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Writing Essays in Art History

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Art History Analysis – Formal Analysis and Stylistic Analysis

Typically in an art history class the main essay students will need to write for a final paper or for an exam is a formal or stylistic analysis.

A formal analysis is just what it sounds like – you need to analyze the form of the artwork. This includes the individual design elements – composition, color, line, texture, scale, contrast, etc. Questions to consider in a formal analysis is how do all these elements come together to create this work of art? Think of formal analysis in relation to literature – authors give descriptions of characters or places through the written word. How does an artist convey this same information?

Organize your information and focus on each feature before moving onto the text – it is not ideal to discuss color and jump from line to then in the conclusion discuss color again. First summarize the overall appearance of the work of art – is this a painting? Does the artist use only dark colors? Why heavy brushstrokes? etc and then discuss details of the object – this specific animal is gray, the sky is missing a moon, etc. Again, it is best to be organized and focused in your writing – if you discuss the animals and then the individuals and go back to the animals you run the risk of making your writing unorganized and hard to read. It is also ideal to discuss the focal of the piece – what is in the center? What stands out the most in the piece or takes up most of the composition?

A stylistic approach can be described as an indicator of unique characteristics that analyzes and uses the formal elements (2-D: Line, color, value, shape and 3-D all of those and mass).The point of style is to see all the commonalities in a person’s works, such as the use of paint and brush strokes in Van Gogh’s work. Style can distinguish an artist’s work from others and within their own timeline, geographical regions, etc.

Methods & Theories To Consider:

Expressionism

Instructuralism

Postmodernism

Social Art History

Biographical Approach

Poststructuralism

Museum Studies

Visual Cultural Studies

Stylistic Analysis Example:

The following is a brief stylistic analysis of two Greek statues, an example of how style has changed because of the “essence of the age.” Over the years, sculptures of women started off as being plain and fully clothed with no distinct features, to the beautiful Venus/Aphrodite figures most people recognize today. In the mid-seventh century to the early fifth, life-sized standing marble statues of young women, often elaborately dress in gaily painted garments were created known as korai. The earliest korai is a Naxian women to Artemis. The statue wears a tight-fitted, belted peplos, giving the body a very plain look. The earliest korai wore the simpler Dorian peplos, which was a heavy woolen garment. From about 530, most wear a thinner, more elaborate, and brightly painted Ionic linen and himation. A largely contrasting Greek statue to the korai is the Venus de Milo. The Venus from head to toe is six feet seven inches tall. Her hips suggest that she has had several children. Though her body shows to be heavy, she still seems to almost be weightless. Viewing the Venus de Milo, she changes from side to side. From her right side she seems almost like a pillar and her leg bears most of the weight. She seems be firmly planted into the earth, and since she is looking at the left, her big features such as her waist define her. The Venus de Milo had a band around her right bicep. She had earrings that were brutally stolen, ripping her ears away. Venus was noted for loving necklaces, so it is very possibly she would have had one. It is also possible she had a tiara and bracelets. Venus was normally defined as “golden,” so her hair would have been painted. Two statues in the same region, have throughout history, changed in their style.

Compare and Contrast Essay

Most introductory art history classes will ask students to write a compare and contrast essay about two pieces – examples include comparing and contrasting a medieval to a renaissance painting. It is always best to start with smaller comparisons between the two works of art such as the medium of the piece. Then the comparison can include attention to detail so use of color, subject matter, or iconography. Do the same for contrasting the two pieces – start small. After the foundation is set move on to the analysis and what these comparisons or contrasting material mean – ‘what is the bigger picture here?’ Consider why one artist would wish to show the same subject matter in a different way, how, when, etc are all questions to ask in the compare and contrast essay. If during an exam it would be best to quickly outline the points to make before tackling writing the essay.

Compare and Contrast Example:

Stele of Hammurabi from Susa (modern Shush, Iran), ca. 1792 – 1750 BCE, Basalt, height of stele approx. 7’ height of relief 28’

Stele, relief sculpture, Art as propaganda – Hammurabi shows that his law code is approved by the gods, depiction of land in background, Hammurabi on the same place of importance as the god, etc.

Top of this stele shows the relief image of Hammurabi receiving the law code from Shamash, god of justice, Code of Babylonian social law, only two figures shown, different area and time period, etc.

Stele of Naram-sin , Sippar Found at Susa c. 2220 - 2184 bce. Limestone, height 6'6"

Stele, relief sculpture, Example of propaganda because the ruler (like the Stele of Hammurabi) shows his power through divine authority, Naramsin is the main character due to his large size, depiction of land in background, etc.

Akkadian art, made of limestone, the stele commemorates a victory of Naramsin, multiple figures are shown specifically soldiers, different area and time period, etc.

Iconography

Regardless of what essay approach you take in class it is absolutely necessary to understand how to analyze the iconography of a work of art and to incorporate into your paper. Iconography is defined as subject matter, what the image means. For example, why do things such as a small dog in a painting in early Northern Renaissance paintings represent sexuality? Additionally, how can an individual perhaps identify these motifs that keep coming up?

The following is a list of symbols and their meaning in Marriage a la Mode by William Hogarth (1743) that is a series of six paintings that show the story of marriage in Hogarth’s eyes.

• Man has pockets turned out symbolizing he has lost money and was recently in a fight by the state of his clothes.
• Lap dog shows loyalty but sniffs at woman’s hat in the husband’s pocket showing sexual exploits.
• Black dot on husband’s neck believed to be symbol of syphilis.
• Mantel full of ugly Chinese porcelain statues symbolizing that the couple has no class.
• Butler had to go pay bills, you can tell this by the distasteful look on his face and that his pockets are stuffed with bills and papers.
• Card game just finished up, women has directions to game under foot, shows her easily cheating nature.
• Paintings of saints line a wall of the background room, isolated from the living, shows the couple’s complete disregard to faith and religion.
• The dangers of sexual excess are underscored in the Hograth by placing Cupid among ruins, foreshadowing the inevitable ruin of the marriage.
• Eventually the series (other five paintings) shows that the woman has an affair, the men duel and die, the woman hangs herself and the father takes her ring off her finger symbolizing the one thing he could salvage from the marriage.

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Art History Resources

• Guidelines for Analysis of Art
• Formal Analysis Paper Examples

Guidelines for Writing Art History Research Papers

• Oral Report Guidelines
• Annual Arkansas College Art History Symposium

Writing a paper for an art history course is similar to the analytical, research-based papers that you may have written in English literature courses or history courses. Although art historical research and writing does include the analysis of written documents, there are distinctive differences between art history writing and other disciplines because the primary documents are works of art. A key reference guide for researching and analyzing works of art and for writing art history papers is the 10th edition (or later) of Sylvan Barnet’s work, A Short Guide to Writing about Art . Barnet directs students through the steps of thinking about a research topic, collecting information, and then writing and documenting a paper.

A website with helpful tips for writing art history papers is posted by the University of North Carolina.

Wesleyan University Writing Center has a useful guide for finding online writing resources.

The following are basic guidelines that you must use when documenting research papers for any art history class at UA Little Rock. Solid, thoughtful research and correct documentation of the sources used in this research (i.e., footnotes/endnotes, bibliography, and illustrations**) are essential. Additionally, these guidelines remind students about plagiarism, a serious academic offense.

Paper Format

Research papers should be in a 12-point font, double-spaced. Ample margins should be left for the instructor’s comments. All margins should be one inch to allow for comments. Number all pages. The cover sheet for the paper should include the following information: title of paper, your name, course title and number, course instructor, and date paper is submitted. A simple presentation of a paper is sufficient. Staple the pages together at the upper left or put them in a simple three-ring folder or binder. Do not put individual pages in plastic sleeves.

