibliography at the end of each entry), ANNOTATIONS in your textbook, books, and articles in books or periodicals. annotated. ENCYCLOPEDIA but do not rely on encyclopedias alone - this is high school stuff. (short bibliographies at the end of articles, if done properly) You may also look ONLINE - but be careful - the information there is not necessarily reliable and often tainted by the special interests of the individuals or organizations puttting it there (businesses want to sell their merchandize, individual groups may pursue special interests and may, for the sake of their interests, bend information to what serves them best. Internet information is more reliable when you go to a museum-site or a university site. You might find short entries there. but you still need to be careful as not all museums follow strict academic standards and there are (unfortunately) university professor out there, who, in the name of academic freedom, allow for inaccuracies or improper methods to support certain political, philosophical, social or economical beliefs. You may also find such bias in published materials (i.e. books and articles in scholarly magazines) but when it comes to this kind of academic printed material you at least have editors and peer reviews serving as a screen before publication and these people are generally quite afraid of soiling their reputations with research which does not meet academic standards. one exception to this rule is material published in certain time periods (with prevailing ideologies) and/or locations. An article or book published in Nazi Germany, of course had to meet the ideological standards of Nazi Germany and material published during Communism naturally promotes communist ideas. Nevertheless, even these materials may prove to be useful if you can extract what is proper reserarch and what is bowing to ideologoly.

Naturally, you may also use materials (including labels provided by the museum)

Finding Information Online

The internet is very useful BUT THE INTERNET MUST BE TREATED WITH A GOOD DOSE OF MISTRUST. (Or: Here we go again: I said this before, but I cannot repeat myself often enough: Anyone can publish anything (even the greatest nonsense) on the internet and there is no one to check the accuracy of the information provided. You are generally better off with books and articles in scholarly publications because they have been reviewed by editors and fellow scholars before publication. If you use the net be careful: Commercial sites such as galleries may provide you with some usable information BUT their goal is to sell items not to educate you. Tribal sites may provide useful information, but you do have to determine if they promote a political or social agenda that may taint that information. University sites may be useful, but you have to use those sites that are general access site. In other words you can not use a Yale University site because you have a friend or relative who has the access code to use it. Please distinguish between class notes provided by ***** and information provided by others on university related sites. Museum sites are generally quite useful, especially if you can find information on their sites about the ethnic group (or tribe) you have been researching and similar kinds of objects made by the same group. Naturally, you must properly cite all information you gather from the internet.

The Library Online Catalog The best place to find books is a big library like the New York Public Library. They have about 98 percent of their holdings online. To find books there go to:

www.nypl.org

Click: Research Libraries

Click: Catolog (on the top bar)

Click CATNYP

then you will see a box on the next screen: Here you have a variety of options:

I would begin with a keyword search or a subject words - I usually do both.

Example: I am looking for a second century AD Roman Sarcophagus with scenes from the story of Theseus and Ariadne (Metropolitan Museum of Art). I would suggest that I do not find a book devoted to this item so I go for SUBJECT: “Roman sarcophagus”. It tells me “no matches were found but a little below this I find under ‘nearby subjects’ “Roman Sarcophagi - - see -- Sarcophagi Roman”. The next screen shows me a list with 45 entries (there a twelve entries per screen) I look through those and click what might provide information. Of these entries I would probably click catalogs (6 entries to see what is available). Entry 4 on the next screen reveals - there is a catalog on Roman Sarcophagi in the Metropolitan Museum - this is a hit. I click on this entry to find out more about the book: It was written in 1978 - fairly recently and it says in the description of the book “includes bibliographies”. Even better, because in a well research book you should find items you might be able to use in its bibliography. Now I jot down the author of the catalog, exact title and call mark - so that I do not have to look it up when I go to this library - I can also highlight the text, copy it onto a document or click EXPORT - I can send an email to myself with all that information.

Now I go back a screen and look for more: There is an entry - (Einzelmythen) but that is in German and unless I happen to be able to read German or I am an art history graduate student I need not worry about that.

I go back to the screen that said ‘Catalogs’ and look for more. Entry 17 “Sarcophagi Roman Themes Motives” on the next page looks promising. i click it but the next page shows nothing I find might get me information - so I go on. I might now try Keyword to find out about the myth: “Theseus AND Ariadne AND art” - two entries - on is on film - that’s out - the next one is very interesting BUT in German. An art history graduate student must look this up. The description of the book, however, does mention Greek and not Roman sarcophagi and I need not look at it.

Now you can go to the New York Public Library (but you cannot take books out of there) or try the online catalog of Sprague Library to see if they have a copy of that book. if they don’t, go on google and find your county public library catalog. Perhaps the library in your own town or one nearby has it.

Bibliographies are books that list books on certain subjects, such as art. One of the most useful bibliographies on art is the ART INDEX. This is a series of books with listing. The volumes are published quarterly i.e. every 3 months. Every year the 4 quarterly volumes are combined into one volume. Before you start to look up your sarcophagus, make a list of keywords to look up - such as Sarcophagi, Roman - Roman Art, Sarcophagi - Roman Art sculpture (perhaps a bit too vague) and Theseus and Ariadne - or Greek mythology in Art, etc. The go through at least 15 - 20 years of volumes going back. you will find books and MAGAZINE articles which are not listing in library catalogs.

In my example you are lucky, because you already found a catalog with a bibliography which was published in 1978. So you go back to 1977 or 1976 (it takes a while to complete and publish a book or catalog and you might miss the newest article at that time). The bibliography in the catalog (which should include your sarcophagus) should list ALL relevant publications - if the catalog is done properly.

After that you go to Sprague Library online catalog and see if they have the magazine that contains your article. (make sure that you make sure they have the year and number you need). If Sprague or your county libraries do not have it - you go back to nypl.org and click journals in the search box. They probably do have it.

Tip: If you happen to be at the New York Public Library anyway you may as well use the Art Index database they have there. You can find things with the click of the button and email results to your own email address. This is in the Art and Architecture Division on the 3rd floor.

You may also use an online database like Rila, I think Sprague has it - but I think the Art Index is more comprehensive.

How do I find a bibliography: 1. go online to www.nypl.org., go into CATNYP and look for bibliographies, 2. ask the librarian (if he does not know a bibliography he/shge knows how to look this up.) www.google.com.

Your own Textbook

You might discover that your textbook actually includes a paragraph about the work of art you chose. If you are lucky there are annotations and you might get to find a book or article there - textbooks usually are not annotated. If they are annotated, the notes are far and in between. The bibliography of a textbook will generally provide you with books which do not go into as much detail as you might like - but you may try it anyway.

Annotations

The annotations in an article, however, are generally as useful as is the bibliography in a catalog, simply because the author (just like you writing your term paper) has to cite where he got his information. So look very carefully over those - in particular the ones that might be attached to the passage of the book dealing with the work you selected or perhaps a similar one.

Encyclopedia

General encyclopedias like Encyclopedie Britannica are generally not that very useful because the articles are limited in regard to space and content and bibliographies are rather general and short. (In my experience online encyclopedias or those on CD ROM are not nearly as comprehensive as those in book form - their articles are simply too short. I got my old Britannica volumes back out of the basement).

You are probably better off with a specialized encyclopedia like Encyclopedia of Sculpture, etc. You might find articles there - but they are generally less than 5000 words (the norm is 2000) with a highly select bibliography

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