Read this entire document carefully before you begin. See the completed samples that I have included under the Iconography Assignment Module in Blackboard.
There will be grade penalties for failing to follow instructions on theme, type of image, etc. so read the following instructions carefully and consult with me if you have any questions.
Assignment Goals
- To expand your visual vocabulary of mythological images
- To apply concepts from the course to a work of art not covered in lectures
- To practice visual comparison of images for specific details
- To perform small-scale, focused research on a work of art
- To examine artwork from a new perspective, beyond its original context
Theme: The Beginnings of the Trojan War
The Trojan War saga is a complex set of interlocking stories that were popular in all parts of the Greek world. Part of the saga’s appeal is the large cast of characters and the large variety of stories that were told under the larger umbrella of “the Trojan War.” The origin of the war and its major characters come from several different narrative threads that eventually weave together. These myths dealing with the start of the conflict between Greece and Troy provide the theme for this semester’s Iconography Assignment.
Begin by reading chapters 1 and 2 in your Woodford, The Trojan War in Ancient Art textbook (pp. 12-38, illustrations 1-27).
After you have read this material, select one mythological event that is covered in one of the chapters (it can come from chapter 1 or 2; it does not have to be illustrated in the chapter). The exception is the Judgment of Paris: you cannot use a Judgment of Paris image for this assignment.
You will then need to find two images that depict the specific event that you have selected (see below on images as well as the samples which cover a different theme).
Once you have chosen an event, you will likely want/need more detail on that story than Woodford provides. You can start with the MLS textbook to see if there is additional information in it. There are also a variety of sources and even translations of primary texts online describing the Greek myths (e.g., https://www.theoi.com ); feel free to consult one or more of them. The assignment requires one references beyond your textbooks so this source and any other that you choose to use should be listed in your bibliography (see Bibliography below).
Overview:
The first goal is to find two images: a main image and a comparison image.
Your main image should have enough going on to allow you to describe the narrative action, iconography, narrative time, etc. (see below). The comparison image can be simpler but it needs to offer a at least one strong contrast with your main image.
Use an online search engine to find images of your chosen event from Woodford chapter 1 or 2 that fulfill the following criteria. Google Images or Bing.com Images are both easy search engines to use for pictures since they allows you to enlarge an image and then save it to your computer. You are probably familiar with Google already; in the Iconography Assignment module, there are detailed instructions for a Bing image search if you are unfamiliar with the process. Even if you have done it before, I suggest you read the instructions to make certain that you are providing the best resolution of image for the assignment rather than a thumbnail since a blurry image will result in a grade penalty.
Your main image should fit all of the following criteria and you should be able to find all the required information. Your main image:
- must be a post-classical (so, 1400 CE-present/Renaissance to Modern) work: it can be a painting, sculpture, mosaic or other medium.
- cannot be an image that is in your MLS textbook. If it is in your textbook or has been discussed prior to the Stage 1 due date, you will receive ‘0’ credit for the assignment.
- must be high enough resolution to show details and large enough for all elements to be visible. Do not use the ‘thumbnail’ image that comes up initial on a search, or even the second larger image. Follow to the image source and use the best/clearest resolutions possible.
- should have enough going on to fulfill the criteria listed below.
- have available documentation of what museum, collection or art gallery physically houses the work, as well as the artist of the piece and its date of production. You can only cite an artist’s website if it is a contemporary piece of art that is not housed in a collection.
Be aware that there are several “National Galleries of Art” and specify which one you are using if appropriate.
The second image that you are finding will be the comparison image. This image must also be a post Classical work that shows the same event from the story. It is not enough that the comparison image is also generally from the narrative covered in Woodford; it must illustrate the same primary character(s)/actions as your main image—although it can be a different narrative time or substitute/delete some characters. Put simply, you cannot compare apples and oranges. If you have a scene of character X doing action Y, your comparison image should show the same character and a moment around the same action.
For the comparison, the image may be one that is found in one of your textbooks or one that you find on your own. You will need to supply artist, title and date for this comparison image.
Download the images that meet these requirements to your computer or drag them directly into the Iconography Assignment PowerPoint template (see below).
Read the full set of instructions for Stage 1 and the Final Stage so that you understand the direction the project is going in. You should also look at the Samples that I have provided.
