In on the Joke

The assignment described in this essay encourages active, holistic analysis and articulation of the distinctive features of an artist’s body of work. In preparation for a final essay interrogating a pattern across multiple works, first-year undergraduates at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts create a style parody of, or homage to, their chosen artist’s work in a medium of their choice (which may or may not align with the artist’s). After studying the artist’s patterns of form and content, students gain a deeper perspective on those patterns by actively distilling them into a work that reflects and/or exaggerates what they’ve observed. The assignment engages creative and metacognitive processes, including thinking from the perspective of the artist, and gives them a tangible reference point to both consider and move beyond in their upcoming essay.