Documentation of Resources

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), as described in the most recent edition of Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing about Art is the department standard. Although you may have used MLA style for English papers or other disciplines, the Chicago Style is required for all students taking art history courses at UA Little Rock. There are significant differences between MLA style and Chicago Style. A “Quick Guide” for the Chicago Manual of Style footnote and bibliography format is found http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The footnote examples are numbered and the bibliography example is last. Please note that the place of publication and the publisher are enclosed in parentheses in the footnote, but they are not in parentheses in the bibliography. Examples of CMS for some types of note and bibliography references are given below in this Guideline. Arabic numbers are used for footnotes. Some word processing programs may have Roman numerals as a choice, but the standard is Arabic numbers. The use of super script numbers, as given in examples below, is the standard in UA Little Rock art history papers.

The chapter “Manuscript Form” in the Barnet book (10th edition or later) provides models for the correct forms for footnotes/endnotes and the bibliography. For example, the note form for the FIRST REFERENCE to a book with a single author is:

1 Bruce Cole, Italian Art 1250-1550 (New York: New York University Press, 1971), 134.

But the BIBLIOGRAPHIC FORM for that same book is:

Cole, Bruce. Italian Art 1250-1550. New York: New York University Press. 1971.

The FIRST REFERENCE to a journal article (in a periodical that is paginated by volume) with a single author in a footnote is:

2 Anne H. Van Buren, “Madame Cézanne’s Fashions and the Dates of Her Portraits,” Art Quarterly 29 (1966): 199.

The FIRST REFERENCE to a journal article (in a periodical that is paginated by volume) with a single author in the BIBLIOGRAPHY is:

Van Buren, Anne H. “Madame Cézanne’s Fashions and the Dates of Her Portraits.” Art Quarterly 29 (1966): 185-204.

If you reference an article that you found through an electronic database such as JSTOR, you do not include the url for JSTOR or the date accessed in either the footnote or the bibliography. This is because the article is one that was originally printed in a hard-copy journal; what you located through JSTOR is simply a copy of printed pages. Your citation follows the same format for an article in a bound volume that you may have pulled from the library shelves. If, however, you use an article that originally was in an electronic format and is available only on-line, then follow the “non-print” forms listed below.

B. Non-Print

Citations for Internet sources such as online journals or scholarly web sites should follow the form described in Barnet’s chapter, “Writing a Research Paper.” For example, the footnote or endnote reference given by Barnet for a web site is:

3 Nigel Strudwick, Egyptology Resources , with the assistance of The Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge University, 1994, revised 16 June 2008, http://www.newton.ac.uk/egypt/ , 24 July 2008.

If you use microform or microfilm resources, consult the most recent edition of Kate Turabian, A Manual of Term Paper, Theses and Dissertations. A copy of Turabian is available at the reference desk in the main library.

C. Visual Documentation (Illustrations)

Art history papers require visual documentation such as photographs, photocopies, or scanned images of the art works you discuss. In the chapter “Manuscript Form” in A Short Guide to Writing about Art, Barnet explains how to identify illustrations or “figures” in the text of your paper and how to caption the visual material. Each photograph, photocopy, or scanned image should appear on a single sheet of paper unless two images and their captions will fit on a single sheet of paper with one inch margins on all sides. Note also that the title of a work of art is always italicized. Within the text, the reference to the illustration is enclosed in parentheses and placed at the end of the sentence. A period for the sentence comes after the parenthetical reference to the illustration. For UA Little Rcok art history papers, illustrations are placed at the end of the paper, not within the text. Illustration are not supplied as a Powerpoint presentation or as separate .jpgs submitted in an electronic format.

Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, dated 1893, represents a highly personal, expressive response to an experience the artist had while walking one evening (Figure 1).

The caption that accompanies the illustration at the end of the paper would read:

Figure 1. Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893. Tempera and casein on cardboard, 36 x 29″ (91.3 x 73.7 cm). Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo, Norway.

Plagiarism is a form of thievery and is illegal. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, to plagiarize is to “take and pass off as one’s own the ideas, writings, etc. of another.” Barnet has some useful guidelines for acknowledging sources in his chapter “Manuscript Form;” review them so that you will not be mguilty of theft. Another useful website regarding plagiarism is provided by Cornell University, http://plagiarism.arts.cornell.edu/tutorial/index.cfm

Plagiarism is a serious offense, and students should understand that checking papers for plagiarized content is easy to do with Internet resources. Plagiarism will be reported as academic dishonesty to the Dean of Students; see Section VI of the Student Handbook which cites plagiarism as a specific violation. Take care that you fully and accurately acknowledge the source of another author, whether you are quoting the material verbatim or paraphrasing. Borrowing the idea of another author by merely changing some or even all of your source’s words does not allow you to claim the ideas as your own. You must credit both direct quotes and your paraphrases. Again, Barnet’s chapter “Manuscript Form” sets out clear guidelines for avoiding plagiarism.

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Art Appreciation - ART 1053

Stage 1: topic and annotated bibliography, stage 2: outline, stage 3: final paper.

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The purpose of this research paper is to allow you to go more in depth into the study of a specific artist and work of art, and to prepare you for the formal research and writing assignments you will encounter throughout your college experience.

Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art.  Art criticism typically includes evaluating style, theme, movements (surrealism, modernism, etc.), historical and/or sociological aspects (how does the art fit into a historical period or how have sociological aspects affected the art piece), and interpretation of the art piece (what the viewer "gets" or "sees" from the art).

You will select an artist and work of art from a list provided by your professor.  The assignment is broken into 3 stages to help you stay focused on the process and prevent you from becoming overwhelmed at the end of the term.

Dates for submission of each stage will be given to you by your professor and listed in your syllabus.

The first stage is to submit your chosen work of art and an annotated bibliography for the sources you will be using.  To create an annotated bibliography, begin with the complete citation for the work in the appropriate Chicago Style.  Next, write a short summary of the source.  This will include how this source will assist in your research, and a summary of the information that will be used from the source.

Research guidelines:

MUST use at least five sources

• Only one source may be a website
• Site must have a domain name of .org, .edu, .gov, or another nation's equivalent to these domains
• Do NOT use Wikipedia as a source
• Do not use dictionaries or encyclopedias as sources either in print or electronic
• Do not use the course text book as a source
• All other sources must be published books or scholarly journals

The second stage is the outline.  The outline is exactly that: how your research paper will flow.  The outline should show the research you are presenting and how ir supports your thesis.  Creating an outline at this point in the process makes writing the actual paper much easier. 

The downside is that you will need to have all your research completed and be ready to start writing.  Any articles or books that you may need to borrow through Interlibrary Loan will need to have already been requested and received.

The third stage is the final paper.  Writing the paper at this point should be much easier since all of the research has been gathered in order to submit your annotated bibliography and the outline.  

Guidelines for final paper

• MUST be 4 - 5 pages in length excluding title page, imagery, and bibliography
• Double spaced
• 12 point font
• Written in the Chicago Style
• End notes or foot notes
• Bibliography to include citations for all sources used including imagery
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Thinking, Making, Writing: Art Research Paper

• Art Research Paper
• Analyzing Your Work of Art
• Art Vocabulary Booklet
• Looking Exercises
• Making a Mind Map
• Researching Your Topic
• Citation Info
• Examples of Past Art Research Papers

The Assignment

The paper focuses on one work of your art created and critiqued in a Studio Foundations course . It includes a description of your art and a thoughtful presentation on one question you wish to investigate. Your research on your question may focus on themes, sources of inspiration, techniques, tools, or methods.

The Big Picture: The Art Research Paper in Context

Your Art Research Paper is the culmination of your Thinking, Making, Writing course. It is meant to create mindfulness about your process of making art or design. You can see the process mapped out in the diagram above on the left. The right diagram shows how the Art Research Paper is an interdisciplinary project, tying together your experiences working with your Liberal Arts and Studio Foundation faculty, the MassArt librarians, the ARC staff, and others. 

This guide will help walk you through the Observe and Research stages depicted on the diagram on the left. Feel free to follow the pages of this guide in sequence or jump in wherever you wish.

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Introduction to the History of Western Art Paper assignments

Section navigation, paper assignment iii: short research paper (due dec 4).

