Connecting a painting to an emotion/cultural event

Ability to build and present your own argumentative position on the painting chosen in
relation to the text(s) analyzed;
Analysis of key ideas in a course text discussed in class as they apply to the painting;
Integration of material from one scholarly sourcejournal article or book chapter to
support your argument (this cannot be a text discussed in class);
Formulation of a strong thesis statement;
Use of solid supporting evidence
Select one painting by Michelangelo Caravaggio, Rembrandt van Rijn, or Frans Hals. Then formulate your
own argumentative position on why this painting moves you or why you dislike it. Your position
should be supported by some clear and convincing reasons for the impact of the painting on you.
Take one argumentative stance and do not go both directions. Support your position all
through your essay by drawing on at least one (or more) texts by John Berger addressed in
class and material from one researched scholarly source.
As you develop your argument, please work on two levels. You may want to think of the paper as
divided into two sections. In one of the sections, address something personal from your context
that makes you receive the painting in the way you do. As discussed in class, this can be an
experience, a way of thinking or being, a tragedy, or an achievement. In the other section, bring in
a SPECIFIC political, social, economic, or cultural event that connects to the circumstances
under which the painting was produced or something that is reflected in the painting. This
event does not have to be American but should be something that occurred in your lifetime.
How does this event from the present connect to the past of the painting and help you trace
similarities or differences in history?