1997 Arts Assessment Strategies ReportExercise Four From the Interior Space Task

To get exposure to a different approach to interior space, students are now asked to observe and write about what strategies Hopper uses to convey meaning in his work. Notice how the exercise guides students' looking and writing with a list of aspects to notice.

Scoring Guide

NOTE: Students will likely refer to

• dark space of window
• woman's face
• isolated bowl of flowers/fruit on window ledge
• isolated figure
• doorway and stairs partially shown, so the eye is led away from exits back to figure placed against dark window
• eye led back to figure and figure's solitude by bright bowl of fruit just behind the figure
• empty chair and a single table with one seated figure in a quiet, empty room
• woman and table placed so that empty space of room dominates work

4 - EXTENSIVE The student provides a plausible description of what the artist might have wanted to communicate in the painting and thoroughly and intelligently addresses the topics listed in the prompt in order to support his or her point of view. [Sample Response]

3 - ESSENTIAL The student provides a plausible description of what the artist might have wanted to communicate in the painting and addresses -- often in general terms -- two or three of the topics listed in the prompt; OR the student intelligently and precisely addresses one topic. [Sample Response]

2 - PARTIAL The student offers a description of what the artist might have wanted to communicate in the painting that is inadequately supported. Often, students at this level will describe only one or two aspects of the work without offering an interpretation. [Sample Response]

1 - UNACCEPTABLE the student neither addresses the topics listed in the prompt nor describes what the artist might have wanted to communicate in the painting. Or, the discussion is inaccurate.

NEXT: Exercises Five to Seven From the Interior Space Task