For the final paper assignment, select a work of art of your choosing and write a short research paper (4-5 pages; 1200 word limit) analyzing it both visually and historically. The art work can be in any medium and from any time period in Western history, but you must have personally encountered the work for the purpose of this assignment. You may not choose something that you saw at an earlier date or in a reproduction. The quality of your writing should make it clear that you have examined the work in person. You should start on this project as soon as possible .

Note: it is in your best interest to choose a work of art that is not on view at the Mead Museum. If you would like to do your paper on a work that is in storage, however, do not hesitate to contact the staff at the Mead. They will be more than happy to arrange for you to see it, as long as you give them advance notice (at least a week):  https://www.amherst.edu/museums/mead/collection/work_in_storage

Your paper should be equal parts visual analysis of the work and exploration of its historical context. Spend time looking carefully at your art work-- at least 15 minutes. Take notes on its appearance and its various compositional elements (e.g. use of color, line, light and shade, scale, size) and obtain an illustration of the work for later reference. You will need to illustrate the work in your paper. Think about how  the formal characteristics of the work combine to present the subject matter. What can be deduced about the artist's intentions in its presentation of form?

Consult S. Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art , Chapter 12 before you begin your research. It will save you a lot of wasted time and effort. Also, use the resources made available by the College's librarians. They provide a webpage specifically for research on art that will provide you with credible sources both online and in print (https://www.amherst.edu/library/resources/subject_guides/art).

Make sure you consult both books and articles in your research. I will be suspicious of a paper that cites only online sources. If you have questions related to research, please contact the reference librarian or me.

While formulating your approach for the paper, think about the following questions: 

What are the circumstances of the work's creation? Where does the work fit into the artist's oeuvre? Is it typical of his/her work or something different?

How are the facts and interpretations that you discover about the artist and the work supported or refuted by what you see in the art work itself? Stick to solid historical fact and scholarly sources rather than be distracted or romanced by arcane theoretical interpretations. Use the work as your guide when determining which sources or arguments to incorporate into your paper.

What are the themes explored in the work and how might they relate to the artist and his/her time period?

Where does the work fit into the broader spectrum of art historical movements and developments? How does its style and mode of presentation correlate or diverge from to the prevailing artistic norms of the culture and period in which it was made?

Remember to use third person in your paper. This is art historical research, not art criticism. Also, be selective about the sources you use for your research. Use your judgment when reading the scholarship; do not simply reiterate someone's else argument unless you are planning to refute or elaborate upon it. I will be looking for intelligent use of sources, not wholesale repetition or antagonistic nitpicking.

You can use any format to cite your sources, as long as it contains an author's name, the title of the cited work, its publication information, a date, and a page number. Please be consistent in your formatting. Any edition of Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations , is a good place to go if you do not have a preferred format in mind. There are several copies in Frost Library.

A note about plagiarism: if you use an idea, phrase, or interpretation that is not your own, you must cite your source in a footnote, endnote or parenthetical citation. It is always best to err on the side of caution rather than inadvertently plagiarize. Direct quotations should be used only for primary sources, i.e. the artist's own words, a contemporary biographer or critic; all secondary sources should be paraphrased.

Your paper must follow all the guidelines indicated on the syllabus. Late papers will not be accepted and you must turn the paper in during class on December 4.  You must provide an illustration of the work with your paper.

If you have any questions about the assignment, please come see me, preferably well before the deadline.

Paper Assignment II: Comparative Analysis (due Oct 30)

For this paper, go to the Mead Art Museum and select one pair of paintings from the list below. Write a short paper (3-4 pages, double-spaced, no more than 1,000 words) comparing and contrasting the pair of works.

Charles Henry Eaton, Beginning of a Stormy Day (AC 2002.75)


J.H. Twachtman, Winter Silence (AC 1955.298)

Gimignani, Narcissus (AC 1977.2)


H. Taraval, Triumph of Amphitrite (AC 1976.2)



Frans Snyders, Still Life
 (AC 1962.20)

Mary Jane Peale (attr.), Still Life 
(AC 1975.86)

Natalia Goncharova, Self-Portrait (AC 2001.11)


Vigee-Lebrun (after), Self-Portrait (AC 1961.9)

It is a good idea to spend at least 15 minutes in front of each work, taking notes on your observations for later consultation. You should re-visit the works after you have written a draft of your paper to make sure that what you have written corresponds to the works.

The objective of this paper is to explain how the paired paintings are similar and how they are different in terms of both content and form.   This is a visual exercise .   Do NOT research the works of art you choose, nor be distracted by information on the museum label.  Write it in the third person to maintain your objectivity and use terminology and methods of visual analysis that we have discussed in class. Avoid subjective or vague words such as “amazing”, “important”, “beautiful”, “talented”, “impressive”.

Think about why these paintings are paired together. This reason should be the point or thesis of your essay and the remainder of the paper should discuss the details found in the works that support this observation. Simply stating that the paintings have “many similarities and differences” is not an acceptable thesis. It is best to progress from basic observations to more complex ideas. 

Concentrate on visual analysis (description plus analysis) of the two works in terms of each other.   Any interpretive or concluding statements you make should be supported by specific examples found in the paintings. You should consider the following issues as they apply when writing your comparison:   subject matter, setting, composition, technique, space, form, line (contours, directional, seen and unseen), size and scale, proportion and balance, color, light and shadow, texture, brushstroke and paint handling, pose, gesture, movement, expression, emotion, figure style.   

Consult S. Barnet, "A Short Guide to Writing about Art," chapters 2- 6, 8-9 .   Chapter 5 is especially important.

This paper must follow all the guidelines set out in the syllabus. I will not accept untyped or late papers. You must print out your paper (stapled) and turn it in during class on the due date. Papers turned in via email will not be accepted.

Paper Assignment I: Formal Analysis (due Sept 25)

For this assignment, write a 2-3 page, double-spaced paper (no more than 800 words) on the work of art in the Mead Art Museum that you chose for your paragraph assignment. This is meant to be an exercise in intensive looking and reasoned visual analysis, not a reaction paper or forum for creative reflections on the work. Nor does it require research in other sources. (If you feel it necessary to incorporate information found on the wall label or in an outside text, you must cite it properly in a footnote. However, this should not be the main substance of this paper.)

Note: your paper should be written in the third person --a more objective mode of presentation than the first person.

Instead, focus your skills on analyzing the work's compositional elements and how they combine to convey the subject of the work. Think about the criteria we use in class to analyze a work's purpose or intent (i.e., compositional emphasis through the use of line, light, shade, form, and color) and make logical assumptions about the way these aspects reflect the content or message behind each work. Your words should re-present the artwork as an image in the mind of your reader. Thus, you must reconstruct in writing the act of seeing the artwork. You do not necessarily need to report each and every detail but rather those that will give the reader enough information to comprehend the object’s appearance.

This is not a simple description of the object, but you must support your assumptions and conclusions with specific details found within in the work. Your essay should be based on your own observations of the work. Everything you need to write your description can be found in the artwork itself.

Give yourself a healthy amount of time to observe the work and you may want to return to see the work again after you have written a draft of your paper. Leaving this assignment to the last minute is inadvisable.

I strongly suggest that you consult the following in S. Barnet, "A Short Guide to Writing about Art": pp. 31-33 ("Arguing an Interpretation" and "Expressing Opinions"), 113-132 (Chapter 4)

This paper must follow all the guidelines set out in the syllabus. I will not accept untyped or late papers.

Art History

What this handout is about.

This handout discusses a few common assignments found in art history courses. To help you better understand those assignments, this handout highlights key strategies for approaching and analyzing visual materials.

Writing in art history

Evaluating and writing about visual material uses many of the same analytical skills that you have learned from other fields, such as history or literature. In art history, however, you will be asked to gather your evidence from close observations of objects or images. Beyond painting, photography, and sculpture, you may be asked to write about posters, illustrations, coins, and other materials.

