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FORMAL/VISUAL ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ART
A work of art is the product of the dynam
FORMAL/VISUAL ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ART
A work of art is the product of the dynamic interrelationships between the artist’s various art elements and principles. As you engage with a work of art, ask yourself why the artist made such choices. By looking more closely at artworks and trying to name the elements and principles of art used to create them, we may further understand the artist’s intended vision. We will notice how the artwork often reflects the time and place it came from.
It is important to remember the vocabulary studies in the Online Lessons Units I and II and the chapter on Themes found in the textbook.
Vocabulary review
Line: Do you see any outlines that define objects, shapes, or forms? Are lines used to emphasize a direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal)? Describe the essential lines: straight or curved, short or long, thick or thin? How do you think the artist used lines to focus attention on objects, forms, or people? Are any invisible lines implied? For example, is a hand pointing, is the path of a figure’s gaze creating a psychological line, or is the linear perspective used? Do the lines have an expressive quality, as in Van Gogh’s Starry Night?
Light: If the work is a two-dimensional object, is a source of light depicted or implied? Is the light source natural or artificial? Do the shadows created by the light appear true to life, or has the artist distorted them? How is the depiction of shadows, through line or color? If the object shown is three-dimensional, how does it interact with the light in its setting? How do gradations of shadows and highlights create form, depth, emphasis, or order in the composition?
Color: Which colors are predominantly used in this depiction? If the object is black and white or shades of gray, did the artist choose to do this because of the media they were working in, or did
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such shades create a certain mood or effect? Color can best be described by its hue, tone, and intensity (the hue is its basic shade, for example, blue or red). Does the artist’s choice of color create a certain mood? Do they use complementary colors—red/green, violet/yellow, blue/orange—or analogous ones (those next to each other on the color wheel)? Does the artist use “warm” or “cool” colors? In which parts of the work? Is atmospheric perspective present in the composition? It happens when cool colors recede, creating a blurred background. Do you notice any visual effects, such as optical color mixing?
Texture: What is the actual texture on the surface of the object? Is it rough or smooth? What is the implied texture? Are patterns created through the use of texture?
Shape: What shapes do you see? If the work has a flat surface, are the shapes shown on it two-dimensional, or are they made to appear (illusionistic) three-dimensional or volumetric? If the result is a three-dimensional object, how volumetric is its shape? Is it nearly flat, or does it have substantial mass? Is the shape organic (seemingly from nature) or geometric (composed of regular lines and curves)? Can you see any implied shapes? In representations of people, how does shape lend character to a figure? Are these figures proud or timid, strong or weak, beautiful or grotesque?
Form: Did the artist choose a geometric or organic form or a combination? Why do you think the artist made these choices?
Volume and mass: Has the artist used volume or mass to express feelings or communicate ideas? Is the work a closed or open volume?
Space: How does the form created by shape and line fill the space of the composition? Is there a negative or empty space without objects in it? If the artwork is three-dimensional, how does it fill ourspace? Is it our size, or does it dwarf us? If the piece is two-dimensional, is the space flat, or does it visually project into ours? How does the artist create depth in the image (using layering figures/objects, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, isometric perspective, or foreshortening of figures)?
Time and motion: Does the artwork somehow communicate the passage of time? For example, it may tell a story or narrate a series of events. Consider whether the work involves motion (implied or actual). Remember that even static artwork, such as a painting or a sculpture, can express movement.
Value: Are there any significant value changes (i.e., changes in the degrees of darkness or lightness) in the work? If so, why do you think the artist used value this way?
Principles of Art
Artists use the elements of art to produce these design principles.
Emphasis: The emphasis in an artwork refers to a focal point in the image or object. What is your eye drawn to? Does the artist create tension or intrigue us by creating more than one area of interest? Or is the work of art afocal—that is, the viewer cannot find a particular place to rest the eye? Is there a psychological focus created through the elements of art?
Scale and proportion: What is the size of all the forms, and how do they relate proportionally to one
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another? Did the artist create objects larger in scale to emphasize them? Or was scale used to create depth? Are objects in the foreground, middle ground, or background? Look at the scale of the artwork itself. Is it larger or smaller than you expected?
Balance: Balance is produced by the visual weight of shapes and forms within a composition. Balance can be symmetrical—in which each side of an artwork is the same—or asymmetrical. Radial balance is when the elements appear to radiate from a central point. How are opposites—light/shadow, straight/curved lines, complementary colors—used?
