Comparative Analysis
Comparisons of two works of art are often used in both research papers and exam responses. They provide an opportunity to combine formal analysis with
knowledge of the artists, the subjects, and relevant background information needed to make inferences about the relationship between the two works. Begin
by asking yourself what aspects of the two works stand out as particularly notable and whether or not these attributes are shared. A comparison typically
starts with similarities; if the two works share a stylistic background, have the same artist or relative period, or depict the same subject, mention the
commonality as grounds for establishing a comparison. Then, move on to the ways in which the two works differ, beginning with the obvious and moving on
to the more subtle and specific. Conclude each point by analyzing what this difference might reveal.
Example of a comparison:
Assignment: Compare the Donatello’s David with Michelangelo’s version of the same subject. How does the difference between these two indicate the
stylistic difference between their two respective periods? Donatello’s and Michelangelo’s David’s share the same biblical subject, historical period, and
sculptural form, yet differ in a number of significant ways that reflect their respective embodiments of the early and high Renaissance styles. The most
apparent difference between the two is the moment in the battle that each artist chooses to depict. Donatello’s David stands victoriously above the head of
his vanquished foe, his own head bowed in an almost feminine gesture of reflection, a picture of the idealized male nude. Michelangelo, on the other hand,
has caught his David in the moments before the battle itself. He stands proudly in a position of perfect contrapposto, his hand holding the sling, the only
iconographic reference in the entire piece, over one shoulder, looking into the distance with a pensive, almost fearful gaze. This David is no longer a shy,
pretty vision of youth, but a man on the verge of adulthood, an embodiment of the Florentine identity and the full realization of the artistic ability of the high
Renaissance that Michelangelo came to represent.
This is a shortened example; a full version would cover more points of comparison and go into greater depths of analysis. As with the formal analysis,
descriiption should never take precedence over analysis, and the writing should always pursue a thesis.
Paper must be at least 500 words, double spaced.
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Due: April 24, 2022
Choices:
1. Leonardo’s Madonna of the Rocks and Raphael’s Madonna in the Meadow
2. Leonardo’s Last Supper and Tintoretto’s Last Supper
3. Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and El Greco’s Burial of Count Orgaz
4. Martin Schongauer Saint Anthony Tormented by Demons and Matthias Gruenewald Temptation of Saint Anthony.