Analyzing Art

Importance of Analyzing Visual Art

  • Helps us understand how and why images affect us in a specific way

  • Helps us evaluate the message of the art and our reaction

  • Prepares us for possible AP writing prompts & general education courses in college (i.e., Art Appreciation or Music Appreciation type courses

Formal Analysis of Artwork

  • Similar to a literary analysis essay

  • You will state an interpretation of the artwork

  • You will support your view by analyzing various components of the artwork and show how these various elements work together to create an overall impression

    • Point of view

    • Subject matter

    • Shapes, colors, textures

7 Steps to Analyzing Artwork

1. Note Your Impressions

  • What are you feeling when you look at the artwork?

    • Fear?

    • Pleasure?

    • Shock?

  • What associations or memories come t o you as you see this pieces of art?

2. Record Basic Information

  • What is the name of the piece of art?

  • Who is the artist?

  • When and where was it created?

  • Was it created for a specific purpose or commissioned by a specific person or group?

  • Of what medium (oil, watercolors, ink, chalk, etc.) is the artwork composed

  • Is the artwork identified with a particular style of artwork?

    • Ex. Cubism or Impressionism

3. Study the Subject Matter

  • What is in the picture?

    • People, places, animals, objects, etc.

  • Is there some action captured or is it a picture of a fixed subject? An abstract confluence of shape?

  • See if the artwork fits into a category - you will receive pages on Canvas to help you with this step

4. Beyond Realism

  • Some art contains a mix a realistic landscape perhaps, but also mixes in abstract elements

    • If the case, look for what essence of the abstract object the artist might be trying to render

5. Analyze the Painting’s Composition and Design

*As you address each question below, ask yourself why the artist chose to paint/create it this way. What was gained by each choice

#1

  • What is the arrangement of the subject matter in the picture?

    • What is the focal point?

#2

  • Are all the elements in the picture equal in size, proportion and emphasis?

    • Is the composition balanced or dramatically asymmetrical for some reason?

#3

  • Are any of the elements used in a symbolic or nonrealistic way?

#4

  • What role does light and dark play in the pictures?

    • Sunlight or shadow?

#5

  • What colors predominate?

    • Are the colors soft, muted, tranquil?

    • Bright, bold, or energetic?

    • Coo hues (pale blues and greens, for example) or warm (reds, oranges, yellows)?

    • A mix of shades or unusual colors for special effect?

#6

  • Are the lines and shapes in the picture hard, flat, or geometrical

    • Or soft and gently sloped?

    • Irregular or curvy, perhaps suggesting motion or action?

    • Is there a pattern or repeated shape?

#7

  • Are the lines in the picture distinct or are they irregular or broke? Thick or thin?

#8

  • What medium (physical materials) did the artist choose (oil paints, water colors, tempera, chalk, etc.)

    • Is the painting on canvas, paper, silk, or some other material?

#9

  • What sort of brush stroke is evident?

    • How is the pigment applied (long flowing strokes, short swirling circles, small dabs, heavy globs, strings of paint, etc. or a combination)?

#10

  • What is the effect of the paint texture (roughness, radiance, translucence, flatness, etc.)?

6. Identify the Artwork’s Period Style or “School”

  • Recognizing the artwork as part of, or influenced by, a particular artistic movement may help you better understand important elements of its composition or design

7. Reassess

  • Now that you’ve studied the artwork, reassess your initial reactions:

    • Did your interpretation of the piece change?

    • Has your analysis broadened or changed your understanding of the piece