Rhythm: Rhythm is created by repetition. What repeated elements do you see? Does the repetition create a subtle pattern, decorative ornamentation? Or does it create an intensity, a tension? Name the type of rhythm used: is it simple, repetitive, progressive, or alternating? Does the rhythm unify the work, or does it, on the contrary, seem like a group of disparate parts?
Unity and variety: Is the artwork unified and cohesive, or disordered and chaotic? How does the artist use the elements to achieve this? Consider the work in terms of its composition and the concepts it explores, which can also unify an artwork. Is there diversity in the use of elements that create variety? Consider value, texture, color, shape, and other elements of art. How does the artwork combine aspects of unity and variety?
Pattern: Can you find any repetition of an element (such as shape, value, or color) in the artwork that creates a pattern? A design repeated as a unit is called a motif. Can you see any motifs in the work?
Media and Technique
Is the object two- or three-dimensional? What limitations, if any, might the chosen medium create for the artist?
Drawing: Consider the materials used: pencil, silverpoint, chalk, charcoal, crayon, pastel, ink, and wash. Was the artist able to make controlled strokes with this medium? Would the tool create a thick or thin line? One that was defined or blurred? Was the drawing intended to be a work of art, or is it a study for another work, a peek into the artist’s creative process?
Painting: How did the type of paint affect the strokes the artist could make? Was it fresco, oil, tempera, watercolor, encaustic, acrylic, or other paint? Was it a fast-drying paint that allowed little time to make changes? What kind of textures and lines was the artist able to create with this medium? Does it create a shiny or flat look? How durable was the medium? How was the paint applied to the surface: with a brush, a palette knife, dripped, or sprayed?
Printmaking: What is the process the artist undertook to create this work? Did the artist need to engrave or etch? Did the medium require a steady hand? Strength or patience?
Visual communication design: What format did the designer select (poster, book, advertisement, etc.)? Is the work color or black and white? How does the artwork combine text and images?
Sculpture: Is the sculpture high or low relief, or can we see the object in the round? What challenges did the material present to the artist? Was the work created through a subtractive process (beginning with a large mass of the medium and taking away from it to complete form) or an additive one (in which sculptors add material to make the final artwork)? What tools did the artist use to create the form? If the form is human, is the painting life-size?
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Architecture: Does the building stand for a community’s work or a leader’s power? How was it constructed? What was the structure’s intended use? How does it fit with its surroundings? Is it a domineering or welcoming structure?
Traditional craft media: Is the work made of ceramic, glass, metal, fiber, wood, or other material? Why do you think the artist chose this material?
Photography: Was the photograph taken digitally or using film? Is it in color or in black and white? What is the subject matter?
Film or video: Is the film in color or black in white? Is it silent, or is there sound? How is it displayed in the gallery?
Alternative media: Does the work emphasize ideas rather than the physical product? Is there a physical product? The result could be conceptual or temporary—a performance by an artist, for example. Are you, as the viewer, involved in the work? Perhaps you are walking through an installation or environment created by the artist.
MODES OF ANALYSIS
Consider whether any of the following ways of analyzing an artwork can be applied to the subject of your assignment:
Formal and stylistic analysis: Does the work depict objects or people we would recognize in the world (is it representational)? Alternatively, is its subject matter completely unrecognizable (is it non-objective)? To what degree has the artist simplified, emphasized, or distorted aspects of forms in the work (or abstracted it)? Does this artwork have a unique style? Or can you name characteristics it shares with other artworks by the same artist, from the same period or place, or belonging to the same artistic group or movement?
Iconographic analysis: Can you interpret things in the work as signs or symbols? For example, is there anything that suggests a religious meaning or indicates the social status of somebody depicted in the work? Labels often provide valuable information about iconography.
Biographical and psychological analysis: Would information about the artist’s life help you interpret the work? Do you think the artist’s state of mind (happy, depressed, anxious) has affected the artwork? Again, labels are often a reliable source of biographical detail. In some museums, volunteer docents can answer questions about an artist’s life and works.
Feminist and gender studies analysis: Is the role of women in the artwork important? Is the artist commenting on the experience of women in society? Is the artist a woman? How does the gender of the artist affect their work? How does your gender affect your experience of viewing the artwork?
Contextual analysis: Consider the date (year) the work was created. Often, we understand the work more profoundly if we know the historical facts of the era in which it was made. Think about a critical issue in terms of politics, war, religious change, or economic and social aspects that could have influenced the artist to create their artwork.
** no citations as this is a personal museum visit essay**
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