Outline of Year 13

Component 3-Personal Investigation (Ten A1 sheets & sketchbook)

Internal Assessment and external moderation by CIE

(Coursework 30% of total A2)

The emphasis of this unit is on self-directed study based on a personal issue or interest. You must demonstrate depth in your research, creative experimentation with skills and processes, knowledge and contextual investigations. Improvement from AS should be apparent. Equal assessment emphasis is placed on the final resolve as the planning and development work. You must include evidence of first hand study, evidence of gallery visits, critique Power-point prints and article reviews.

Component 4-Personal Study (3,500 words & A1 visual sheet)

External Assessment by the exam board (20%of total A2)

This unit is set by the Art department and assessed by the CIE exam board.

It is a critical, contextual and visual appraisal. You must include first-hand related study (such as gallery/museum visit, e-mail interviews, work-shop evidence). You must include evidence of your critique Power-point presentations, an introduction, summary and bibliography.

Proposal from to be submitted including:-title, your intentions, first hand study sources, museum and exhibition visit, presentation format and bibliography.

Assessment Journal 

You will be keeping an assessment journal to evaluate your work on a weekly basis. Your work will be marked weekly and you will be given verbal feedback which you will record in your assessment journal.

You will be able to improve your work throughout the four assessment objectives until the unit deadline.

This journal will be handed in at the end of the course as part of your projects.  Record visits, article reviews and hours of free study time spent on work in the journal.

Expectations

Private Study

The Art room can be used for private study. Please do not ask friends to sit with you while you work. You must remember to record the time that you spend in your assessment journal.

Using Art Room Equipment for Private Study

If you are not working in the Art room please do not remove equipment without asking. Borrowed brushes/items must be signed out with the teacher and signed back in. 

Deadlines

Deadlines are given to you well in advance, please make sure that you are organised and you meet all the deadlines set. The short term deadlines are to help you keep on top of the workload and understand the assessment criteria. If you feel that you need extra lessons to meet the deadlines please arrange these with your teacher well in advance of the deadline.

Article Reviews

You must complete four article reviews for each project. These can be linked to your project by subject matter, social/cultural context or artist/art movement.

Gallery Visit/E-mail Interview/Workshop/Museum or Crafts visit

In year 13 you are required to include first hand gallery/visit evidence in your sketchbook. Please include sketches/photographs and full evaluations of the experience. You must develop practical ideas related to the visit and make links to your project through this work in your Personal Study and your coursework.

Sketchbooks (A3)

Your sketchbook must include your title as an opening investigative question, , introduction, visual and written mind-maps, critical evaluations, critical studies/enlarged sections by artists, links to Art movements and contextual investigations, critical development ideas, creative process development through appropriate and experimental techniques (combining new materials), project-related first hand observation drawing using varied skills, media and techniques, three dimensional development, composition and colour experiments, development planning drawings, summary final evaluation and bibliography.

Component 3-Personal Investigation (up to 10 A1 sheets & sketchbook) 30% of A level

This is a practical unit with written elements. You are expected to develop a personal investigation into an idea, issue or theme leading to a final piece. The practical elements should be linked the practice of past or contemporary relevant artists. Written material must include analysis and contextual investigation evidence linking artists study to cultural, historical and contemporary factors. You must use the help sheets to complete this written work in enough depth. Use specialist vocabulary, organise information clearly and coherently.

Component 4-Personal Study (3,500 words & A1 visual sheet)

20% of A level

This is a theoretical, critical, contextual and visual appraisal. The first hand visit or first hand experience must form a part of this project. You must produce a carefully planned sequence of annotated practical work including drawings, paintings, photographs, prints and 3D. You will include evidence of your Power-point critiques that you will present to the class at regular intervals.

You will be required to submit an outline proposal form including your Title Question, your intentions, first hand sources and visits, presentation format and a bibliography.

Suggested Starting Points for either project:

 It is best to have your own idea, based on a personal concern. Please discuss it with your teacher, think of a title and check it is appropriate with the teacher. Then write up your question clearly and describe what you intend to investigate through Art history, culture and society. Present this on the first page of your sketchbook in a creative way. 

Deadlines/Assessment and Dates for Component 3

Personal Investigation 30%

Component Deadline is Monday 3rd January

Please ensure that you meet all the deadlines, we are here to help so if you have a problem with workload or keeping up talk to your teacher. The work you complete on the course will be marked and moderated, displayed in a school exhibition and will be used for your portfolio for interviews 

Deadlines/Assessment and Dates for Component 4

Personal Study 20%

From 19^th - 29^th March you will make a final piece/practical conclusion

Component Deadline is 30^th March.

