HS CIC: IB Art

Museums

For a Painting, Photograph or Sculpture. 

If you viewed the artwork at the institution that houses it,

Last Name of Artist, First Name of Artist. Title of Work of Art. Date, Institution, Location of institution (if not included in institution name). 

OPTIONAL: If the medium and/or materials are important to your reference, you can include this information at the end of the entry.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503, Louvre, Paris.

OPTIONAL: Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503, Louvre, Paris. (Oil on poplar panel).

If you viewed the artwork on the website of the institution that houses it, change the comma after the date to a period AND add the URL. 

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503. Louvre, Paris. https://focus.louvre.fr/en/mona-lisa.

If you viewed the artwork in a book or on a website, include the bibliographic information of the location after that of the artwork.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503. Louvre, Paris. Famous Works of Art in Popular Culture : a Reference Guide. by Lynda J Sperling, Greenwood Press, 2003, p. 173.

Da Vinci, Leonardo. Mona Lisa. 1503. Louvre, Paris.  "Mona Lisa". Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Dec. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mona-Lisa-painting. Accessed 18 November 2021.

For more details, visit the Purdue OWL.

Comparative Study

Students are required to analyse and compare artworks, objects or artifacts by different artists. This independent critical and contextual investigation should explore artworks, objects and artifacts from differing cultural contexts.

Task details

Students at both SL and HL must select at least three artworks, objects or artifacts, at least two of which should be by different artists. For each of the selected pieces, students should:

• carry out research from a range of different sources (that they must be able to reference)
• analyse the cultural contexts in which the selected pieces were created
• identify the formal qualities of the selected pieces • interpret the function and purpose of the selected pieces
• evaluate the material, conceptual and cultural significance of the selected pieces to the cultural contexts within which they were created.

Students at both SL and HL should then:

• compare the selected pieces, identifying links in cultural context, formal qualities, function, purpose, material, conceptual and cultural significance
• present a list of sources used during the study.

Students at HL should also reflect on the investigation outcomes and the extent to which their own artmaking practices and pieces have subsequently been influenced by artworks, objects or artifacts examined in the comparative study.

Formal requirements of the task—SL

• SL students submit 10–15 screens which examine and compare at least three artworks, objects or artifacts, at least two of which need to be by different artists. The works selected for comparison and analysis should come from differing cultural contexts.
• SL students submit a list of sources used.

Formal requirements of the task—HL

• HL students submit 10–15 screens which examine and compare at least three artworks, objects or artifacts, at least two of which need to be by different artists. The works selected for comparison and analysis should come from differing cultural contexts.
• HL students submit 3–5 additional screens which analyse the extent to which their work and practices have been influenced by the art and artists examined.
• HL students submit a list of sources used.

Structuring the Comparative Study

Introduction

Students summarize the scope of the investigation from which the focus artworks, objects and artifacts have been selected, and any thematic or conceptual framework used to draw the investigation together.

The artworks, objects or artifacts and their contexts

Students summarize their research from a range of different sources and present their inquiry into the identification and interpretation of selected artworks, objects and artifacts. They also explain how they have applied a range and combination of critical theories and methodologies to the works. Areas of investigation might include:

• identification of the cultural contexts of the selected pieces
• identification and analysis of the formal qualities of the selected pieces (elements such as shape/ form, space, tone, colour, line, texture and principles such as balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis, pattern, variety)
• analysis and understanding of the function and purpose of the selected pieces (such as the meanings of motifs, signs and symbols used in the work)
• analysis and evaluation of the material, conceptual and cultural significance of the pieces and the cultural contexts in which they were created.

Making connections

Students present their comparisons of the different pieces, clearly identifying links between them. These comparisons might include:

• comparing and contrasting the cultural contexts of the selected pieces
• comparing and contrasting the formal qualities of the selected pieces
• comparing and contrasting the function and purpose of the selected pieces
• comparing and contrasting the material, conceptual and cultural significance of the pieces.

Connecting to own art-making practice (HL only)

Students analyse and evaluate their research outcomes and the extent to which their own art-making practices and pieces have subsequently been influenced by artworks, objects, artifacts and their creators examined in the comparative study. These influences and personal connections, which should be evidenced in both visual and written forms, might include:

• cultural context
• formal qualities
• function and purpose
• materials, conceptual and cultural significance.

When referring to their own artwork and practices, HL students must be sure to identify and acknowledge their own artworks with the same rigorous attention to detail as with images from other sources.

Sources

Students must cite any source at point of use and include a list of sources used during the study