American Art History

At the end of the semester, you will be asked to create a timeline that showcases the changes in how humans are depicted in art. Starting with the prehistoric period all the way to the gothic period. There will be more information on this assignment as it gets closer to the end of the semester. In the meantime, as you go through the lectures, readings, and assignments in the back of your mind think about the gradual (sometimes not so gradual) evolution of the human forms in the artwork.

Official Prompt:

Explain the evolution of the human form in ancient art. Your paper should reflect upon the artistic representation of humans from each stylistic period we have looked at over the course of the semester (prehistoric through middle ages).

Questions to help get you started:

-How has the depiction of the human form changed or evolved?

-Think about anatomy, proportions, scale, etc

-How have cultural and community differences affected the artistic depictions?

-Geography, government, cultural norms, religious ceremony/ritual

-What are some overall trends in human depiction?

-What are defining factors of art for each culture and how does that seen in their representation of the human form (such as religion, cultural norms, environment, etc)?

-What does this mean in the bigger picture of art, history, and culture.

Use ONE example for EACH culture we have covered (Prehistoric, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Roman, Medieval, and Islamic) to help illustrate your point.

There is no word count or specific mandatory as long as you cover all the information. I have seen is an assignment is done as a research paper, a PowerPoint, and other unique forms. Think about how you relay information the best and then go for it.

MLA, APA, Chicago style

Cite ALL sources (no matter what format you use there should be some citations!)

UPD no need to cite a lot mainly just make a few links from where the information is from at the end of the essay