History of Vanitas Painting and Also Incorporates a Contemporary Idea History Assignment Help

Assignment Task

The assignment at a glance:
You will research a vanitas still life to understand the symbolism of the objects. You will create your own modern-day and deeply personal vanitas by making a still life with your own objects creating a blend of traditional and contemporary symbolic objects to tell a story.
Tip 1: Pay attention to the lighting and layering (horizontal and vertical: see lecture on FAz) of a traditional vanitas and work to reproduce this feel.
Tip 2: Pay attention to the story you want to tell with your concept. Make sure it is “saying something.”
Tip 3: Make sure your drawing shows a mastery of the skills we have been learning in the course.
Tip 4: Fill the page. The larger the drawing, the more detailed and stronger it will be.
Tip 5: Watch the FA Lecture and study the examples before you begin. 

Background: In the formal components of artmaking, we have been studying the challenges of recording value shifts in still life compositions, thinking about recording volume through applications of tonal range in light, dark and midranges. We have studied how to look for and recognize shadow types (half tone, cast, etc.) and light forms (full light, reflected). In addition to building volume, we have studied how value shifts create or limit depth. Conceptually, we have been thinking through the personal, social, and institutional building blocks that form the unique “voice” you speak from when you make art. FA: For this assignment, you will conduct preliminary research, plan, and execute a vanitas. A vanitas is a form of genre painting popularized by 16th and 17th-century Dutch painters. A deeply symbolic still life painting, the vanitas has historically alluded to themes like life, death, and morality. Typical subject matter includes flowers, insects, food, animals, bones, small trinkets, candles, and fabric. Do some independent research on vanitas paintings and their symbolism. Think about a modern-day vanitas composition that uses items one might recognize from a traditional vanitas mixed with contemporary examples of objects with social or cultural meanings that speak to your life experiences.* What is the personal or political message your vanitas expresses? Think about how you might like to incorporate the contrasting objects in a way that is conceptually strong for your overall vision

Organization:
The three key components of the drawing include,
1. Subject matter that has been physically compiled and lit by you (you may work from life or photograph your still life setup and draw from your photograph).
2. High-contrast lighting and a composition that is true to the vanitas style.
3. An original concept that critically engages with the history of vanitas painting and also incorporates a contemporary idea.