SOVA 2007 (Prelim 1) Model Answers

The three common criteria for SOVA assessment include:

1. Artistic Perception and Interpretation (API)
2. Cultural and Aesthetic Appreciation (CAA)
3. Personal Response (PR)

Answers should make use of appropriate subject language and terminology and marks will be awarded where a candidate makes relevant answers which are effective but not fully outline in the marking scheme.

Choice One: An analysis of one work:

My Father and the Astronaut by Ibrahim Hussein 1970

A	As a demand for descriptive and visual analysis is the main element of this question, API is important here but can also be linked to PR
	Two figures at the same point in time	2
	Portrayed in a setting which suggests the depth of infinity	2
	One figure is very high tech with all the necessary implements to survive in space and the other simply exists by being perfectly adapted to his environment	2
	The two figures are equal in size with realistic almost photographic detail in part but their edges gradually fuse with the background	2
	Whilst the Malay villager looks into infinity as if staring into the darkness of space the astronaut who might actually be in space reflects the landscape and environment of the Malay villager in his helmet visor.  Lettering informs the observer of an exact moment in time.	2
	A Total	10

B	The question demands a mixture of all three (API, CAA and PR) but the emphasis is on CAA
	The painting is reflecting on human existence	1
	Although technology and science allows man to explore the extremities of space man still craves the traditions of survival and simple living.  All kinds of questions about the cost of technology, how it can change centuries of tradition but not actually answer the basic needs of mankind are at issue here	3
	Both figures look out at the viewer and whilst the Malay villager attempts to engage us with ideas of physical existence the astronaut looks our way but his eyes are masked by the reflected landscape.  It could suggest that despite being able to conquer space man’s thoughts still reflect on the life they leave behind on earth and how they are still linked to basic instincts.	3
	Perhaps both views are valid and at the given point in time both figures exist and both are at issue with the ideas of human survival and what lies beyond for all of us.  Perhaps in this respect the two figures though initially far apart in terms of culture and identity are in fact bound up with the same issues of this life and the next.	3
	B Total	10

C	PR is the main element in this question but elements of Interpretation are also demanded.
	The artist attempts to portray ideas of infinity and the links between different people’s ambitions and ideas and the way they might differ yet remain in the self conscious as a kind of hope or dream.	2
	To suggest the idea of this space and outer space, a dark mysterious backdrop allows the figures to be highlighted in the centre of the composition to focus the viewer’s attention.  This is an effective device and gives the technology of the astronaut and the simplicity of the father figure a similar environment in which to exist	4
	The human forms are made believable by great attention to detail and the use of tone and colour makes the dream seem a possibility.	2
	Thinning of paint in some areas makes an effective contrast in texture of the surface and engages the eye to explore the work.	2
	C Total	10

OR

Snake Dancer by Hendra Gunawan 1977

A	Descriptive skills are the biggest demand here and the most important in this answer will be API.  Personal Response is also necessary.
	A snake dancer performs in a frenzy of bright colour and movement.  She assumes the rhythmic movements of the snakes that she dances with.  A crowd of onlookers encircle the dancer.	3
	The choice of subject matter is typical of this artist who often portrays the life of street workers and performers.  Although the snake dancer appears confident performing in close proximity to the dangerous snakes, there is a sense of fear, anxiety, horror and excitement reflected in the faces and gestures of the audience.  There may also be a sense of pity and admiration for a person who has to work in such dangerous conditions to survive.	5
	Bright colours evoke a sense of carnival or entertainment, which belies the dangers involved.	2
	A Total	10

B	The main part of this question will test both API and CAA, where Interpretation and Cultural aspects are the main elements.
	The subject matter is traditional for South East Asia and is linked to the mythology and typical street performance found in street entertainment.	2
	The artist’s attention to pattern in the clothes and gestures of the figures is reminiscent of traditional Asian decorative arts such as batik and wood carving.	2
	Whilst the bright colours may also in part derive from traditional methods the general feel of the use of vivid colour and distorted human forms is closer to Western expressionism as found in the works of Kandinsky or Nolde.	2
	The free handling technique with bold and open brushwork shows an interest in some aspects of Western painting.  This could be the effect of Matisse and Fauve colour and other artists such as Gaugin or Van Gogh and their treatment of subject matter with dramatic brushwork and non descriptive use of colour.  In this instance the brushwork varies in size and its expressionist qualities seem to join the actual dance movement itself.	4
	B Total	10

C	PR is the main element in this question but elements of API are also demanded.
	Use of almost non-naturalistic colour to form a bold, flat pattern.	2
	Colour is not entirely used to describe the appearance of things but rather to suggest the energy of the dance and the exotic nature of the subject matter.  Colour no longer adheres to the boundaries of shapes.  Rather the edges are freely distorted to emphasize energy and movement.  The sense of space exists but is ambiguous and background colours merge one with another.	4
	The changing size of figures suggests an open space which recedes.  The main element of the composition of the dancer is enlarged to form the most prominent part of the work.	2
	Brushstrokes and textures vary with some very open, bold brushstrokes in some areas and contrasting flat areas of bright colours in others.	2
	C Total	10

Choice Two:  A comparison between two works.

