Abstraction and Artistic Purpose

Abstraction and Artistic Purpose

1.Describe specific elements of Picasso’s Guernica and explain how effective you think the painting is as a protest against the horrors of war.

2.Pablo Picasso once wrote “painting is not done to decorate apartments; it is an instrument of war.” Explain what you think Picasso meant in this quote about artists and their paintings, regardless of whether a war scene is the subject of the painting. Identify and describe an example of an artwork that represents this viewpoint.

3.Explain whether you believe that art has the power to influence thought and action – what people think and what people do.


: Pop Art and Consumer Culture

1Describe a specific element of Hamilton’s collage, Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing? that you find particularly intriguing, interesting, offensive, or humorous and explain why.

2After WWII, prosperity in the U.S. generated a consumer culture that dominated the second half of the 20th century. Explain whether you think Hamilton’s collage celebrates or ridicules consumer culture – or whether it conveys something else to you as a viewer.

3.Explain whether you think Pop art is an artistic critique of the culture of consumerism – or just a perpetuation of an obsession with material things, especially trendy brands and labels.

4.Describe what items you would include if you were to create a 21st century collage similar to Just What Is It That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?


“Wearing the Guru Jacket.” Please respond to the following:

1.Identify the rule which most surprises you about the “short version” of the Sikh “Code of Conduct,” and explain why you are surprised to find that rule was included in the Code.

2.Explain which one of the meanings of the 5 Ks of Sikhism most intrigues you, and explain why.

3.Describe what you would ask Guru Gobind Singh if you could ask him just one thing, and explain why.

“Comparisons.” Please respond to the following:
2.Explain the similarities and differences held by Sikhs and Christians concerning either baptism, nature and identity of God, or appeal to lower socio-economic classes.

3.Explain any similarities or differences in Sikhism from Hinduism with regard to caste and gender.

4.Explain any similarities or differences which Sikhism shares with Judaism concerning active proselytizing and the choice to “become” a Sikh.

5.Identify the religion which you view as sharing the most common aspects of faith, beliefs, and practice with Sikhism. Explain why you think so.