Reminder: both of the images required for this assignment are post Classical. You cannot use an ancient Greek or Roman image as either image.
Stage 1 Instructions: Due Friday, March 15 by 6:00pm EST
Step 1: Under the Iconography Assignments Module on Blackboard, there is an “Iconography Assignment Stage 1 Template” PowerPoint. Download that file to your computer. Please use PowerPoint and not Keynote or some other program.
All GMU students have free access to Microsoft 365 products, so this should not be an issue. I will return any submissions using another program since I will not be able to open them. This may lead to late penalties. See the end of this document if you need more information on accessing the required program.
Step 2: Add the primary image that you intend to analyze (the one that fulfills the requirements described on pages 1-2 of the assignment) and the Comparison image where instructed in the PowerPoint Template.
Important: make sure that the image is large enough in the slide that I can see details.
Step 3: Fill out the basic information requested on each of the slides.
Step 4: Upload to the submission portal in the Iconography Assignment Module.
This submission will count up to 4% of the total 22% of the assignment and can help to prevent the loss of more points on the final stage of the assignment.
Grading for Stage 1:
Stage 1 counts 4% of your final course grade, so nearly half a letter grade.
You will receive the full 4% if your submission satisfies all requirements and is complete;
1-3% for submissions that are incomplete or do not satisfy some aspect(s) of the requirements;
0% if the assignment is not submitted by the stated deadline. Late submissions will be reviewed, and feedback provided, but a late submission will count at most .5% on your grade even if everything is correct.
Approval of Stage 1
After you submit the Stage 1 portion of the assignment, I suggest that you wait until you get feedback before continuing to the final stage, just in case there is a problem with the image you have chosen.
Final Stage Instructions: due by Friday April 12th at 6:00 pm EST
Once your images are confirmed from Stage 1, under the Iconography Assignments Module on Blackboard, there will be an “Iconography Assignment Final Template” PowerPoint. Download that file to your computer.
The final stage has 4 parts:
- Essential information
- Main image with 4 tags
- Comparison image and tag
- Meme
Part 1: Essential information
Fill out the first slide with the information requested. Some of this can be transferred directly from Stage 1. Your bibliography goes on this slide.
Bibliography: You should use your textbooks as sources of information on the myth. You must also find one other source to provide information for your tags (see below). This source may be scholarly books/articles, web-based resources, or artist & museum websites. The weblink to the image does not count as a source. You will have to provide any sources that you consulted in a brief bibliography on the first slide of the template. If you use online resources, use your best judgment to determine if they are reliable. Failure to include research source material may result in plagiarism issues. Be sure that you do not copy any text word for word from a source: that is plagiarism. The format of the bibliography is up to you, simply be consistent.
Part 2: Main image with four tags
Insert the primary image that you have downloaded into the second slide where you see the icon. You can delete the icon if your image does not cover it.
Important: make sure that the image is large enough in the slide that I can see details. Some space will be given over to the Tags (see below) but make the image as large as you can while still leaving room for the Tag text boxes.
Then, you will need to complete four tags on this primary image. These tags should help the viewer understand the iconography, action, symbolism and specific details of the myth.
The four tags on this slide must cover the following information:
- Narrative time: identify the Narrative Time and explain why you believe that is the correct interpretation. Be clear in your explanation. Simply supplying the time without a clear explanation will cost you points.
- Explanation: describe what is going on in your specific image (the narrative action), who the main characters shown are, and any other pieces of information necessary to understand the narrative of your particular image. Be precise and specific. This is not an explanation of the entire myth—just what is captured in your image.
- Iconography and/or composition: you must explain the iconography, do not simply list the object/action/attribute. You will need to provide two Iconography tags in most cases: each should explain a separate aspect of how we recognize the scene from the visual cues, attributes or symbols included by the artist. Be careful here since simply saying “this is the iconography of x” is not sufficient; you need to describe what the iconography is and demonstrate that it is apparent in the work of art. Use the tag icon
for your first iconography tag; use the tag icon
for your second iconography tag.
Composition Option: if you would like to discuss the overall composition of the scene (e.g., as I did in the lecture video and Iconography Assignment sample for the Red figure cup of Oedipus and the Sphinx, C 264), you can substitute a Composition tag for the second Iconography tag.
