Contextual Analysis....
This paragraph should be at least 7 sentences long and answer at least 5 of the following questions:
What was the political situation that the work emerged from ? Who were the leaders at the time, and what sort of social structure was dominant ? Monarchy, Republic, etc?
Was there a major conflict or war at the time ?
Philosophy
What was the prevailing intellectual climate, major thinkers, scientists, etc ? Was there even an intellectual climate at all? What was the state of science and how did powerful was "skepticism" for forming or influencing beliefs ? How did the philosophy of the time conflict with or support the spiritual beliefs of the people ?
Religion
What was the dominant spiritual tradition and what were its major tenets? How was religious practice manifest in people's daily lives and were there alternatives vying for control ?
Artist and Biography
What sort of life did the artist lead ? What type of personality traits did they possess and how did the arc of their career unfold ? Who were the other competitors, comrades that they worked alongside of ?
Geography
What was the environmental reality that people faced? Was the climate cold, warm, prosperous, harsh, etc ?
Cultural Values
How powerful were the institutions of marriage, family, love, citizenship, morality, etc.. What did the culture value or devalue at this given moment ?
Reception of Work
Was the work well received or was it deemed a failure ? Something in between?
Critical Re-Evaluation
What was the lasting significance of the artist ? Were they proved to be important despite temporary shifts in taste ?
Final Paragraph: Synthesis
The final paragraph is where you discuss the content of the work..
How are the contextual questions answered are accounted for by the artists formal decisions ?
Which visual elements re-enforce narrative or symbolic ideas and how does the artist create a visual statement using the language of form?
You must connect the content (subject and ideas) of the work to tangible formal traits and explain how they are related. In this regard you are getting close to describing the meaning that the art produces.
At least 6 complete sentences
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