Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)

UNIT NO & NAME

Unit 4: Information & Interpretation in Art and Design

TITLE

ESSAY: TRADITION & ORIGINALITY

STAFF

Martin Carrolchick and Chris Muir

DEADLINE/HAND-IN

Monday 6th January 2014

ASSESSORS

Martin Carrolchick et al

TRADITION & ORIGINALITY

No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his
appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You
cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the
dead.
(T.S. Eliot)
In light of the lecture Tradition & Originality you will be aware of a brand of originality, endorsed by T.S. Eliot,
that fuses the old and the new in pursuit of a more sophisticated, nuanced meaning.

Eliots conception of originality is more interested in refreshing reinterpretation than novelty. Ultimately, this
type of originality, reliant on the poets awareness of tradition, is superior to the more conventional idea of
originality, not only because of its comprehensiveness, but also because its assumption that artistic meaning
only emerges from contextualization affords us a reliable way to measure aesthetic value.

Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)

The Importance of Tradition

Originality as Eliot envisions it is more persuasive than the OEDs definition partially because it is more
comprehensive. Instances of true innovation free from tradition are far and few between. The invention of
fire might be such an innovation, but little else matches that level of newness. Photography, for example, may
seem like a groundbreaking innovation, but it actually takes root in pre-existing bodies of technical knowledge
and, moreover, is aesthetically judged on principles established by other visual forms like painting. For all its
newness, it could only have been invented with the help of the past, and it can only be valued relative to the
past. Innovation is largely derivative of past progress. Even reactionary movements, like Dada and punk
subculture, rely on tradition to give purpose to their rebellion. Very little, it seems, arises beyond the context
of history and developing precedents.

Eliots version of originality is also striking for its emphasis on the importance of contextualization. Tradition
provides a context by which we can judge aesthetics separate from the immediate real-world contexts in
which works are created. The implication of this reliance of works upon one another is salient: no art exists in
a vacuum. The meaning and merit of an artwork only arise through its relationships to other artworks. Were
we to disregard tradition, we would have no clear, objective way to deem one work more valuable than
another. Nor would we be able to produce completely meaningful art in the first place, for as Eliot posits: No
poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the
appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for
contrast and comparison, among the dead.

These two diagrams describe

different versions of the
Museum of Modern Arts view
of 20th Century Art. The first is
based around the tradition that
Cezanne influenced Matisse
and Picasso and they, in turn,
influenced post-war American
Abstract expressionism
(Jackson Pollock, Willem de
Kooning). The second offers
Marcel Duchamp as the central
figure of influence leading to
Andy Warhol and the
contemporary artists of today

Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)

AIM
Your aim is to write an illustrated essay that identifies a contemporary practitioner within your preferred
field of the Creative Arts (Pathway) and present an argument for their work to be part of a tradition
Your Objectives include

To research examples of historical and contemporary practice that relate to your work
To review the effect of significant contextual factors on the production of specific works in
relation to your work
To analyse and evaluate other artists and designers intentions
To identify and develop your understanding of the critical context of your own interests and
ideas within the subject.
To identify books journal and magazine articles, exhibition catalogues, primary sources and
internet sites etc that will be relevant to your subject.
To look beyond simple, popular assumptions about art
To present your report in a professional word-processed document
To reference all secondary sources accurately within your final Report (blog or word-processed
document)

Materials Required
Internet Access; OCVC Library; Visits to Museums and Galleries; Sketchbook/Notebook

Recommended Research
Author

Title

Arnheim R

Visual Thinking

Unit
4

(University of California Press, 2004) ISBN 978-0520018716

Barnard M

Fashion as Communication

(Routledge 2002) ISBN 978-0415260183

Chipp H B

Theories of Modern Art: A Source Book by Artists and Critics

(University of California Press, 1992) ISBN 978-0520052567

Dormer P

Design Since 1945

(Thames & Hudson, 1993) ISBN 978-0500202613

Duby G and Daval J

Sculpture: From Antiquity to the Present Day

(Taschen, 2006) ISBN 978-3822850787

Fiell C and F

Graphic Design Now

(Taschen, 2005) ISBN 978-3822847787

Gauntlett D

Media, Gender and Identity

(Routledge, 2008) ISBN 978-0415396608

Harrison H and Wood

Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas

P (editors)