Even though art historians study a wide range of materials, there are a few prevalent assignments that show up throughout the field. Some of these assignments (and the writing strategies used to tackle them) are also used in other disciplines. In fact, you may use some of the approaches below to write about visual sources in classics, anthropology, and religious studies, to name a few examples.

This handout describes three basic assignment types and explains how you might approach writing for your art history class.Your assignment prompt can often be an important step in understanding your course’s approach to visual materials and meeting its specific expectations. Start by reading the prompt carefully, and see our handout on understanding assignments for some tips and tricks.

Three types of assignments are discussed below:

• Visual analysis essays
• Comparison essays
• Research papers

1. Visual analysis essays

Visual analysis essays often consist of two components. First, they include a thorough description of the selected object or image based on your observations. This description will serve as your “evidence” moving forward. Second, they include an interpretation or argument that is built on and defended by this visual evidence.

Formal analysis is one of the primary ways to develop your observations. Performing a formal analysis requires describing the “formal” qualities of the object or image that you are describing (“formal” here means “related to the form of the image,” not “fancy” or “please, wear a tuxedo”). Formal elements include everything from the overall composition to the use of line, color, and shape. This process often involves careful observations and critical questions about what you see.

Pre-writing: observations and note-taking

To assist you in this process, the chart below categorizes some of the most common formal elements. It also provides a few questions to get you thinking.

Let’s try this out with an example. You’ve been asked to write a formal analysis of the painting, George Morland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty , ca. 1800 (created in Britain and now in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond).

What do you notice when you see this image? First, you might observe that this is a painting. Next, you might ask yourself some of the following questions: what kind of paint was used, and what was it painted on? How has the artist applied the paint? What does the scene depict, and what kinds of figures (an art-historical term that generally refers to humans) or animals are present? What makes these animals similar or different? How are they arranged? What colors are used in this painting? Are there any colors that pop out or contrast with the others? What might the artist have been trying to accomplish by adding certain details?

What other questions come to mind while examining this work? What kinds of topics come up in class when you discuss paintings like this one? Consider using your class experiences as a model for your own description! This process can be lengthy, so expect to spend some time observing the artwork and brainstorming.

Here is an example of some of the notes one might take while viewing Morland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty :

Composition

• The animals, four pigs total, form a gently sloping mound in the center of the painting.
• The upward mound of animals contrasts with the downward curve of the wooden fence.
• The gentle light, coming from the upper-left corner, emphasizes the animals in the center. The rest of the scene is more dimly lit.
• The composition is asymmetrical but balanced. The fence is balanced by the bush on the right side of the painting, and the sow with piglets is balanced by the pig whose head rests in the trough.
• Throughout the composition, the colors are generally muted and rather limited. Yellows, greens, and pinks dominate the foreground, with dull browns and blues in the background.
• Cool colors appear in the background, and warm colors appear in the foreground, which makes the foreground more prominent.
• Large areas of white with occasional touches of soft pink focus attention on the pigs.
• The paint is applied very loosely, meaning the brushstrokes don’t describe objects with exact details but instead suggest them with broad gestures.
• The ground has few details and appears almost abstract.
• The piglets emerge from a series of broad, almost indistinct, circular strokes.
• The painting contrasts angular lines and rectangles (some vertical, some diagonal) with the circular forms of the pig.
• The negative space created from the intersection of the fence and the bush forms a wide, inverted triangle that points downward. The point directs viewers’ attention back to the pigs.

Because these observations can be difficult to notice by simply looking at a painting, art history instructors sometimes encourage students to sketch the work that they’re describing. The image below shows how a sketch can reveal important details about the composition and shapes.

Writing: developing an interpretation

Once you have your descriptive information ready, you can begin to think critically about what the information in your notes might imply. What are the effects of the formal elements? How do these elements influence your interpretation of the object?

Your interpretation does not need to be earth-shatteringly innovative, but it should put forward an argument with which someone else could reasonably disagree. In other words, you should work on developing a strong analytical thesis about the meaning, significance, or effect of the visual material that you’ve described. For more help in crafting a strong argument, see our Thesis Statements handout .

For example, based on the notes above, you might draft the following thesis statement:

In Morland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty, the close proximity of the pigs to each other–evident in the way Morland has overlapped the pigs’ bodies and grouped them together into a gently sloping mound–and the soft atmosphere that surrounds them hints at the tranquility of their humble farm lives.

Or, you could make an argument about one specific formal element:

In Morland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty, the sharp contrast between rectilinear, often vertical, shapes and circular masses focuses viewers’ attention on the pigs, who seem undisturbed by their enclosure.

Support your claims

Your thesis statement should be defended by directly referencing the formal elements of the artwork. Try writing with enough specificity that someone who has not seen the work could imagine what it looks like. If you are struggling to find a certain term, try using this online art dictionary: Tate’s Glossary of Art Terms .

Your body paragraphs should explain how the elements work together to create an overall effect. Avoid listing the elements. Instead, explain how they support your analysis.

As an example, the following body paragraph illustrates this process using Morland’s painting:

Morland achieves tranquility not only by grouping animals closely but also by using light and shadow carefully. Light streams into the foreground through an overcast sky, in effect dappling the pigs and the greenery that encircles them while cloaking much of the surrounding scene. Diffuse and soft, the light creates gentle gradations of tone across pigs’ bodies rather than sharp contrasts of highlights and shadows. By modulating the light in such subtle ways, Morland evokes a quiet, even contemplative mood that matches the restful faces of the napping pigs.

This example paragraph follows the 5-step process outlined in our handout on paragraphs . The paragraph begins by stating the main idea, in this case that the artist creates a tranquil scene through the use of light and shadow. The following two sentences provide evidence for that idea. Because art historians value sophisticated descriptions, these sentences include evocative verbs (e.g., “streams,” “dappling,” “encircles”) and adjectives (e.g., “overcast,” “diffuse,” “sharp”) to create a mental picture of the artwork in readers’ minds. The last sentence ties these observations together to make a larger point about the relationship between formal elements and subject matter.

There are usually different arguments that you could make by looking at the same image. You might even find a way to combine these statements!

Remember, however you interpret the visual material (for example, that the shapes draw viewers’ attention to the pigs), the interpretation needs to be logically supported by an observation (the contrast between rectangular and circular shapes). Once you have an argument, consider the significance of these statements. Why does it matter if this painting hints at the tranquility of farm life? Why might the artist have tried to achieve this effect? Briefly discussing why these arguments matter in your thesis can help readers understand the overall significance of your claims. This step may even lead you to delve deeper into recurring themes or topics from class.

Tread lightly

Avoid generalizing about art as a whole, and be cautious about making claims that sound like universal truths. If you find yourself about to say something like “across cultures, blue symbolizes despair,” pause to consider the statement. Would all people, everywhere, from the beginning of human history to the present agree? How do you know? If you find yourself stating that “art has meaning,” consider how you could explain what you see as the specific meaning of the artwork.

Double-check your prompt. Do you need secondary sources to write your paper? Most visual analysis essays in art history will not require secondary sources to write the paper. Rely instead on your close observation of the image or object to inform your analysis and use your knowledge from class to support your argument. Are you being asked to use the same methods to analyze objects as you would for paintings? Be sure to follow the approaches discussed in class.

Some classes may use “description,” “formal analysis” and “visual analysis” as synonyms, but others will not. Typically, a visual analysis essay may ask you to consider how form relates to the social, economic, or political context in which these visual materials were made or exhibited, whereas a formal analysis essay may ask you to make an argument solely about form itself. If your prompt does ask you to consider contextual aspects, and you don’t feel like you can address them based on knowledge from the course, consider reading the section on research papers for further guidance.

2. Comparison essays

Comparison essays often require you to follow the same general process outlined in the preceding sections. The primary difference, of course, is that they ask you to deal with more than one visual source. These assignments usually focus on how the formal elements of two artworks compare and contrast with each other. Resist the urge to turn the essay into a list of similarities and differences.

