Shannon E. Barry
AAD 630
Research Methods
3/1/2015
Literature Review on a Research Topic:
Research Topic:
My research interests are historical in nature. I have formulate a fairly strong idea of what I want to research for my graduate capstone project. By choosing a capstone, instead of a group project or a thesis approach, in itself narrows my approach. My idea, though it is still a work in progress is to study art and arts management in ancient cultures. I specifically want to study ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome. I need to narrow down time periods within each culture. I have begun concentrating on Middle or Old Kingdom Egypt, Augustan Rome, and a classical period (yet to be determined) in Greece. I will also likely need to limit my research to a city or a region within each culture. My main goal is to compare and contrast what types of art were created, and how art was treated and managed in these cultures. All three have overlaps, but there are vast difference in their basic civilizations, that the way they created art, curated art, and defined art, may vary.
The other way to do this research, but in a narrowed way, would be to look at one culture. To do this, I would pick either ancient Egypt, Greece, or Rome. Once focused on one civilization, I would then look at what constituted arts management, and how it changed and evolved in the duration of that culture.
Within each culture I have specific questions that I need to answer. What types of disciplines or works did they consider to be art? Did this change over time? How was this art curated? Was it shown privately or publically? How was this art funded? Which type of art was considered high class and which were considered low class? How were artists treated in these societies/time periods? All of these questions need to be answered for each civilization/time period to show how they were similar or divergent from each other.
The research methods that I plan to utilize are all types of analysis. Document Analysis will be my main way to process information. Document analysis is the “collection review, interrogation and analysis of various forms of written text as a primary source of research data” (O’Leary, 250). Another technique I will use is historical analysis. This is the “collection, review, interrogation and analysis of various forms of data in order to establish facts and draw conclusions about past events” (O’Leary, 252). The definition is basically the same as that document analysis, the main difference being that “various forms of data” will be used. One of the other research methods I will use is cultural artefact analysis, which is the “collection, review, interrogation and analysis of various human-made objects in order to ascertain information about the culture of the objects’ creator(s) and users” (O’Leary, 253). All of these techniques will help me to review primary documents, histories and anthologies, new theories, and actual pieces of art and architecture from the various cultures I want to study.
Source 1:
The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, is going to be a very important source for my research. It is a collection of knowledge about all parts of ancient Egyptian history. In its 512 pages it covers chronology, history, religion, art, everyday life, science and technology, and writing. Of most interest to me is the Art section of the book. The art section is not broken into time periods, but in types of art. These include: painters and paintings, relief-carving techniques, stelae (books of stone), royal statuary, coffins and sarcophagi, the magic of jewels, ceramics, funerary masks, furniture for the afterlife, building the pyramids, the chapter also has sections on specific temples and pieces of art. These case studies on particular pieces of art provide deeper insight into certain statues, temples, and carvings. Simply looking at the basic categories also points out what most of the art was created for; the afterlife. In Egypt, death, and life after death was almost more important than the present. Ancient Egyptians spent their entire lives preparing for the afterlife, and this included creating art.
This book contributes much to my personal understanding of ancient Egypt and its art. While it goes over many kinds of art and how they were created, it also gives a basic explanation of why these artistic practices were important to daily life.
Source 2:
Akhenaten and Nefertiti, is a book that focuses on the period that the Pharaoh Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti ruled. This period is vastly different from other eras in ancient Egypt. The religion was changed from polytheistic to monotheistic, and the art differed drastically from all other ears.
The book has an introduction titled ‘The Amarna Revolution.’ For the changes instituted in the period were truly revolutionary, and completely changed the culture of the time. The book focuses on certain types of art to show the change. These chapters include information on: monuments of the rules, the development of the Amarna Style (Early period and Late period), iconography, the character of Amarna art. The art of this period helped to define its uniqueness. The Amarna style was vastly realistic and showed different scenes than previously depicted in royal courts. This was not only an artistic revolution, but a cultural and religious one. The art reflects this. It is also important to note that after the death of Akhenaten, his religion, his art, and even his name were wiped out. Evidence survives, but this shows how reviled he became for challenging all norms of Egyptian life. The book contributes this information to my project, illustrating how important art was to all aspects of Egyptian life.