(Wiley-Blackwell, 2002) ISBN 978-0631227083

Hebdige D

Hiding In The Light: On Images and Things

(Routledge, 1989) ISBN 978-0415007375

4
4

Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)
Howells R

Visual Culture

(Polity Press, 2003) ISBN 978-0745624129

Jodidio P

Architecture Now

(Taschen, 2009) ISBN 978-3836501934

Leighton T (editor)

Art and the Moving Image: A Critical Reader

(Tate, 2008) ISBN 978-1854376251

Monem N (editor)

Contemporary Textiles: The Fabric of Fine Art (Black Dog Publishing, 2008) ISBN

978-1906155292
Papanek V

Design for the Real World (Thames & Hudson, 1985) ISBN 978-0897331531

Raizman D

A History of Modern Design: Graphics and Products Since the Industrial Revolution

(Laurence King, 2004) ISBN 978-1856693486

Riemschneider B and

Art at the Turn of the Millennium (Taschen, 2000) ISBN 978-3822868096

An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture (Routledge, 2004) ISBN 978-

Grosenick U
Strinati, D

0415235006
Sturken, M and

Practices of Looking (Oxford University Press, 2009) ISBN 978-0195314403

The Study of Dress History (Manchester University Press, 2002) ISBN 978-

Cartwright L
Taylor L

0719040658
Walker S

Sustainable by Design (Earthscan, 2006) ISBN 978-1844073535

Walter S and Hanson

Motion Blur: Onedotzero (Laurence King, 2006) ISBN 978-1856694650

Making Contemporary Art: How Todays Artists Think and Work (Thames and

M
Weintraub L

Hudson, 2003) ISBN 978-0500284230

Wells L

Photography: A Critical Introduction (Routledge, 2009) ISBN 978-0415460279

Work to be submitted for assessment

ESSAY at least 2000 words in length with illustrations

Your essay should be word-processed; preferably using In Design template for Exhibition Review
(Unit 1) or similar on A4 paper
Each page should be numbered
Make sure your name appears on each page
Give the full title/question of your extended essay on page 1
Leave good margins
The essay should be 1.5 or double spaced (this allows your tutor to write comments at the
relevant point in the essay)
Use a 12 point font size a basic sans serif font (eg. Arial) is recommended
Make sure you cite all your references using the Harvard referencing system
Good quality illustrations should be included, these can be interspersed throughout the essay or
collected at the end, they should also be referenced i.e. Location of the work, medium, date,
materials, size.
Your essay should be securely bound

Oxfordshire School of Creative Arts, Assignment Brief

Edexcel BTEC Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (QCF)
Assessment Criteria

In order to pass this unit, you need to demonstrate that you can meet all the learning outcomes for the unit. The
assessment criteria for a pass grade (below) describe the level of achievement required to pass this unit.

To achieve a pass grade you must show that you are able to:
p1

Explore techniques and processes using appropriate media safely (IE, CT)

P2

Manipulate media in relation to creative potential (IE, CT, EP)

P3

Record experimentation and information in an appropriate format (SM)

P4

Experiment and combine different media (IE, SM, RL)

P5

Evaluate the effectiveness of different media (EP, TW)

P6

Reflect on success and failure (RL)

P7

Identify new or existing possibilities (CT, EP)

PLTS (Personal Learning and Thinking Skills): This summary references in the brackets the elements of the
personal, learning and thinking skills applicable in the pass criteria. It identifies opportunities for learners to
demonstrate effective application of the referenced elements of the skills.

Key

IE

independent
enquirers
CT creative thinkers

RL reflective learners

SM self-managers

TW team workers

EP effective participators