Write a detailed visual description of the work Gettin’ Religion, 1948 (Oil on linen) by Archibald John Motley, Jr.

Write a detailed visual description of the work Gettin’ Religion, 1948 (Oil on linen) by Archibald John Motley, Jr. Paragraph 1: Hook the reader in with a compelling (and not too vague or general) first sentence. Don’t start this paragraph with “The work I have chosen is…” or some variation of this sentence. Be more creative! Maybe describe your experience encountering the work at the Whitney Museum of American Art? What drew you to that work? In the first or second sentence, introduce the artist (the first time give their full name, all later mentions) and title (italicize the title of the artwork each time you mention it); you do not need to include acquisition information. You must include at least one sentence that describes the composition overall (set the scene for your reader: what is this artwork?). Eventually, get to your thesis statement and introduce the elements of the work that will be most important to your argument. Be sure that your thesis makes a claim that you can support with an analysis of the formal elements and composition of the work (if you need to google the artist to support your argument, stop! That is not a visual argument.) Paragraph 2: Moving from the general to the specific, describe the layout of the work (i.e. the composition) in more detail than above in the first paragraph. In this paragraph, focus on giving the reader a sense of the work overall. What are the relationships between the different elements in terms of scale? Is there a narrative? Paragraphs 3, 4, etc.: In the middle paragraph(s) be sure to cover texture, depth/flatness, scale, and the relationship between color and line. Be sure to focus on the elements that are important to your argument. For example, if you are arguing that the artist achieves a balance of compositional elements so that the viewer’s eye never rests on a single form, you would need to discuss how the spatial and scalar relationships between color and form achieve this balance. Remember all of your evidence is a visual description here; no outside research is allowed. Conclusion: Circle back to your argument in the conclusion (but do not copy and paste your thesis word for word!). End by zooming out. Consider discussing the way the artwork is displayed in the museum. Is this information important for our understanding of the work? Or, if you have seen a picture of this work before, mention what it is like to see it in person. Does seeing the artwork in person change or complicate your understanding of it? Is there a material we’ve discussed in class that is relevant to this work?