Comparison essays differ in another important way. Because they typically ask you to connect the visual materials in some way or to explain the significance of the comparison itself, they may require that you comment on the context in which the art was created or displayed.

For example, you might have been asked to write a comparative analysis of the painting discussed in the previous section, George Morland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty (ca. 1800), and an unknown Vicús artist’s Bottle in the Form of a Pig (ca. 200 BCE–600 CE). Both works are illustrated below.

You can begin this kind of essay with the same process of observations and note-taking outlined above for formal analysis essays. Consider using the same questions and categories to get yourself started.

Here are some questions you might ask:

• What techniques were used to create these objects?
• How does the use of color in these two works compare? Is it similar or different?
• What can you say about the composition of the sculpture? How does the artist treat certain formal elements, for example geometry? How do these elements compare to and contrast with those found in the painting?
• How do these works represent their subjects? Are they naturalistic or abstract? How do these artists create these effects? Why do these similarities and differences matter?

As our handout on comparing and contrasting suggests, you can organize these thoughts into a Venn diagram or a chart to help keep the answers to these questions distinct.

For example, some notes on these two artworks have been organized into a chart:

As you determine points of comparison, think about the themes that you have discussed in class. You might consider whether the artworks display similar topics or themes. If both artworks include the same subject matter, for example, how does that similarity contribute to the significance of the comparison? How do these artworks relate to the periods or cultures in which they were produced, and what do those relationships suggest about the comparison? The answers to these questions can typically be informed by your knowledge from class lectures. How have your instructors framed the introduction of individual works in class? What aspects of society or culture have they emphasized to explain why specific formal elements were included or excluded? Once you answer your questions, you might notice that some observations are more important than others.

Writing: developing an interpretation that considers both sources

When drafting your thesis, go beyond simply stating your topic. A statement that says “these representations of pig-like animals have some similarities and differences” doesn’t tell your reader what you will argue in your essay.

To say more, based on the notes in the chart above, you might write the following thesis statement:

Although both artworks depict pig-like animals, they rely on different methods of representing the natural world.

Now you have a place to start. Next, you can say more about your analysis. Ask yourself: “so what?” Why does it matter that these two artworks depict pig-like animals? You might want to return to your class notes at this point. Why did your instructor have you analyze these two works in particular? How does the comparison relate to what you have already discussed in class? Remember, comparison essays will typically ask you to think beyond formal analysis.

While the comparison of a similar subject matter (pig-like animals) may influence your initial argument, you may find that other points of comparison (e.g., the context in which the objects were displayed) allow you to more fully address the matter of significance. Thinking about the comparison in this way, you can write a more complex thesis that answers the “so what?” question. If your class has discussed how artists use animals to comment on their social context, for example, you might explore the symbolic importance of these pig-like animals in nineteenth-century British culture and in first-millenium Vicús culture. What political, social, or religious meanings could these objects have generated? If you find yourself needing to do outside research, look over the final section on research papers below!

Supporting paragraphs

The rest of your comparison essay should address the points raised in your thesis in an organized manner. While you could try several approaches, the two most common organizational tactics are discussing the material “subject-by-subject” and “point-by-point.”

• Subject-by-subject: Organizing the body of the paper in this way involves writing everything that you want to say about Moreland’s painting first (in a series of paragraphs) before moving on to everything about the ceramic bottle (in a series of paragraphs). Using our example, after the introduction, you could include a paragraph that discusses the positioning of the animals in Moreland’s painting, another paragraph that describes the depiction of the pigs’ surroundings, and a third explaining the role of geometry in forming the animals. You would then follow this discussion with paragraphs focused on the same topics, in the same order, for the ancient South American vessel. You could then follow this discussion with a paragraph that synthesizes all of the information and explores the significance of the comparison.
• Point-by-point: This strategy, in contrast, involves discussing a single point of comparison or contrast for both objects at the same time. For example, in a single paragraph, you could examine the use of color in both of our examples. Your next paragraph could move on to the differences in the figures’ setting or background (or lack thereof).

As our use of “pig-like” in this section indicates, titles can be misleading. Many titles are assigned by curators and collectors, in some cases years after the object was produced. While the ceramic vessel is titled Bottle in the Form of a Pig , the date and location suggest it may depict a peccary, a pig-like species indigenous to Peru. As you gather information about your objects, think critically about things like titles and dates. Who assigned the title of the work? If it was someone other than the artist, why might they have given it that title? Don’t always take information like titles and dates at face value.

Be cautious about considering contextual elements not immediately apparent from viewing the objects themselves unless you are explicitly asked to do so (try referring back to the prompt or assignment description; it will often describe the expectation of outside research). You may be able to note that the artworks were created during different periods, in different places, with different functions. Even so, avoid making broad assumptions based on those observations. While commenting on these topics may only require some inference or notes from class, if your argument demands a large amount of outside research, you may be writing a different kind of paper. If so, check out the next section!

3. Research papers

Some assignments in art history ask you to do outside research (i.e., beyond both formal analysis and lecture materials). These writing assignments may ask you to contextualize the visual materials that you are discussing, or they may ask you to explore your material through certain theoretical approaches. More specifically, you may be asked to look at the object’s relationship to ideas about identity, politics, culture, and artistic production during the period in which the work was made or displayed. All of these factors require you to synthesize scholars’ arguments about the materials that you are analyzing. In many cases, you may find little to no research on your specific object. When facing this situation, consider how you can apply scholars’ insights about related materials and the period broadly to your object to form an argument. While we cannot cover all the possibilities here, we’ll highlight a few factors that your instructor may task you with investigating.

Iconography

Papers that ask you to consider iconography may require research on the symbolic role or significance of particular symbols (gestures, objects, etc.). For example, you may need to do some research to understand how pig-like animals are typically represented by the cultural group that made this bottle, the Vicús culture. For the same paper, you would likely research other symbols, notably the bird that forms part of the bottle’s handle, to understand how they relate to one another. This process may involve figuring out how these elements are presented in other artworks and what they mean more broadly.

Artistic style and stylistic period

You may also be asked to compare your object or painting to a particular stylistic category. To determine the typical traits of a style, you may need to hit the library. For example, which period style or stylistic trend does Moreland’s Pigs and Piglets in a Sty belong to? How well does the piece “fit” that particular style? Especially for works that depict the same or similar topics, how might their different styles affect your interpretation? Assignments that ask you to consider style as a factor may require that you do some research on larger historical or cultural trends that influenced the development of a particular style.

Provenance research asks you to find out about the “life” of the object itself. This research can include the circumstances surrounding the work’s production and its later ownership. For the two works discussed in this handout, you might research where these objects were originally displayed and how they ended up in the museum collections in which they now reside. What kind of argument could you develop with this information? For example, you might begin by considering that many bottles and jars resembling the Bottle in the Form of a Pig can be found in various collections of Pre-Columbian art around the world. Where do these objects originate? Do they come from the same community or region?

Patronage study

Prompts that ask you to discuss patronage might ask you to think about how, when, where, and why the patron (the person who commissions or buys the artwork or who supports the artist) acquired the object from the artist. The assignment may ask you to comment on the artist-patron relationship, how the work fit into a broader series of commissions, and why patrons chose particular artists or even particular subjects.

Additional resources

To look up recent articles, ask your librarian about the Art Index, RILA, BHA, and Avery Index. Check out www.lib.unc.edu/art/index.html for further information!

