Choose a work of art in the world in which you live, defined in whatever way you prefer, and, in no fewer than 750 words, first carefully describe it so as to identify its thematic content and then situate it within the network of social relations and historical conditions you see giving shape to its meaning. Please attach one or more reproductions of the artwork at the end of your essay. (These reproductions do not count in calculating the length of your completed work, however. Respect the required word count indicated in the first paragraph, above.)

Keep in mind that you are NOT being asked to offer your opinion of the work youve chosen to discuss; youre being asked to reason historically from visual evidence.

Be sure the text you turn in is more than a series of observations but an accomplished paper one that begins with an introductory claim, develops through a series of paragraphs with smooth and logical transitions, and concludes in a fashion that accords both with your defining claim and title.