Examination of the Relationship Between Genre of Artwork and Artistic Medium
Examination of the Relationship between Genre of Artwork and Artistic Medium
International Baccalaureate
Internal Assessment Project
Mathematical Studies 1
Standard Level
Dating back 30,000 years ago to the primitive cave paintings of the Neanderthals, art has been around for centuries. It has contributed to the progression of civilization and reformed the common thought of society. Its vast dispersion over many cultures makes it a relatable and comprehensible topic for people all over the world to understand. Historically, when people think of art they imagine beautiful works like da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”, van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Michelangelo’s “David”, or Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” Even if those works sound unfamiliar, 20th century artists like Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Ansel Adams are sure to ring a bell. However, most people rarely realize the effort and thought that is involved in creating such artwork. Exactly how much consideration do the artists take in deciding on whether or not they want to create a portrait, landscape, or, for the more modern artists, a surreal piece? Furthermore, what influence does that have on the type of mediums that they use? Is there a relationship between the genre of artwork and medium used to create the artwork?
Because of my lifelong interest in art, my assessment will focus on the relationship between art genre and the medium used to create the art. The experiment will determine whether medium of artwork is independent of genre of artwork. In art, medium refers to the physical substance the artist uses to create his or her artwork. For example, common mediums would be graphite, paint, photography, or pastel; however, artistic mediums can include nearly any physical material that the artist wishes to use. Data will be obtained by visiting various art galleries and observing every third piece of artwork on display, starting with the first piece of artwork that is to the left of the
International Baccalaureate
Internal Assessment Project
Mathematical Studies 1
Standard Level
Dating back 30,000 years ago to the primitive cave paintings of the Neanderthals, art has been around for centuries. It has contributed to the progression of civilization and reformed the common thought of society. Its vast dispersion over many cultures makes it a relatable and comprehensible topic for people all over the world to understand. Historically, when people think of art they imagine beautiful works like da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”, van Gogh’s “Starry Night”, Michelangelo’s “David”, or Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus.” Even if those works sound unfamiliar, 20th century artists like Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Ansel Adams are sure to ring a bell. However, most people rarely realize the effort and thought that is involved in creating such artwork. Exactly how much consideration do the artists take in deciding on whether or not they want to create a portrait, landscape, or, for the more modern artists, a surreal piece? Furthermore, what influence does that have on the type of mediums that they use? Is there a relationship between the genre of artwork and medium used to create the artwork?
Because of my lifelong interest in art, my assessment will focus on the relationship between art genre and the medium used to create the art. The experiment will determine whether medium of artwork is independent of genre of artwork. In art, medium refers to the physical substance the artist uses to create his or her artwork. For example, common mediums would be graphite, paint, photography, or pastel; however, artistic mediums can include nearly any physical material that the artist wishes to use. Data will be obtained by visiting various art galleries and observing every third piece of artwork on display, starting with the first piece of artwork that is to the left of the