文书点评：美术与教育（Fine Arts and Education）

Fine Arts and Education

I see myself not just as a painter, but as an archaeologist. My brushes are tools that chisel into me, layer by layer, as I seek pieces of lost civilization beneath obscuring strata of identity. When I am painting, I delve inward, striving to be as honest as possible with the artifacts of self-discovery I encounter.

In my current work, I explore themes of metamorphosis. Though I derive my figures and compositions from classical sources, my thematic emphasize subjects outside of our contemporary mainstream society -- namely outcasts and rebellious women. In my representation of such subjects, I aim to expose the struggle of mind and body as set against the decaying backdrop of western civilization. The subject of transformation in my works was a natural development, born from my interest in mythology, particularly Ovid’s "Metamorphoses." Metamorphosis also projects my desire to break out of standard artistic forms, both figuratively and literally. The struggle between the technological age and the magical nature of the organic is a subject that particularly fascinates me.

Two factors have contributed to my decision to pursue my education at the graduate level. First, by attending graduate school, I would have the opportunity to explore the personal language of paint in an atmosphere of intense dialogue with other artists and scholars. In addition, I seek further education in order to refine and improve my level of written discourse on subjects related to art. I feel that graduate school will enable me to discuss and research contemporary issues that are of chief importance to an artist practicing in today’s society. Two of the 20th-century artists I most admire, Francis Bacon and Marlene Dumas, strongly interacted with their environments. Continuously collecting information and ideas for their paintings, they sought to create a personal language through a dialogue of modern ideas. Bacon’s viewpoints, for instance, were often as interesting as his paintings.

My other goal in attending graduate school, along with expanding my knowledge of history and art, is to prepare for a future career in education. In particular, this aim has become a reality to me over the past year of writing my undergraduate thesis. It is extremely important to me that I, as an artist and as a teacher, maintain a state of openness and awareness. I strongly believe that the best teachers are themselves engaged daily in the act of learning. In order to be creative, it is imperative to be open and vulnerable; however, I believe that good art has to possess an element of courage in order to provoke positive change.

While living in England several years ago, I taught arts and crafts to a group of children, using my home as a studio and classroom. Over the course of a few months, my students gained not only artistic skills, but also confidence in their abilities and aesthetic visions. As the children shared their enthusiasm for their art lessons with their parents, my little group grew significantly larger. This experience was quite exhilarating; I enjoyed teaching within a group dynamic as well as dealing with students one on one. As a teacher, I discovered that within the wide spectrum of individuals, each one may take a slightly different approach toward art -- making listening skills extremely important in a teacher. I also learned much about the way cultures and varying social classes affect people. Living in the north of England and traveling throughout Europe gave me a chance to understand how culture influences people, and in turn how they process this through their art.

One of the reasons Pratt is so appealing to me, besides the obvious attraction of its location within a cultural mecca, is the unique opportunity to earn a combined degree in fine arts with a minor in art history (M.S./M.F.A.). My main area of interest outside of painting is art history; I would love to teach art history in conjunction with studio arts. I feel compelled to understand how art has affected culture -- and vice versa -- throughout history, even as I continue to search for my own language through painting.

点评：

这篇essay以情动人加以事实说明，让人感受到他/她对于艺术和教育的热情。

首先作者用比较优美的语句表明了自己的背景和研究方向。但是这一部分写得比较意味深长，不够开门见山，读者很难理解他的目的何在。

之后作者明确表明自己的要攻读研究生的原因。这里所表明的两个原因都是很具有说服力的，第一个就是对于专业上的追求，第二个结合自己的教学经历，说明深造的另外一个目的是为了教书育人。

在说明目的的同时，作者也说了自己的学习计划和目标。最后，这篇文章说明了为什么选择这间学校的原因。
总的来说，文章的语言优美，触动读者心灵的同时以事实来支撑观点。缺点就是一开始没有直奔主题，太感性化，让人摸不着头脑。

译文：

美术与教育

我不仅仅把自己看成是一个画家，还是一个考古学家。我的画笔像凿子般一层层地深入我体内，正如我寻找在模糊的阶级意识下迷失的文明。当我绘画的时候，我总是全情投入，努力尝试把画跟我潜意识中的史前文物相吻合。

在我目前的工作当中，我探寻变形的主题。虽然我的作品和主人公来源于经典，但是我的主题却脱离当代主流社会――即是被遗弃的和反叛的妇女。在表现这些主题的过程中，我的目的在于呈现在西方文明衰退的背景之下精神和肉体的抗争。我作品主题的转变是自然发展的，来源于我对神话，特别是奥维德的《变形记》的兴趣。变形也是我希望在象征和字面上突破传统艺术形式的主题。科技时代和有机体神秘本能的斗争是特别吸引我的主题。

促使我决定在研究生水平继续学习的原因有两个。首先，加入研究生院之后，我可以在浓厚的讨论气氛中与其他艺术家和学者探讨我个人关于绘画的观点。另外，继续学习可以增强和改进我的艺术相关论文写作水平。我认为研究生院可以让我讨论和研究那些对于一个艺术家在当今社会工作至关重要的当代事件。我最钦佩的两个二十世纪的艺术家是佛兰思斯培根和马林仲马，他们受到所处环境的很大影响。坚持不懈的为作品收集信息和意见，他们追求创作出与现代观点相符的个人语言。例如培根的观点就和他的画一样吸引。

除了扩展在历史和艺术方面的知识，我加入研究生院的其他目标是为了我将来的教育事业做好准备。这个目标在本科论文之中我就已经详细描述并且在过去的几年内成为事实。作为一个艺术家和老师，保持开放和学习的心态是极其重要的。我坚信最好的老师是把自己融入每天的学习之中。为了变得具有创造性，就必须开放和接受挫折。但是，我相信好的艺术必须包含激发积极改变的勇气。

几年前我住在英格兰的时候，我把自己的家当作画室和课室教一群小孩艺术和手工艺。在短短几个月的课程之后，我的学生不仅掌握了艺术技能，还培养了对能力和审美观点的信心。随着那些小孩与父母分享对艺术课的热情，我的学生也越来越多。这是一个很愉快的经历，我享受了集体教学与单独授课的乐趣。作为一个老师，我发现在一个群体当中，每个人对于艺术的理解都可能会有细微的差别。这使得聆听的技巧对于老师来说变得很重要。我也意识到文化和多变的社会阶级是怎样影响人们的。住在英格兰北部和欧洲旅游的经历给了我一个机会去了解文化怎样影响人们以及人们反过来怎样影响文化。

除了其显而易见的地处文化麦加的诱惑之外，普拉特吸引我的原因是在这里可以有独一无二的机会去获得艺术硕士和辅修艺术历史硕士的联合学位。我主要感兴趣的领域除了绘画之外就是艺术历史了。我喜欢在教授绘画艺术的时候结合艺术历史。即使当我继续在绘画当中寻找自己语言的时候，我觉得很有必要去知道历史上艺术怎样影响文化以及文化怎样影响历史。