Faculty Advisor: Professor of Fine Arts, NYU; Former Director of Graduate Studies, NYU

Research Practicum Introduction

If you are to name one revolutionary period in the history of art, it would undoubtedly be the Renaissance. Originating in Italy, the movement soon spread to the rest of Europe. New forms of art flourished, and many great artists in human history were born. In this program, students will focus on one work of art, Diego Velázquez’s Las Meninas in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

The project offers students a chance to train their attention on an individual work of art, which we will examine through electronic means. We will spend the first two or three sessions carefully examining the work in all its parts, and then developing questions that require further examination. These sessions will be a lesson in the practice of slow looking, and in the framing of research questions.

For the final three or four sessions, each student will take on one or another question and follow it down a research path, reporting to the group on their findings. As a result of reporting to each other, students will inform each other’s inquiries, all of them contributing to a prismatic understanding of the work.

Individual assessment will be based on the student oral reports and on a written paper that addresses an aspect of the painting. A teaching assistant will be on hand to help with writing skills. Research, oral presentation, and written skills will all be taken into consideration.

Research Questions Includes

• How does the painting relate to the history of portraits and self-portraits?

• How does it address its viewers?

• What claims is it making about art?

• Where does the work fit into Velázquez’s own development?

• What techniques does he use here, and how does he use them?

• Or any other questions that you see fit and your Faculty Advisor approves after your discussion with him

Program Detail

• Cohort Size: 3-5 students

• Workload: Around 4-5 hours per week (including class time and homework time)

• Target Students: 9-12th grade students interested in Art, History, and Art History.