Source 3:
Hellenistic Science and Culture in the Last Centuries B.C., covers a very specific time period in Greece. Though I have yet to narrow down the time period I want to cover for ancient Greece. This book will provide a wonderful background and perspective for my research.
This book is a wealth of information. It is divided into two parts. The first is ‘The Third Century,’ and the second is ‘The Last Two Centuries.’ Part one is divided into chapters:
- The Alexandrian Renasiasnce
- The Museum
- Euclid of Alexandria
- Astronomy (Aristarchos and Aratos)
- Archimedes and Apollonios
- Geography and Chronology in the Third Century (Eratosthenes of Cyrene)
- Physics and Technology in the Third Century
- Anatomy in the Third Century
- Medicine in the Third Century
- Library
- Philosophy and Religion in the Third Century
- Knowledge of the Past in the Third Century
- Language, Arts, and Letters
- Orientalism
Part Two of the book is divided into similar categories. Like Part one, it has specific examples as well. By just looking at the full titles of chapters, it is evident that the book spans Greek culture in certain time periods, and all over the Mediterranean world where Greek culture spread. Greek civilization influenced many people all over the area. This shows the overlap that would come to light when studying the ancient cultures that grew up near the Mediterranean.
Source 4:
A History of Roman Art is a textbook. It covers all of the basic knowledge about Rome from the Monarchy and Republic period to the era of Constantine and Christian Rome. I am most interested in a handful of chapters that cover the Augustan period and the Empire that directly followed him. These chapters are:
- The Augustan Principate
- Preparing for the Afterlife during the Early Empire
- The Pax Augusta in the West
- The Julio-Claudian Dynasty
The chapters cover subjects such as everyday life, religion, sports, government, and art. This is a very broad view of Roman history. It provides a comprehensive understanding of the time period and civilization.
Mid-Course Correction:
More than halfway through this paper, my research interest has possibly taken a turn. Though my focus is still to research arts management in ancient cultures, I have shifted from Mediterranean cultures to the wide ranging Celtic cultures. I have more of a personal connection to this subject, and there is less knowledge on this topic. I have begun to delve into the topic and the following literature review reflects this change.
Source 5:
Celtic Art, a book sponsored by the British Museum, covers the various arts that arise in the context of Celtic culture prior to the Roman conquest. The book is less focused on history, and more focused on the history of how these objects were found, studied, and created. The chapters of the book are:
- Metalworking Techniques
- Art Styles
- Dress and Jewelry
- Hearth and Home
- Weapons and Armour
- Chariots and harness
- Ritual
- There is also a ‘Further Reading’ section
Again, the book emphasizes how the art objects were created, where they were found and what we can learn by looking at techniques. The book is full of pictures and acknowledges that certain artifacts, even household goods and items used in war, are art not just mundane everyday items.
Conclusion:
Each of these sources provide not only basic information on the art but how art was useful to society, how it was created and how it was important to daily or ritual life. This ties directly into its importance and into the management of such arts.
Bibliography:
- Aldred Cyril. (1973). Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The Brooklyn Museum in Association with The Viking Press, New York.
- Kleiner, Fred S. (2007). A History of Roman Art. Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, United States: Thomson Wadsworth.
- O’Leary, Zina. (2014). The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore, Washington DC. Sage Publications Ltd.
- Sarton, George. (1959, 1987). Hellenistic Science and Culture in the Last Centuries B.C. New York: Dover Publications, INC.
- Stead, Ian. (1996). Celtic Art; In Britain Before the Roman Conquest. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. British Museum.
- Strudwick, Helen (Ed.). (2006). The Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. London: Amber Books Limited, De Agostini UK Ltd.