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Adams, Laurie Schneider. 2003. Looking at Art . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Barnet, Sylvan. 2015. A Short Guide to Writing about Art , 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Tate Galleries. n.d. “Art Terms.” Accessed November 1, 2020. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Gaining insight into crew rostering instances through ML-based sequential assignment

• Original Paper
• Published: 25 June 2024

Cite this article

• Philippe Racette   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0000-7422-526X 1 , 3 ,
• Frédéric Quesnel 2 ,
• Andrea Lodi 3 , 4 &
• François Soumis 1  

Crew scheduling is typically performed in two stages. First, solving the crew pairing problem generates sequences of flights called pairings. Then, the pairings are assigned to crew members to provide each person with a full schedule. A common way to do this is to solve an optimization problem called the crew rostering problem (CRP). However, before solving the CRP, the problem instance must be parameterized appropriately while taking different factors such as preassigned days off, crew training, sick leave, reserve duty, or unusual events into account. In this paper, we present a new method for the parameterization of CRP instances for pilots by scheduling planners. A machine learning-based sequential assignment procedure ( seqAsg ) whose arc weights are computed using a policy over state–action pairs for pilots is implemented to generate very fast solutions. We establish a relationship between the quality of the solutions generated by seqAsg and that of solutions produced by a state-of-the-art solver. Based on those results, we formulate recommendations for instance parameterization. Given that the seqAsg procedure takes only a few seconds to run, this allows scheduling workers to reparameterize crew rostering instances many times over the course of the planning process as needed.

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Data availability

The original data used for the experiments shown in this paper can be downloaded directly at the following URL: https://www.gerad.ca/en/papers/G-2014-22/ . Since GENCOL is proprietary software, the code for the related experiments is not available. However, we can provide code to build rosters with sequential assignment upon request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported financially by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and IBS under Grant no. CRDPJ-477127-14. The authors are grateful for this support.

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Appendix A: Pseudo-code for the feasibility heuristic

In this section, we detail further the feasibility heuristic presented in Sect.  5.2 . We give the following pseudo-code to describe the concrete steps taken to make one pilot’s schedule feasible.

Pseudo-code for the feasibility heuristic

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Venus Williams’s Striking Latest Project? A Podcast With the Carnegie Museum of Art

By Maya Layne

Where do image making and ecology meet—and how is Venus Williams involved?

The legendary tennis player and longtime art collector has lent her voice to a new podcast, Widening the Lens , launched to accompany “ Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape ,” a multidisciplinary exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. The six-episode series explores the intersection between the arts, activism, and the environment, topics that Carnegie Museum of Art Eric director Eric Crosby says are important not to shy away from. Just as working with a camera can expand one’s point of view, “Widening the Lens” invites viewers to question their sense of perspective and stance. Adds Dan Leers, the Carnegie Museum of Art curator of photography, “The project explicitly looks at how the camera can act as a tool to question inherited narratives about people and ecology and foreground stories that are often overlooked or excluded.”

Chanell Stone, Cotton Mud , 2022. Inkjet print. H: 50 in. x W: 60 in. (127.00 x 152.40 cm)

The podcast features Williams in conversation with renowned artists, writers, and scholars—including A.K. Burns, Raven Chacon, Dionne Lee, Xaviera Simmons, and Sky Hopinka—as they explore colonial legacies, charged landscapes, and more. (There is also a fully illustrated catalog and robust public programming planned around the show, providing multiple points of access.) As Williams explains, her relationship with the outdoors, as well as the arts, has been lifelong, so it felt natural for her to take on a project that explored the various connections between the two.

Vogue : You’re clearly a very busy person. What made you take on this project? What about it felt right to you?

Venus Williams: It’s a real honor to host the Carnegie Museum’s Widening the Lens podcast because it’s really deeply moving. It’s a project that integrates art and the environment and this really beautiful, full-circle storytelling. It’s about being able to provoke a discussion around one of the most critical issues facing the world today, which is our relationship to the environment, and the stories that are being told are so thought-provoking; so many words are being said through an image. Sometimes [the message] is dark, but that’s what art does. It makes us take a second look. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable. I feel like this is one of the best things I’ve ever had a chance to be a part of.

Justine Kurland, Forest , 1998. Inkjet print. H: 30 in. x W: 40 in. (76.20 x 101.60 cm)

What was your relationship to the outdoors growing up? How has your personal relationship to nature evolved over time?

I actually have a hard time being indoors. Most people wake up in the morning, get in their cars or whatever, and go to work. I wake up and go work outdoors. I live at the end of South Florida, where there’s such a wide expanse of land and trees—and it’s by choice, you know? So I really relate to this kind of storytelling. I love that Carnegie is taking this moment to highlight not only these artists but also the environment in a beautiful way.

A lot of times when we’re talking about the environment, we’re talking about all the things that are happening. We’re not examining it in this kind of way. [On the podcast] we’re looking forward, backward, and at the possibilities at the same time and examining the impact that we have had on the land historically and how that relates to today.

Dionne Lee, Untitled , 2023. Gelatin silver print. H: 10 in. x W: 8 in. (25.40 x 20.32 cm)

You have a long history of working with other art institutions, too, like Pace Gallery and Sotheby’s. What have you learned from those experiences, and what have you applied to this new relationship with Carnegie?

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By Calin Van Paris

I’ve been a lover and appreciator of the arts my whole life and then a collector for almost half my life. I never really saw myself getting involved in this way, but it happened kind of organically. It’s a domino effect: You do one thing, and the next thing you know, you have these critical opportunities I’d never dreamed of. To have these kinds of impacts—first with Pace, with preserving the Nina Simone house , and now this thing that affects our whole planet—it’s beyond my dreams. I’m so grateful to be in this position and part of something I truly love.

Venus Williams recording Widening the Lens in May

The format of this, as a podcast, is really unique. What has been your favorite part of that?

It’s the kind of podcast where you just can’t stop listening. For me, it was very eye-opening to hear the stories and examine what the artists were taking note of. When you think of an artist like Ansel Adams and how he went to photograph the West and the great outdoors and unlocked areas of our land that we’d never seen before, the undercurrent of that was much deeper, in the sense of [giving other people] this opportunity to control and take these lands. I had not thought of it or seen it that way. It’s interesting the powerful effect those photographs had on people’s lives and the landscape.

Melissa Catanese, Fever fields (California poppies, hands, seabirds, sun), 2021, 2023. Pigment, carbon, and cyanotype prints on hand-waxed washi paper. H: 144 in. x W: 192 in. (365.76 x 487.68 cm)

What are you hoping people take away from this project? Who are you hoping to connect with most?

At the end, it’s about us —it’s not just about the artists. It’s really capturing every person and our experience on this planet. So my hope is for people to take part in that, open our eyes to what’s happening here, and—most importantly—find the solutions.

That feels like what the notion of widening the lens is all about.

[ Laughs .] Perfect title, right?

This conversation has been edited and condensed.

The exhibition “Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology, and the Contemporary Landscape” is on view at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Art through January 12, 2025. Widening the Lens the podcast is out now.

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Elektrostal

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Elektrostal , city, Moscow oblast (province), western Russia . It lies 36 miles (58 km) east of Moscow city. The name, meaning “electric steel,” derives from the high-quality-steel industry established there soon after the October Revolution in 1917. During World War II , parts of the heavy-machine-building industry were relocated there from Ukraine, and Elektrostal is now a centre for the production of metallurgical equipment. Pop. (2006 est.) 146,189.

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2023 Hasselblad Masters Winners Show the Best in Fine Art Photography

Hasselblad has announced the winners of its prestigious Hasselblad Masters 2023 competition.

It was a huge edition of the biannual contest, with more than 85,000 photos entered. This is a 35% increase in total entries compared to the previous 2021 Hasselblad Masters competition.

Hasselblad Masters 2023 included six categories, Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street, and Project//21, and welcomed entries from established professionals, emerging talents, and photographers under the age of 21.

Each category winner earns the title of “Hasselblad Masters” and receives a Hasselblad X2D 100C medium-format camera, two XCD Series lenses, and a EUR 5,000 cash prize, about $5,350. Each winner will also work with Hasselblad on a collaborative project and be up for inclusion in a commemorative Hasselblad Masters book. The winners were selected through public voting and decisions by a professional grand jury.