All work to be clearly named and labelled, presented with signed paperwork and bibliography

  Critical Analysis Help Sheet

Your Critical Studies should be written in essay format. You should  write about the following points

Content - Describe the piece of artwork?

                    What is it off? Is it a sculpture, installation, painting etc? Landscape/portrait/still-life?

        How old is the art? Date?

        Is the artwork from imagination or observation?

        Is the artwork realistic or abstract?

        Has the content been distorted or extended in anyway?

        Is the content of the piece of work telling a story or making any statements about religion culture or society? How do you know?

        Is it representing anything i.e. religion, death, love etc? Are these statements obvious or are they hidden?

        Are there any symbols used in the work to represent something i.e. wealth, religion, animal characters, Greek mythology etc?

        What do you think about the content of the artwork - explain?

Form – How has the artwork been designed and composed?

                    How has the artwork been arranged? Size and proportions?

        What colours have been used, how and where?

        Are the colours harmonious or contrasting? Are they subtle of bright?

        Does anyone colour have more impact than any other? Are the brush strokes transparent or opaque?

        What shapes/patterns, if any, have been used? If so, are they geometric? If so, do the shapes/patterns connect to each other?

        What is the texture of the artwork i.e. is it smooth or rough?

        What do you think about the design, colours, shapes and patterns of the artwork - explain?

Process – How has the artwork been made?

                    How has the artwork been made and what is it made off i.e. wood, metal, oil on canvas etc

        Describe any techniques the artist has used.

        Do you think the artist had to do preparatory work before doing the final artwork? If so what?

Your Opinion

                    Why did you choose this piece of work?

                 What do you think the mood of the painting is and explain why you think this and how the artwork communicates this?                                     

                 What will you take from this piece of artwork or the artists work through into your own work?

        What did you learn through the research that you did on the artist and how did this inform/change your opinion?

Contextual Studies – Informative Content & Visual Appearance

You must complete two double pages of Contextual Studies for each artist in your sketchbooks.

One artist contextual study must include the following:

• Background painted/drawn/collaged yourself in the artists colours and style. Take a section of the main image and enlarge it as a background.

• Images printed including closer details (drawn/painted into yourself) of the main piece of work that you are looking at.

• Other images by the same artist showing the same style of working as your chosen critical study.

• Other images showing the same artist working in a different style or media.

• Why was it made/created? Was it a commission? (If so, by who/who paid for it?)

• Tear off some of the images and finish the second half yourself.

• Information and images of other artists of the same time/era, art movement.

• Detailed information on the Art movement of the time

• Technological innovations (photography/oil paints/transport communications) of the time.

• Religious influences (if any).

• Culture and society of the time and place in which it was created.

• Where is it now exhibited? Give some detailed information on the gallery, who chose it for the exhibition and why is it exhibited in this way?

X3 (one double page for each artist)

You should also have a Critical Study (practical copy) for each artist and a Critical Analysis for each artist using the help-sheet pages available in your blue booklets.

Final Evaluation Help Sheet

An evaluation must be completed for each Coursework Unit and also the Controlled Test. This is worth doing because it emphasizes how well “informed” your ideas are to the examiner. 
You need to make your evaluation as detailed as possible, be over-explanatory leaving the examiner to read your reflections and thoughts about your project:

Describe your theme or starting point

Explain how you researched your ideas e.g. drawing, collage, photography, visits, collecting resources.

Analyse your work, describing what has been successful and where you may have improved your work. Discuss the media and techniques that you have used throughout and how these relate to your intentions and how these processes furthered your ideas. Discuss whether the materials used were appropriate to your theme, how unusual combinations of materials worked.

Describe alternative solutions that you considered and the reason for your final choice of direction. Make all the visual connections very explicit.

Note all the artist(s) or designer(s) that you have studied for critical reference and explain how this research has influenced your own ideas and the use of media techniques. Explain exactly how the contextual studies gave you additional ideas and improved your understanding of the Art movements involved. Explain how the contexts that you learned about gave you understanding of your chosen artists intentions.

In your conclusion discuss aspects which you have enjoyed, what you have learned, describe what improvements or further developments you could make if given more time.

It is vital that all personal opinions are backed up by evidence or reasoned judgements.

Specialist art vocabulary should always be used.

Make sure that your project has thorough annotations throughout .Your evaluation should be at least 450 words. The evaluation should be written in essay form, explain all the practical work and summarize the project.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS ADVICE AND GUIDANCE INSTRUCTIONS

Writing a visual analysis of a piece of artwork can be a difficult task. A visual analysis is a vivid description and discussion of your own observations of a work of art, including its appearance, medium and underlying concepts. Read on to learn how to write a visual analysis.

