COMPARATIVE STUDY
IB Visual Arts Expectations/Syllabus
Part 1: Comparative study
Students at SL analyse and compare different artworks by different artists. This
independent critical and contextual investigation explores artworks, objects and artifacts
from differing cultural contexts.
•
SL students submit 10–15 screens which examine and compare at least three
artworks, at least two of which should be by different artists. The work selected for
comparison and analysis should come from contrasting contexts (local, national,
international and/or intercultural).
•
SL students submit a list of sources used.
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COMPARATIVE STUDY:
Structuring the comparative study:
Students should articulate their understanding through both visual and written forms, depending on the
most appropriate means of presenting and communicating their findings. While the comparative study
may include text-based analysis, it may also include diagrammatic and graphic elements such as annotated
sketches and diagrams, annotations on copies of artworks as well as other visual organizing techniques
(such as flowcharts, relative importance graphs, concept webs and Mind Maps®). An introduction to the
study should summarize the scope of the investigation from which the focus artworks, objects and artifacts
have been selected. Students should aim for a balance of visual and written content, and use an appropriate
means of acknowledging sources. Students must ensure that their work makes effective use of subject-
specific language where appropriate.
For each of the selected artworks, objects or artifacts, students at both SL and HL are encouraged to focus
their analysis and interpretation of works through consideration of the role of the artist, the artwork, the
audience and the cultural context. The scope and scale of the comparative study task will depend largely on
the materials selected for investigation. Students may wish, however, to adapt the following structure to suit
their needs. This structure is for guidance only and is neither prescriptive nor restrictive.
Introduction
Students summarize the scope of the investigation from which the focus artworks, objects and artifacts
have been selected, and any thematic or conceptual framework used to draw the investigation together.
The artworks, objects or artifacts and their contexts
Students summarize their research from a range of different sources and present their inquiry into the
identification and interpretation of selected artworks, objects and artifacts. They also explain how they
have applied a range and combination of critical theories and methodologies to the works. Areas of
investigation might include:
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analysis of the cultural contexts of the selected pieces
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identification of the formal qualities of the selected pieces (elements such as shape/form, space,
tone, colour, line, texture and principles such as balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis, pattern,
variety)
•
interpretation of the function and purpose of the selected pieces (such as the meanings of motifs,
signs and symbols used in the work)
•
evaluation of the material, conceptual and cultural significance of the pieces and the cultural
contexts in which they were created.
Making connections
Students present their comparisons of the different pieces, clearly identifying links between them.
These comparisons might include:
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comparing the cultural contexts of the selected pieces
•
comparing the formal qualities of the selected pieces
•
comparing the function and purpose of the selected pieces
•
comparing the material, conceptual and cultural significance of the pieces.
Connecting to own art-making practice (HL only)
Students reflect on their research outcomes and the extent to which their own art-making practices and
pieces have subsequently been influenced by artworks, objects, artifacts and their creators examined in
the comparative study. These influences and personal connections, which should be evidenced in both
visual and written forms, might include:
•
cultural context
•
formal qualities
•
function and purpose
•
materials, conceptual and cultural significance.
When referring to their own artwork and practices, HL students must be sure to identify and
acknowledge their own artworks with the same rigorous attention to detail as with images from other
sources.
Sources
Students include a list of sources used during the study.
Academic honesty
Every image used within the comparative study must be appropriately referenced to acknowledge
the title, artist, date (where this information is known) and the source, following the protocol of the
referencing style chosen by the school. When HL students include any images of their own original
work, these must also be identified and acknowledged in the same way.
Formal requirements of the task—SL
•
SL students submit 10–15 screens which examine and compare at least three artworks, objects or
artifacts, at least two of which need to be by different artists. The works selected for comparison and
analysis should come from differing cultural contexts.
•
SL students submit a list of sources us
Submitting assessment work
The size and format of screens submitted for assessment is not prescribed. Submitted materials are assessed
on screen and students must ensure that their work is clear and legible when presented in a digital, on-
screen format. Students should not scan multiple pages of work from their journals and submit them as a
single screen, for example, as overcrowded or illegible materials may result in examiners being unable to
interpret and understand the intentions of the work.
The procedure for submitting work for assessment can be found in the
Handbook of procedures for the Diploma Programme
. Students are required to indicate the number of screens included when the materials
are submitted. Where submitted materials exceed the prescribed screen limits examiners are instructed to
base their assessment solely on the materials that appear within the limits.
COMPARATIVE STUDY CRITERIA, ETC: Go to Page 49 in pdf.