“Being a jury member for this year’s Hasselblad Masters competition has been an exciting and challenging process, as the high level of quality in submissions made selection difficult. A word that comes to mind when looking at the winning contributions is sensemaking,” explains Stefan Jensen, photographer and curator at the Hasselblad Foundation. Jensen was the Grand Jury Chair for the 2023 competition.

“All but one category featured photographs in their original definition — a subject in front of the camera. They range from documentary to staged images and collages, but what they have in common is that they are a reflection of reality. This competition’s photographers open doors for viewers to understand and make sense of their surroundings, demonstrating the strength of the photographic image in contemporary times,” Jensen continues.

Without further ado, the category winners.

Chinese photographer Weimin Chu won the Landscape category with their series, “Tibetan Landscape from the Train Window.” The images show traditional Chinese landscapes integrated with modern development and industrialization, and Chu creates frames within frames, using the train carriage interior as part of the composition, taking viewers on a journey through time and place.

“This series of works was shot in the trains of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Lalin Railway. Through the train windows, the traditional natural landscapes and the social landscape photography of the times are combine,” says the photographer. “On the way to Tibet by train, I was inspired by Chinese photographer Wang Fuchun’s ‘Chinese on the Train’ and American photographer Lee Friedlander’s ‘America by Car,’ and I came up with the idea of using trains, a large-scale means of transportation in China. ”

“These landscapes with a sense of humanity send me on a trip across various locations. The color pallet is soft and refined, and intensely balanced,” remarks Anne Farrar, Assistant Managing Editor of Photography at National Geographic and Grand Jury member.

Architecture

Finnish photographer Tiina Itkonen’s winning series, “Home,” turns the lens toward Inuit hunters, their families, and their remote wooden houses in Greenland.

“What I love about this series is its freedom to let the building live in a space. There’s a softness to the pallet which reflects the simple architecture on a quiet landscape,” says Farrar.

Since 1995, Itkonen has regularly visited Greenland to photograph the Arctic landscape and its inhabitants. Starting in 2017, she began documenting the traditional lives of the country’s Indigenous population, particularly how their way of life faces an existential threat from climate change.

“Bicycle Street Sellers of Jakarta” documents Indonesia’s cycling culture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian photographer Panji Indra Permana initially focused on lifestyle portraits, but the series transformed into one that looked at people who rely on bicycles as part of their lives and jobs.

Although bicycles are viewed as an environmentally friendly mode of transportation in many countries, in Indonesia, they have long been a symbol of privilege. Through his series, Permana hopes to promote a healthy lifestyle that is better for the environment.

The series’ style is also quite interesting, thanks to Permana’s use of artificial lighting and a backdrop in the real world.

“By using a backdrop and flash, the photographer plays on the historical aspects of studio photography, bringing out elements reminiscent of historical paintings,” says Stefan Jensen.

And yes, Permana travels around with all his gear on a bicycle, which sometimes must be quite challenging.

Belgian photographer Jan Pypers’ series” Diorama” also examines humans’ connection with nature, although in a different way than the photographers above. Pypers blends a diorama-like approach to create a surreal set of photographs that simultaneously seem carefully constructed yet serendipitous.

“The photographer skillfully balances what looks like a documentary scene with added elements that make us question their reality,” Jensen explains.

“The series explores our lost bond with nature, inspired by traditional dioramas and modern digital representations. It urges reconnection and respect with nature,” the photographer says. “I used Photoshop to merge several photos. Contrary to what many think, I do not use 3D or artificial intelligence, but old film techniques such as scale models and forced perspective.”

Transportation is a consistent theme throughout the Hasselblad Masters 2023 competition. British photographer Tom Pitts took top honors in the Street category with his series, “The Commute,” which shows people at bus stops and in transit.

“I wanted to capture and share the stories and moments that take place every day during people’s commutes and the underlying beauty that passes us by,” Pitts says.

The photographer captured the images in his hometown of Cheltenham and London in 2023.

“The artist has captured moments that create a poignancy and narrative, essential to successful Street Photography,” says Andy Saunders, Senior Vice President at Getty Images and Grand Jury member.

Project // 21

“Let’s marvel at these tiny faces and remember to respect all life forms, no matter how small. Insects are vital to our ecosystem, pollinating plants and maintaining balance in nature. You don’t have to travel far to witness nature’s wonders — just step outside and look closely,” says Dutch photographer Efraïm Baaijens of his award-winning series, “Tiny Titans.”

“Beautifully executed,” comments Saunders. “We’re drawn into believing these insects have character and what they might be ‘thinking.'”

More About Hasselblad Masters

The Hasselblad Masters Competition was established in 2001 and has become one of the world’s most prestigious photography contests.

Image credits: All images courtesy of the 2023 Hasselblad Masters Competition. Each photographer is credited in the photo captions.

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ARKANSAS SIGHTSEEING: ‘Art in the Time of Chaos’ exhibit on display at Historic Arkansas Museum

June 24, 2024 at 4:39 p.m.

by Jack Schnedler

At a time when chaos seems like a global default position, the new exhibition at Historic Arkansas Museum in downtown Little Rock features three artists aiming to bring some balance to our topsy-turvy world.

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So long plastic air pillows: Amazon shifting to recycled paper filling for packages in North America

FILE - The Amazon logo is seen, June 15, 2023, at the Vivatech show in Paris. Amazon is moving from putting plastic air pillows in its packages to using recycled paper filling instead, a move that’s more environmentally friendly and secures items in boxes better. The company said Thursday, June 20, 2024 that it’s already replaced 95% of the plastic air fillers with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

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Amazon is shifting from the plastic air pillows used for packaging in North America to recycled paper because it’s more environmentally sound, and it says paper just works better.

The company said Thursday that it’s already replaced 95% of the plastic air pillows with paper filler in North America and is working toward complete removal by year’s end.

“We want to ensure that customers receive their items undamaged, while using as little packaging as possible to avoid waste, and prioritizing recyclable materials,” Amazon said.

It is the company’s largest plastic packaging reduction effort in North America to date and will remove almost 15 billion plastic air pillows from use annually.

AP AUDIO: So long plastic air pillows: Amazon shifting to recycled paper filling for packages in North America

AP correspondent Jennifer King reports Amazon says they are moving towards more environmentally friendly packaging.

Almost all customer deliveries for Prime Day this year, which happens next month, will contain plastic no air pillows, according to Amazon.

The e-commerce giant has faced years of criticism about its use of plastic from environmental groups, including a nonprofit called Oceana, which has been releasing its own reports on Amazon’s use of plastic packaging.

Matt Littlejohn, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at Oceana , said that Amazon’s efforts to reduce plastic packaging is welcome news, but that there’s still more that the company can do.

“While this is a significant step forward for the company, Amazon needs to build on this momentum and fulfill its multiyear commitment to transition its North America fulfillment centers away from plastic,” Littlejohn said in a prepared statement. “Then, the company should expand these efforts and also push innovations like reusable packaging to move away from single-use packaging everywhere it sells and ships.”

There has also been broad support among Amazon investors who have urged the company to outline how will will reduce waste.

The company disclosed the total of single-use plastic across global operations for the first time in 2022 after investors sought more details on plans to reduce waste. The company said that it used 85,916 metric tons of single-use plastic that year, an 11.6% decrease from 2021.

Amazon began transition away from plastic air pillows in October at an automated fulfillment center in Ohio. The company said that it was able to test and learn at the center there, which helped it move quickly on transitioning to recycled paper filling.

The transition process included changing out machinery and training employees on new systems and machines.

Amazon discovered through testing that the paper filler, which is made from 100% recyclable content and is curbside recyclable, offers the same, if not better protection during shipping compared with plastic air pillows, the company said.

Christian Garcia, who works at Amazon’s fulfillment center in Bakersfield, California, said in a release that the paper filler is easier to work with and that the machinery gives staff more space so that it’s easier to pack orders.

Ongoing efforts to reduce waste include a campaign to ship items without any additional packaging, the company said. In 2022, 11% of all of Amazon’s packages shipped worldwide were without added delivery packaging.

