Comparison EssayPlease read this entire document before you begin and before you email me with questions!This writing assignment is designed to help you learn different ways to write and think about art.For this assignment you will write a minimum 1000 word comparison (excluding footnotes,bibliography) of two artworks.

The pairs for this exercise:

a. Equestrian Portrait of Charles the Bald, 9th century (10-6), p. 239.

b. Donatello, Equestrian Monument of Erasmo da Narni (Gattamelata), 1443-1453 (12-19),p. 312

How to Write a Comparison EssayA comparison is an essay comprised of two aspects: comparing elements (noting thesimilarities) and contrasting elements (noting the differences) of one work with another. The aimof this exercise is to learn more about each work by looking at them alongside one another, assuch this is largely a visual exercise of looking. You will be using the types of observationsdiscussed in modules but applying this specifically to two works of art. Your paper must have athesis and through comparing and contrasting the two works you will argue (prove) your thesisand reach a conclusion.There are two main approaches to writing a comparison: split or lump. This refers to theorganization of your points on each artwork. If you want to compare and contrast a number ofelements about each work this is splitting and if you write first of one work and then the other inseparate paragraphs you are lumping. You may write either way but make certain that you haveabout the same number of points or observations for each work. Pay close attention to theorganization of your paper, it should make sense and flow naturally back and forth between theworks compared. Try to make a logical progression from one point to the next.You will want to examine each work of art closely. Ask yourself questions about the artwork:Why was this work made, for whom, by whom, in what style, what context and when? What isthe work about? How does it convey a story, event, or particular meaning? How does the artistuse form, colour, space, perspective and line? How is the composition arranged? What is thesize and condition of the work, does this convey further meaning?Once you think about these types of questions for each work separately you will need toconsider them together. Ask yourself, why is this comparison relevant, what becomes moreapparent about the works when you look at them side by side? Consider the visual impact, butalso the context of the artworks’ production and reception. Are they of the same style and time period or not, why does this matter, are values and cultural elements similar or different? Dothese works convey the same message or something different, how is this done, how do youobserve this in the works?Begin by making notes on each work and then the comparative/contrasting elements that youcan write about for both works. From here begin to compose your essay by creating a thesis.Your thesis is a statement that gives direction to your analysis. Take care to organize, revise andedit your paper. Poor organization and lack of editing will detract from your observations andyour grade.FormatThe paper must be 1000 words typed, double-spaced pages of your writing with the coursename, your name, and student number on the first page along with a title. You do not need aseparate title page for this assignment but if you use one this does not count towards the pagelength of this assignment. The length requirement is 1000 words excluding title page andbibliography/works cited. You might find it helpful to take a look on SAKAI>Resources>WrittenAssignment>Further Reading on Writing a Comparison. Links to websites with helpfulinformation are posted there. If you have access to one of the optional resources for this courseread Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art: “Writing a Comparison.”ResearchYou are not required to do a lot of research for this paper–it is meant as a practice of looking,describing and evaluating. Begin by reading about the work in your textbook, if you find that youwant to use further secondary sources, your paper must follow the Chicago Manual of Stylecitation format, MLA or APA. Basic information such as title, artist, date, origin of a work andgeneral factual historical information do NOT need to be cited. You do need to cite informationand ideas that you take from the textbook. Please see the links on SAKAI under WrittenAssignment>How to Cite Sources/Bibliographies, if you need help with citations. You will findcitation style guidelines there. All secondary sources used in your writing (books, articles,websites, textbook, videos, etc.) must be cited, failure to do so constitutes academic dishonestyand will result in a grade of zero and possible failure in course. Please remember to CITE thetextbook if you take more than general information from it!Due Date & Late PolicyPapers are due May 21st by 11:30 pm submitted online (via SAKAI>Assignment). You will findunder Assignments “Written Assignment #1,” from there you will be able to upload your paper asan attachment in most file types (.doc, .pdf). Be aware that SAKAI does not recognize MACpages, please convert your file to .pdf before uploading. If we cannot open your file you willreceive a grade of zero for the assignment. Once you have uploaded it you will be able to seethe originality report for your paper. You will not be able to make changes once you havesubmitted your paper. Please do not panic when you view the report, often the material that ishighlighted is simply your references, names of artist, or artworks.The penalty for late assignments is 5% per day. Failure to submit your paper on time due tointernet difficulties is not a valid reason. Assignments handed in more than 5 days late will notbe accepted. Exceptions to the lateness penalty for valid reasons such as illness, etc. will bejudged by the instructor ONLY when supported by written documentation such as a medicalcertificate that are presented within 3 days of your absence.A Word about Turnitin.com in AssignmentAs it is the responsibility of the instructor to track and report plagiarism, we will be utilizingturnitin.com in Assignment on SAKAI. This is an anti-plagiarism tool that screens allassignments against a database of the internet, e-journals, e-books, and a range of otherscanned material including other assignments and papers for courses at universities. Thisensures that all assignments are graded on a level playing field and means the papers can beread for ideas and content rather than policed for plagiarism. If you should have concerns aboutthe use of this anti-plagiarism tool these must be expressed to me via email before May 10th.GradingYour assignment will be number graded out of 15 with comments online and your numericalgrade recorded under SAKAI>Gradebook. Please be aware because of the large number ofstudents in this course it may take up to 1-2 weeks for your assignment grade to appear.Helpful Information:• Titles of artworks are italicized, dates follow in brackets i.e. Masaccio’s Holy Trinity (1425) is afresco depicting the Madonna and child enthroned.• artists are referred to by full name initially and then subsequently by surname only• Avoid the use of colloquialisms and contractions in your essay (i.e. I’m, don’t, isn’t, it’s)• ‘its’ is a possessive form, ‘it’s’ is a contraction for it is• You may use the first person or chose to write from the third person perspective. Forexample: Immediately I noticed the use of saturated colour in the lower portion of the paintingwhich gives a sense of ground and weight to the composition. OR: The use of saturatedcolour in the lower portion of the painting gives a sense of ground and weight to thecomposition.• Footnote or use MLA citations for all secondary material. Include a bibliography or works citedpage.• You do not need to include images unless you refer to additional artworks.• If you use quotations (which should be used sparingly and ONLY when they support yourthesis directly) cite them correctly and introduce them with your own text. For example: Thebold use of Christian symbolism in combination with references to popular culture underscorewhat art critic Barbara Rose has named as “the religious mundane or popular icon.”1• Paragraphs need a minimum of three sentences.• Edit your paper for errors, sometimes reading your paper out loud will help catch small errors.