Art History - National Moderator's Report

Insights

91485: Examine the impact of media and processes on art works

Performance overview:

This standard requires students to explain and evaluate how the use of at least two different media and processes influence the style (i.e. the appearance resulting from the use of stylistic characteristics) and meanings of specific art works.

The standard was able to be met where the selected art works used distinctly different media and processes, and where the impact of these media could clearly be observed within the features of the art works. For example, examining how Warhol's silkscreen prints of Coca Cola bottles and sculptural Brillo Boxes had an impact on his Pop Art style and meanings about consumerism, can provide an appropriate scope to meet the standard.  

Evidence that met the requirements of the standard explained clear, explicit connections between specific aspects of the media/processes and the stylistic features/meanings in selected art works. For example, by directly linking the use of a found object (the recycled window frame) in Hotere’s ‘Black Window: Towards Aramoana’ to its pro-environmentalist meanings, as well as their impact on the abstract, modernist style which opened the artwork to further interpretation from the viewers. 

Practices that need strengthening:

• Ensuring that the selection of art works covers at least 2 different media and processes. Examining three oil paintings (even by different artists in different styles) will not help to meet the requirements for this standard, as the examination is restricted to one medium as opposed to ‘media’. Having a combination of art works made by at least two distinctively different methods (i.e. two oil paintings and a sculpture) will provide an appropriate scope for this standard to be met.
• Focusing on examining the impact rather than giving a lengthy explanation of the use of media and processes. This involves explaining specific connections between the media/processes and style/meanings, rather than providing detailed or generalised accounts of how the media and processes were used. 

91486: Construct an argument based on the interpretation of research in art history

Performance overview:

This standard requires students to research a topic relevant to Art History, and select and discuss points of view from the research to develop an argument that reaches conclusions.

Evidence that met the requirements of the standard developed an argument as either a debate (agree or disagree) or a piece of persuasive writing. Responses that investigated more than one point of view on a specific aspect of art history had a greater opportunity to draw meaningful conclusions. The standard could be met where a debatable, thought-provoking topic or a question was used as the basis of the argument. Appropriate questions, which challenged thinking and presented opportunities to bring students’ own positions, led to a more robust discussion of different viewpoints and enabled more insightful conclusions to be drawn.

Practices that need strengthening:

• Developing more focused topics that allow a better scope for students to respond in their own ways, offering more space for them to draw insightful conclusions. This could be achieved by avoiding generalised topics such as a discussion of the reasons why an artist or an artwork is famous, or a description of how the selected art works show typical characteristics of their art movement.
• Using appropriately worded questions that lead to a discussion of different points of view and enable more meaningful conclusions to be drawn. These questions typically used starters such as “To what extent was...” and “How significant was…” 

91487: Examine the different values placed on art works

Performance overview:

This standard requires students to use evidence to explain and analyse the importance or lack of importance placed on art works by groups or individuals.  

The standard could be met where supporting evidence (such as meanings, styles or background information of the art works) was linked to the discussion of the specified values. Evidence that met the requirements of the standard explicitly identified different values that were placed on art works and clearly articulated the reasons for these values, with supporting evidence. For example, by identifying and explaining personal and political values of Kollwitz’s ‘Memorial for Karl Liebknecht’ as a means of reflecting on the artist’s individual grief as well as being a statement of propaganda.

Practices that need strengthening:

• Having a more focused approach to the examination of how specific values are placed, with supporting evidence that is clearly connected to the discussion of those named values. 
• Avoid providing lengthy and extensive background information on the art works and artists, which do not always link to the specific values. Unless being used to support the discussion of the different values, such information does not provide evidence towards this standard. 
• When discussing some common values in more than one artwork, explain how they can be seen in each art work in relation to their specific supporting evidence, rather than generalising the explanation across the art works. 

91488: Examine the relationship(s) between a theory and art works 

Performance overview:

This standard requires students to explain and evaluate the key principles or ideas of a theory that relates to art, and to demonstrate how these principles relate to specific art works.

Evidence that met the requirements of the standard made clear connections between the key principles and specific features of named art works. This involves providing a discussion that directly focuses on the relationship(s) between a theory (such as Feminism) and selected art works. For example, explaining how the use of pronouns in the text shown in ‘We won’t play nature to your culture’ by Kruger demonstrates the Feminist emphasis on challenging patriarchy.

Practices that need strengthening:

• Ensuring that the selected theory has multiple principles with clear and appropriate links to the art works. Theories with too narrow a focus restricted student achievement. For example, while Alberti’s theory of perspective has too narrow a focus for curriculum level 8, examining Alberti’s ‘Istoria’ provides appropriate scope for the standard to be met.
• Avoid providing lengthy and extensive explanations of the selected theory, overtaking the discussion of how its key principles or ideas relate to the chosen art works. The examination must focus on explaining how those key aspects relate to art, such as analysing the way the theory has influenced the ideas that have been expressed in specific features of the art works. 

91489: Analyse texts about art

Performance overview:

This standard requires students to analyse ideas and views expressed by the author(s) of the selected texts and identify interpretations about art, using supporting evidence from the texts.

Evidence that met the requirements of the standard had clearly identified the key ideas from the texts, breaking them down to clearly explain how the author’s views can be seen through the features of the chosen art works. Responses that evaluated how these ideas and views link (with specific supporting evidence), and considered why such interpretations about art were significant, had a greater opportunity to draw insightful conclusions. 

The standard could be met where the selected texts provided an appropriate scope for the students to bring their own interpretations, with the author(s) directly expressing their viewpoints and ideas on certain aspects of art.

Practices that need strengthening:

• The use of supporting evidence from the texts and/or other sources should be consistently made apparent, such as the discussion of specific art features in response to the points raised by the author(s), with further interpretation and research of the texts. For example, by including the authors’ quotes as supporting evidence to explain their interpretations about art and linking its specific features with the ideas and views expressed in more detail. 
• Choosing texts that provide an appropriate scope for students to respond to (either in agreement or disagreement) or to use as the basis to bring a different interpretation. For example, selecting texts where the author(s) express a certain viewpoint or an opinion about an aspect of art, rather than using texts that give generalised information about the art works or the art movements. 

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