Learning Goal: I’m working on a writing discussion question and need guidance to help me learn.

For your first essay assignment, due March 11 at 11:59 PM, you will be further exploring the topic raised by this week’s discussion forum. However, you will also be writing in depth about at least one specific example of European art that was inspired by another culture. Please discuss the visual similarities and differences between the work of Western art and the source that inspired it. What was the original cultural context of the non-Western art or artifact that was appropriated? How did it inspire a European or American artist? What was happening in each culture when each work was created? How did the meaning of the imagery change when it was appropriated?

I encourage you to write about a new topic for your essay assignment, but if you would like to revisit the topic you’ve chosen for the discussion forum this week, significant additional analysis and research should be apparent in the essay. Here is a list of possible topics but you are not limited to these options. Please note that several of these options refer to artists that you have not yet studied.

Near Eastern art and history: Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus, Ingres’ Turkish Bath, etc.)

Islamic architecture and tile mosaics: artists of the Aesthetic movement (for example, Frederic Leighton’s Arab Hall)

M. C. Escher’s tesselations and the Islamic architecture of the Alhambra

Chinese art and architecture: “Chinoiserie” in European art, such as Boucher’s The Chinese Garden

Japanese ukiyo-e prints: 19th century painters such as Mary Cassatt, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Whistler.

Oceanic culture, religion, and art (native peoples of the Pacific Islands and Australia): Gauguin, Die Brcke artists, etc.

African sculptures and tribal masks: Brancusi, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, and many other early modern artists

African art and Harlem Renaissance artists

Ancient Iberian sculpture: Picasso

Ancient Cycladic art: Brancusi, Giacometti, Hans Arp, Barbara Helpworth, etc.

Mesoamerican art (specifically Chacmool sculptures): Henry Moore’s reclining figures

Navajo sand paintings: Jackson Pollock

Persian and Indian miniature painting: Shahzia Sikander

Your essay should be about three pages (1000 to 1200 words), and in it, you should cite your sources according to MLA standards. Attach images if you can but please note that sometimes Canvas causes some formatting problems. Google docs do not upload properly in Canvas so please do not submit your work in this format. Your work will be checked for plagiarism, so please paraphrase carefully and cite your sources, use quotation marks when using direct quotes, and include a works cited. Please use at least three sources. Be sure to put your work in your own words and if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask. The Writing Center at Cuyamaca College is also a great resource and there are also tutors available. Don’t use AI to write your essay for you!

If your essay is a high match when checked for plagiarism, you must rewrite it and resubmit your work to receive a grade. You will be able to see the percentage match when you submit your work.

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