Should you choose to do this, be sure that you have something substantive to say about how the arrangement of figures adds to the narrative or conveys some symbolic message. Simply describing the composition is not sufficient for full points. Use the second Iconography tag (above) to indicate Composition option.
Part 3: Comparison
This is where your second image comes in. Insert your second post classical image into the third slide of the Final Iconography Template. Fill in the information requested in the textboxes on slide 3 (title, artist and date). You will provide one tag for this image.
- Comparative tag: For the comparison tag, explain clearly a substantive point of difference between your image and the comparison image, e.g., Narrative Time, change in Iconography, etc.
- In the tag, you should also explain why this difference is significant; in other words, how does it change our interpretation of the event shown in some way.
The Tags: What you should produce
The text of each tag should begin with the topic of that tag; so, “Iconography:” “Narrative Time:” etc. Tags should consist of a sentence or two with proper grammatical forms, punctuation and capitalization. The text boxes will expand as you type. If you need to adjust their positions, you can do so.
The iconography tags listed above (and
) are already on the PowerPoint template. Drag them to the spots on your image that you want to draw attention to. Be exact when you place your icons as this can affect the clarity of your work. Avoid placing icons where they will cover important iconography: use them to draw attention but not obscure. If your tags disappear behind your image, click on Arrange in the Toolbar and use the Reorder Objects to send the main image into the background. If you have trouble with this see https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/reorder-overlapping-objects-67f8ea00-2c32-43c1-a893-221429900fdb
See the sample in the Iconography Assignment Module for examples of the tags. Note that the sample has a different theme from the assignment here. Your image should follow the theme listed at the start of this assignment.
Honor Code Violations: use your own words and phrasing in the tags. Cutting and pasting or copying text directly from another source without proper citation is plagiarism. On this assignment, plagiarism will result in no points for the tag, at a minimum; in extreme cases of repeated plagiarism, you will receive a ‘0’ for this final stage of the project. The ‘Safe Assign’ Protocol on Blackboard, which assesses submissions for plagiarism violations, will be turned on for this assignment.
Part 4: Meme it!
Studying art can be rewarding in a lot of ways—including being fun. It’s also a good reminder that art communicates in “non academic” ways that change with time, culture and context. Think about how the works of art you dealt with for this assignment might fit into your world outside of the classroom.
So, select one of your two images (the choice is yours—either your main image or your comparison image) and turn it into an amusing or thoughtful meme worthy of your favorite social media platform.
Copy that image to the fourth slide. Use the textbox (type over the “Meme” caption) to insert your witty and thoughtful caption for the meme.
Keep it clean: don’t do a meme that you would not want the Dean of Students to see. But be creative and enjoy this part of the process.
Submitting your Final Stage
Save the completed PowerPoint file with the title “[your last name] ARTH 102”.
Upload that file into the Iconography Assignment Module on our Blackboard page. Only then have you submitted the project. Also keep a copy of the file for yourself in case you need to reference it later in the semester. The Assignment system is set to allow for three attempts, so if you need to make a correction after upload but prior to the due date, you will have multiple opportunities to make adjustments.
Grading the Final Stage
The Final Stage counts as 18% of your final course grade, divided in the following way:
5% for the information provided on the first slide of the Template
10% for your five tags (2% each—note that this equals 2 points each on your
FINAL AVERAGE for the class, so give these some thought)
3% for the meme portion of the assignment
Proofread your submission before uploading it to Blackboard.
The submission portal will be set for 3 attempts, so if you discover an error before the due date, you can upload up to two corrected versions. I will grade the last one uploaded.
Late Penalties: Submissions after the deadline will only be accepted for five days after the due date. A late penalty of 3% (out of the 18%) will be deducted for each day, so that one day late the maximum value of the assignment is 15%, two days late 12% etc.
Final submissions on an incorrect theme will automatically be docked 12% of the 18%.
Key Points
Due Dates:
Stage 1 by Friday, March 15th by 6:00pm EST
Final Stage by Friday April 12th at 6:00 pm EST
Upload through the submission portal in the Iconography Assignment Module on Blackboard.
Note that each stage can be turned in before its due date so you do not have to wait until the deadline to submit.
Waiting until the last minute and having a technical issue will not be an excuse for late work.
The time stamp from Blackboard will determine whether the assignment has made the deadline.