Thesis Statement, Outline, and Bibliography Examples
Example #1
Thesis Statement:
Still life painting as a genre was popularized and developed in the Baroque era, when artists began to move away from painting overtly religious scenes and began incorporating observational painting and images of the natural world into their work. Some viewers might find these seemingly simplistic arrangements of fruit, vegetables, and other objects to be dull or existing solely for decorative purposes. This is a misunderstanding, and still lives have been used throughout art history to communicate complex ideas. For example, one sub-genre of still life known as “vanitas” combines objects that remind the viewer of his/her own mortality. In allowing the viewer to contemplate mortality, the vanitas also hints at life after death according to Christian tradition. Ori Gersht’s 2006 video multimedia installation Pomegranate (image one), a 55 second looped video piece that references Juan Sanchez Cotan’s Quince, Melon, and Cucumber (image two), both revives the tradition of still life and creates a contemporary vanitas that is both politically and philosophically relevant to our time.
Outline:
1) Introduction, thesis statement (see above)
2) Paragraph One
- Description of Cotan’s work “Quince, Cabbage, Melon, and Cucumber” as comparison.
- i. Theme of decay and precariousness of objects
- ii. Comparison with Gersht’s work.
- Importance of the difference in the medium
3) Paragraph Two
- Description of the video work
- i. Psychological impact of video
- ii. Impact of altering a familiar Baroque painting into this format
4) Paragraph Three
- Iconography of the Pomegranate
- i. Symbol of fertility in Hebrew culture
- ii. Symbol of resurrection
- iii. Possible meanings in relation to this work
5) Paragraph Four
- Relation to modern culture and contemporary connections to vanitas
6) Conclusion
Bibliography (in MLA format):
Georgievska-Shine, Aneta. “Ori Gersht.” ArtUS 33. Art Full Text. Web. 18 Oct. 2010.
Held, Julius S, and Donald Posner. 17th and 18th Century Art: Baroque Painting, Sculpture, Architecture. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1971. Print.
Scher, Anne. “Pomegranate: A Video by Ori Gersht Video Installation”. The Jewish Museum: February 23, 2008. 23 July 2009
http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/site/pages/page.php?id=1145
Hall, James. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. Boulder: Westview Press, 2008. Print.
Here is a youtube link to the video of the piece.
Example #2
Thesis Statement:
It was with great pleasure that I roamed the Metropolitan Museum of Art located in New York City on Saturday, March 14, 2009 and happened upon The Late Interiors exhibit of Pierre Bonnard. After viewing the beautiful works of this complicated, emotional artist, and reading about his hardships of applying himself to his work during the Nazi invasion of Europe, I found myself further drawn to one painting in particular titled “The Young Woman in the Garden” (image one) which Bonnard started in 1921-1923 and reworked in 1945-1946. This enchanting painting, a 23 7/8 x 30 3/8 oil on canvas, told the story of a tormented man who was constantly torn between loyalty and happiness, in both his personal life with his wife and mistress, and in the war that was roaring through his beloved country.
Outline:
1) Thesis Statement (see above)
2) Paragraph One – Introduction to Bonnard
- Relationship to his wife Marthe, and the other woman in the painting, his once lover – both of these women are depicted in this work.
3) Description of the young girl with blonde hair and his wife in the work. Contrast their appearance.
4) Description of the dog in the work and how he emphasizes the contrast between the two women.
5) Formal analysis of color and freedom of strokes connected with Bonnard’s once lover compared to the lack of color in the portrayal of Marthe.
6) Depictions of Marthe throughout Bonanrd’s work and their relationship to this work.
7) Bonnard’s relationship to WWII and the connection with his loyalty and devotion to his wife.
8) Conclusion
Bibliography:
Terrasse, Antoine. Bonnard; Biographical and Critical Study. Geneva: Skira; [distributed in the U.S. by the World Pub. Co., Cleveland, 1964. Print.
Bonnard, Pierre, and Didier Baussy. In Search of Pure Colour: Pierre Bonnard, 1867-1947. Portrait of an artist. Mass.: Home Vision [distributor, 1984.
Amory, Dita. “Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors”. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 2009. Web. 26 Arpil. 2009.
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