The aim of this assignment is to write about art using multiple sources. In the previous paper, you relied on your eyes and formal analysis. In this one you will build on those skills and incorporate both a primary and a scholarly secondary source to help you to think about and understand the work of art.

Use the primary source provided (will be attached) and also investigate the museum website. You may substitute the given reference for another of your choice, but the paper must rely on at least one primary source.

Find two additional scholarly secondary sources that will help you to research the work of art. Some museums give a bibliography for objects in their collections, however, do not assume these sources will be online and therefore do acquaint yourself with the Art and Architecture library in the lower level of Watt Hall. You may use an assigned reading (but not the textbook!) and I also strongly suggest JSTOR for scholarly articles.

Write a research paper that analyzes and explains the work you have chosen. Integrate your own observations about the work (a formal analysis of the work and your thoughts about your encounter with it), along with the primary and secondary sources that will help you understand the context and other scholarly questions about the object. Remember to cite your sources!

Make sure to write a cohesive analysis with a thesis statement and well-organized paragraphs (with topic sentences) that develop your points.

Primary source: excerpt from Edgar Degas Notebooks, from Linda Nochlin, ed., Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, 1874-1904. Sources and Documents in the History of Art Series. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1966, 60-65.