1.                   Step 1

If possible look at the work without any distractions such as music, television, or talking people and try to focus completely on your sense of vision. Note down the main things you notice about the painting's appearance, such as its medium (oil on canvas, marble sculpture or ink drawing on paper), colours and subject. Look at the areas covered on the help sheet.

2.                   Step 2

Now it is time to dig deeper. Think about the artist and his theoretical and visual interests. Write down everything you know, particularly in relation to any artistic movements in which he/she may have participated. If you do not know anything about the artist, make sure to do some research before writing your analysis. Find out about their culture, society, beliefs and other art of their time.

3.                   Step 3

Look at the artwork again, now thinking about the art in the context of the artist's background. Are there any visual characteristics to the work that identify the artist's style.

4.                   Step 4

Use your notes to write your thoughts from steps 1-3 to write out the start of your visual analysis. Be sure to include the artist, title and date at the beginning. Typically, visual analysis is quite formal in so make sure you use descriptive specialist language to really bring the piece to life. When writing a visual analysis, the thesaurus/glossary is your best friend.

5.                   Step 5

Proof-read you analysis to check for any spelling mistakes and check that you have spelled the artists’ names correctly.

If you are assigned to write about a painting remember that it is not necessary to write a highly technical analysis. You only need to look carefully at the painting then analyze and classify what you see. If you have never written about a painting before, it is helpful for you to consider the points on the helpsheet when studying the painting.

If the work you are studying is an abstraction you will need to focus more on:

Paint handling

Direction and flow

Color use

Mood

Research the artist and discover the relevant Art movement and/or contextual information.

Sample Critical Analysis of a Painting.

 Rembrandt's Self Portrait in the National Gallery

( Introduction: This is a very brief essay, and as a result, the introduction is concise)

Rembrandt's "Self Portrait" in the East Wing of the National Gallery is a startling painting. Rembrandt placed his face in the upper two thirds of the canvas which is 33¼" by 26". It was painted in 1656. (Analysis::Now you can begin to explain why you find this painting to be startling.)

Artists usually paint themselves well dressed, happy, sitting at an easel, working. In this painting, however, Rembrandt looks inexpressibly sad, timeworn, and defeated. While everything else is in shadow, the face is illuminated as if it attracts all the light. His face is softening with age; his unruly hair is tinged with gray. His eyes look out, capturing and pinning

me the moment I enter the gallery. I feel as if I had disturbed him while he was painting.

 (What about this painting has given the impression that Rembrandt looks sad or defeated? Is it the colors the artist used? Is it the pose, or the facial expression? You should describe some specific parts of the painting in order to support your analysis. You may also wish to compare this work to other paintings by the same artist.)

His coat looks dull, nondescript. In contrast to other self-portraits where Rembrandt painted himself in finery, in this painting he looks like he is wearing an old coat, and an old hat. The color and quality of his clothing adds to the sombre mood of the painting.

His hands are not visible. In fact, no skin other than his face is visible. Perhaps his hands would have taken some of the light away from his face, and he wanted to draw the audience's attention immediately to his face. It is as though he meant to emphasize the importance of his facial expression and the lines in his face, and de-emphasize the importance of everything else. It looks like he's just turned around to see who entered the room-- and he'd rather not have been interrupted from his thoughts. The only other form that captures any light is the curved form in the lower portion of the painting. It is possible that shape is his palette.

(Drawing Conclusions:You should attempt to explain why you think the artist painted himself in this way.)

Rembrandt made a self-portrait almost every year of his life, beginning about age twenty. The early portraits depict a smiling, self-confident, prosperous Rembrandt. These were probably intended to be advertisements of his skill to attract commissions. Clearly this painting was not designed to attract commissions. Perhaps this painting's intent was to capture a more honest, uncensored truth of the artist's life. He could have made himself look however he wanted, but he chose this somber pose.

(Conclusion:Reiterate your thesis and the important points you made, and leave the reader with something more to think about.)

Though we do not absolutely know why he depicted himself in this dark way, we must assume that Rembrandt was certainly trying to both evoke and express a feeling of uncomfortable defeat. Perhaps Rembrandt has painted the reality of his life-- a dimly lit, cold room; worn, dark clothes; a pensive, tired expression-- and his current emotional state without hiding behind flashy clothes and bright colours.

Use this page to record all the free study periods that you use for Art. This will ensure that you know that you are doing enough work.

 Bibliography

Please update this as you work through the course