User:Jkrulicki/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: History of painting
 * I have chosen this article because throughout my high school education I took art history every year, and was extremely interested in painting (specifically the impressionist era).

Lead

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the Lead include an introductory sentence that concisely and clearly describes the article's topic?
 * Yes, although the second sentence following does give more insight into the full article.
 * Does the Lead include a brief description of the article's major sections?
 * Yes, the Lead covers all of the sections from its purpose, audience, and influences.
 * Does the Lead include information that is not present in the article?
 * No, all of the article in the Lead is used throughout the article, and the Lead covers that information following the chronological order of the article which is helpful.
 * Is the Lead concise or is it overly detailed?
 * The lead is concise, however may not need to include the specific names of Romantic Period painters when it does not name painters from other eras.

Lead evaluation
This lead is clear, concise, and relevant to the article. The second sentence gives a bit more insight to the article following the first introductory sentence that is describing the article's topic. It covers all sections including the purpose, audience, and influences in different art periods throughout its history. All of the information included in the Lead is relevant and covered in the rest of the article, as well as included following the chronological order of the article. The lead is concise, however may not need to include specific names of Romantic Period painters when it does not name painters from other eras throughout the rest of the Lead.

Content

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article's content relevant to the topic?
 * Yes, the article covers both written and visual content that relate to the article, as well as the meaning behind some of the paintings and their use in earlier periods.
 * Is the content up-to-date?
 * There is one paragraph under a subheading for 21st-century art. I feel that this section of the article could be expanded upon, since this is an art history article it could explain the context this has given our current painting and evaluate the trajectory of that industry in the present.
 * Is there content that is missing or content that does not belong?
 * No, all the content is relevant in the article.

Content evaluation
The article's content is all relevant to the topic, and provides both written and visual content that relates back to the article. The article also provides the meaning and influence behind all of the paintings, which delves into the cultures it touches upon which helps the reader understand influences behind the paintings. The content is up to date, however there is only one small paragraph under 21st century art that could potentially be expanded upon. This section of the article could explain the context of the past paintings and how they influence our current industry, if a source could be found for this information. All of the content in the article is also relevant to art history and the evolution and influence of painting.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article neutral?
 * Are there any claims that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Does the article attempt to persuade the reader in favor of one position or away from another?

Tone and balance evaluation
The article remains neutral throughout, and none of the claims appear overly biased. There are no specific viewpoints, but all influencing painting periods are represented throughout the article, providing information on many movements throughout the history of painting. The article does not attempt to persuade the reader towards a specific position.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions


 * Are all facts in the article backed up by a reliable secondary source of information?
 * Are the sources thorough - i.e. Do they reflect the available literature on the topic?
 * Are the sources current?
 * Check a few links. Do they work?

Sources and references evaluation
All sections of the article provide links to mentioned artistic movements as well as all visual paintings. A lot of the sources are derived from museums, which does cover an extensive area of the topic, however there could be more information found in other literature. A few sources are from websites that do not seem to be the most reputable. The sources are current, however some (such as sources from the Guggenheim) require a log in which may not be accessible for all users reading this article.

Organization

 * Guiding questions


 * Is the article well-written - i.e. Is it concise, clear, and easy to read?
 * Yes, the article covers all topics in a concise manner and uses appropriate punctuation and avoids run-on sentences.
 * Does the article have any grammatical or spelling errors?
 * No, there are no spelling errors in the article.
 * Is the article well-organized - i.e. broken down into sections that reflect the major points of the topic?
 * Yes, the article is organized in chronological order that makes it easy to understand, from earliest versions of painting to 21st-century art. This organization as well as breaking it up into multiple different culture subsections makes it easy to follow.

Organization evaluation
The article is well-written and avoids grammar and spelling errors. The topics are covered in a concise manner and uses appropriate punctuation, as well as avoids run-on sentences. It is also written in chronological order, from the earliest evidence of paintings to the 21st century, making it easy to understand in tandem with its separation into different cultures and their painting techniques/influences.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions


 * Does the article include images that enhance understanding of the topic?
 * Yes, provides many images to follow the text which is very helpful
 * Are images well-captioned?
 * Yes, all include title of the subject matter as well as time periods and a brief description.
 * Do all images adhere to Wikipedia's copyright regulations?
 * Yes, all of them are provided with links and credits to original owners.
 * Are the images laid out in a visually appealing way?
 * For the most part, at the end of each section there is a large section of images. While this does break up the text in an organized manner, they could be more spread out to provide less blocking.

Images and media evaluation
Many images are included in this article to follow the text in each section, which proves to be helpful since the subject is on visual art and makes the text easier to understand. They are well-captioned, including the title of the work and the artist, as well as cited correctly. For the most part, they are laid out in an appealing way, as they are included at the end of each section, however this does break up text abruptly and could perhaps be more dispersed.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions


 * What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * There are contradictions about the level of complexity in the article, there may be too much information. Same feedback I had above about contextualizing 21st century paintings, as well as some missing centuries and some artists that are not easily found on google.
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * Within the scope of Visual Arts and Philosophy projects, and is rated B-Class
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
 * The article has an overload of information that is not easily digestible at a quick glance

Talk page evaluation
In the talk page, there are conversation about how the article is too much information and may be too complex. There is also feedback similar to my evaluation above, where there is mention of contextualizing 21st century paintings since there is a lack of that information in the article, as well as some centuries or cultures that are missing or included but not easily found on google. The article is rated as a B-Class article, and is a part of WikiProjects including Visual Arts and Philosophy. The way Wikipedia discusses the topic indicates that it has an overload of information that isn't easily digestible at a quick glance.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions


 * What is the article's overall status?
 * It is a level-5 vital article in History, rated B-Class so if it can be improved it is encouraged that people edit it.
 * What are the article's strengths?
 * Its strengths are the amount of information included, as well as the variety of cultures it mentions.
 * How can the article be improved?
 * This article can be improved by editing the amount of information in each period or culture to make sure it is equally covering all subtopics under this broad topic. It can also work to be more condensed and pick only the most important photos so there is not as much of a gap in between text.
 * How would you assess the article's completeness - i.e. Is the article well-developed? Is it underdeveloped or poorly developed?
 * The article is well-developed, however a bit of editing to make it more condensed could be an asset.

Overall evaluation
This article is a level-5 vital article in the History category, rated B-Class so it is urged that people edit it if it can be improved. Its strengths include the amount of information included, as well as the broad variety of cultures it mentions. This article could be improved by editing the amount of information in each period or culture to make sure it is equally covering all subtopics under this umbrella topic. It can also work to be more condensed and filter only the most important photos so there is not as much of a gab in between the text and photos. The article's overall completeness is well-developed, however a bit of editing to make it more condensed could be an asset.

Optional activity

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