Other efforts include piloting new technology with artificial intelligence and robotics company Glacier to use AI-powered robots to automate the sorting of recyclables and collect real-time data on recycling streams for companies. It’s also partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy on new materials and recycling programs.

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Promoting cultural understanding one storybook at a time

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Sitting at a small round table surrounded by children’s books about East Asia, CU student Valerie Lombogia reflects on the question she’s just been asked: “Do you have any meaningful or rewarding experiences you’d like to share from this program?”

Valerie Lombogia showcases her assigned book after an online visit with a high school social studies class in Westminster.

After a moment, Lombogia answers.

In one class, there was a Korean little girl who was really excited to hear that we were going to be reading a story about North and South Korea. It reminded me of one of the reasons that I decided to apply to the Classroom Outreach Project, which was not only to teach students about Asia but also to help students who have Asian heritage to feel more represented in the children's books they read in school. As a child, I would have been absolutely delighted to even find a picture book related to my cultural background, much less have it read to the whole class, so I'm extremely happy to have helped even one student have that experience.”

It’s moments such as these that validate the reasoning for implementing the Classroom Outreach Project, an undertaking by the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) in the Center for Asian Studies . TEA’s goal is to enhance and expand teaching and learning about East Asia at the K-12 school levels, a mission almost 40 years in the making.

The project, titled “Teaching Natural Sciences through East Asian Picture Books,” was conceptualized by TEA program director Lynn Kalinauskas, who thought of using books with excellent cultural content about East Asia, including Freeman Book Award winners, to teach elementary natural science concepts. As part of the project, TEA hired six undergraduate students and a graduate student assistant to plan and execute storybook readings, lessons and activities using these books in classrooms across the Boulder-Denver metro area.

The students chosen for this project represent a wide range of expertise and interests. They are:

• Nori Catalano (Asian studies and art practices, 2024)
• Lily Elliott (Asian studies and evolutionary biology and ecology, 2025)
• Christy Go (doctoral studies in music education, 2027)
• Ashley Launer (English and Korean, 2027)
• Grace Lewis (molecular, cellular and developmental biology and Japanese, 2025)
• Valerie Lombogia (Asian studies, Korea track with TESOL, 2024)
• Nhi Tran (elementary education, 2027)

Whether the interest in this project came from their own ethnic and cultural heritage or their engagement in East Asia in general, these students have poured their energy, expertise and passion into creating informative, hands-on interactive lessons that have engaged students and teachers. Since January, students have visited 64 classrooms from Boulder to Aurora, varying from a two-room school of eight elementary students in Gold Hill to a library packed with 110 middle schoolers in Thornton.

Teachers have reported the project has been instrumental in exposing students to different cultures, highlighting the power of books to further cultural understanding and the impact of guests in provoking thought and connection.

Christy Go, the program's graduate student assistant, plays a game of I Spy while reading to a class of first graders in Denver.

One teacher stated, “They were interested in the children's book, and it was novel to have someone other than their teachers sharing information with them. They've loved perusing the other picture books on their own since your visit, and I look forward to incorporating them into future science units to increase representation and diverse perspectives.”

Another highlighted how the presentation promoted critical thought and connection for her students: “The carefully chosen picture book prompted interesting reflections and questions. The artifacts enhanced children's understanding and appreciation of the topic. I appreciated how the presenter drew connections between the children's lives and the experiences of the protagonist of the story.”

CU students reflect on their experiences

Beyond the impact made on K-12 students, the CU student participants have expressed how the project has enhanced their skills in areas such as planning culturally responsive lessons, engaging in conversations about culture, increasing their own knowledge about East Asia, and public speaking.

Grace Lewis, one of the student presenters, spoke about how her presentation sparked interest and connection to Japan. “It was really rewarding seeing how excited the students got about Japan, so much so I had two girls at a table asking how to write words in Japanese. I loved making someone else as excited about the language as I am.”

Ashley Launer shared how the experience helped her to understand how to engage students through intentional slides: “The kids seemed to really like the slide that showed pictures of things related to the Moon Festival, so I'm glad I made that slide. I think having a lot of images in general helped the kids stay engaged and made the lesson more interesting.”

Lombogia echoed this sentiment in seeing how her carefully planned activities engaged students. “I was really happy with how they responded to the activities like the sounds of nature activity. They had a lot of really creative ideas for what the bird sounds and seal sounds could be, and I could tell they were really excited when they guessed the right answer.”

Ashley Launer engages with a fourth grader at a school in Broomfield.

For Nori Catalano, the experience was a unique opportunity to gain experience in creating and executing a lesson. “It was very rewarding to see the students respond so well to a lesson that I crafted and also see them so interested and engaged when I was reading the story. It is so much fun working with the students in the classrooms.”

For other students, the project was a validation of their passions and motivation for future goals. Lily Elliott shared, “Seeing enthusiasm for the natural world from younger people motivates me to go into research and conservation.”

Nhi Tran expressed how the project was a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in a real classroom and gain valuable feedback as an aspiring educator. “To hear that I am doing an amazing job has really uplifted me and confirmed that this is the right path for me. This feels like something I should’ve pursued a long time ago, and I am grateful that I got to experience that euphoric moment this week.”

As a former K-8 music teacher in Aurora, graduate assistant Christy Go made it a priority to be intentional in inviting guests into her classroom to highlight cultural bearers in the music being studied. She stated, “As someone now on the other side, and being that guest myself, it has been incredibly rewarding to see firsthand the impact we made on students and being part of that memorable experience.”

Meaningful representation: About the project

Drawing personal connections and understanding characters and situations in the books as a reflection of everyday life is important in promoting culturally responsive education. Even with the rise in popularity of Asian foods and popular culture in Colorado, a continued lack of understanding of the immense diversity and distinction between Asian cultures, countries and people persists.

Lingering sentiments of anti-Asian hate that escalated during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with lack of cultural distinction and perpetuation of stereotypes, contributes to misinformation and misunderstanding about Asia as a whole, impacting the growing Asian and Asian American community in Colorado. TEA’s hope is that projects such as this one can help to combat misinformation and promote empathy and equity, as well as contribute to meaningful representation for the East Asian communities in schools.

The project was sponsored by the Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship , the National Consortium for Teaching About Asia , and The Japan Foundation, New York . The five books selected for the project were:

• “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” by Grace Lin
• “When the Sakura Bloom” by Narisa Togo
• “Moth and Wasp, Soil and Ocean” by Sigrid Schmalzer
• “Kai the Dancing Butterfly” by Crystal Z. Lee
• “When Spring Comes to the DMZ” by Uk Bae Lee

The TEA Classroom Outreach Project will continue for the 2024–25 school year with a new focus on “Teaching Geography Through East Asian Picture Books.”  Learn more about the Program for Teaching East Asia.  

Editor’s note: This story was written by Christy Go, doctoral student in music education and graduate student assistant at the Program for Teaching East Asia. Title image caption: Nhi Tran gives context before beginning her reading to a third grade class in Denver.

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New project aims to better support teen mothers in Adams County

Wcpo highlights uc, adams county health department partnership.

WCPO highlighted a partnership between the University of Cincinnati and the Adams County Health Department that is aiming to provide better support for teen mothers in the county.

“There's no really designated mental health services directly for teen moms,” Kaitlyn Bruns, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience in UC's College of Medicine, told WCPO.

Adams County, Ohio has a higher teen birth rate compared to the national average, and Bruns said rural areas tend to have higher rates than urban ones.

“When I'm working with teen moms in particular, they're really lost,” she said. “They don't know how to navigate the system.”

Bruns is now leading focus groups in Adams County to learn more about the experiences and challenges teen mothers are facing. A formal support group is planned to begin in the coming months.

“That’s kind of what we’re hoping the project and their program will do is provide that social support, so they're not isolated,” Bruns said.

Read or watch the WCPO story.

Featured photo at top of a pregnant woman. Photo/Cassidy Rowell/Unsplash.

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