Artist and Model by Liu Kang 1954 and Workers in a Canteen by Chia Mia Tee 1974

A	This section is testing AIP and CAA.  Comparison should include a clear visual description as to the appearance of each work and the content of the subject matter.
	In Liu Kang’s painting, the artist is seen painting a model who is a Balinese girl.  The two people have equal portrayal in the composition which is set in a landscape.  The setting is idyllic presenting a calm and colourful surrounding.  The image is made up of flat pattern and the feeling is one of calm.	5
	Workers in a Canteen is cammed with workers who fill the space.  The space is cramped and the feeling is one of bustle and activity. People eat, find spaces and queue giving a sense of a very full and active space.  The artist makes use of depth and perspective to add to the feeling of urgency and realism.  The use of contrasting tone and detail adds to the overall effect.	5
	A Total	10

B	This question is testing AIP and the understanding of the formal elements of art such as colour, depth, tone, brushwork, and how these are used by the artist.
	The colour in Artist and Model is bright and highly contrasting, possibly influenced by some knowledge of Matisse and Fauvist ideas. Complementary reds and greens and blues and oranges are arranged in a decorative pattern.  The depth is shallow and the flat areas of colour have no modeling or shading which makes the work very two dimensional in appearance.  The pattern like structure is aided by the use of  flat white line as a contour to forms.	5
	In Workers in a Canteen the colours are somber and almost monochrome brown shades.  There is a high contrast in the tone which aids the idea of realism and helps to give a sense of depth.  Light flickers across the workers creating areas of sharp tonal contrast.  The general light effect centres the eye on the lighter toned central figure and tones darken towards the edges of the painting which is a planned strategy to keep the viewer engaged in the work.	5
	B Total	10

C	This question places more emphasis on PR.
	In the Artist and Model the subject is more personal.  The feelings are optimistic and give a sense of well-being. The model is lost in thought whilst the artist concentrates on his drawing. There is also a feeling of closeness and privacy where the figures sit close together, having had tea and the mountains and landscape enclose them.	5
	By contrast Workers in a Canteen is a social commentary.  It shows the realistic conditions of factory life and how  the lunch break is at once a very busy and active moment but also a relief from work.  The artist gives us the feeling of the detached observer as if looking through a window onto the scene.  There is an element of social comment but it does not pass a judgement about conditions apart from the fact that the scene is cramped and drab working clothes predominate making the people seem less individual but actually part of a larger concern as a cog in the industrial process.	5
	C Total	10

OR

Growth by Han Sai Por 1985 and European Field by Antony Gormley 1991

A	Much of this answer relates to API
	Both works use simplified forms but Growth is abstracted from organic forms and shapes whereas the Gormley depends on a rather crude, simplified basic model of the human form.	3
	Therefore Growth appears much more abstract as it does not replicate nature.  Whilst Gormley’s work consists of thousands of human figures which occupy a large interior space to form an installation.   It creates the sense of landscape filled with people  The figures are not always displayed in the same space but are set up in different venues.	3
	In terms of materials Growth is carefully formed and carved to a smooth abstract shape which takes considerable refining.  In contrast, the treatment of materials appears in rough in Gormley’s work.  The maker moulds a rough human form without any refining apart from basic clay modeling.  A head is made clear and the eyes poked in.	4
	A Total	10

B	This question is relevant to all three depending on the structure of the answer.
	The answer should cover the reasons why these works and ideas have such differing outcomes. Both artists reduce forms to a minimal representation and this is common to art which is more about ideas than recording nature and therefore they are works of a conceptual art.  The imagination is more important that trying to record exactly what can be seen through traditional observation.	2
	In Growth the five pieces carefully relate to each other to suggest the idea of growth.  The forms are simplified and made abstract to give an organic nature to the artwork.  The artist’s idea is to suggest that the organic and abstract forms are in a constant state of transformation into some new forms.  It is as if we keep watching they might change appearance in front of us.	4
	Gromly intended his work as a public work of art and to be created with the help of the local community.  He has taken the crudest form to represent the human being.  This enable the figurines to be mass produced by hand and by any number of people who wish to take part in the artwork.  It creates a strong sense of the community.	4
	B Total	10

C	This question places more emphasis on PR and the candidate will be expected to give reasons for their ideas and views and where possible to support them with appropriate points and examples.
	The answer must address reasons for the sculptures appearance and determine how effective the work is according to appearance, use of materials and ideas.	3
	The selected work must be defended and personal view points added.  The ‘how’ element to the question could take on working practice and what happens in both the artist’s studio and in his method of display.	3
	The candidate must then inform an opinion as to why they think the work is an effective work of art.  This will need to be supported by giving reasons why the work is successful.  Some indication of the artist’s ideas behind the sculpture will be necessary.	4
	C Total	10