Assignment #1: Visual Analysis
Requirements:
- Two typewritten, double-spaced pages (approximately 500 words) minimum; the analysis can be longer than this.
- Image of the artwork, taken by you, with a label of the title, artist, date, and location of art museum or gallery
- Proof that you went to a museum or gallery. This can be a “selfie” of you in front of the artwork or art gallery, or have someone take your picture with the artwork.*
*Revised for Spring 2021: If you are unable to see an artwork in person, you can do this assignment virtually. You can “attend” the virtual online art show at JMU’s ArtWork’s student gallery. You still must include an image of the artwork as well as the date you visited the virtual gallery. Here is the link: com/artworksgallery/upcoming-exhibitions” class=”external” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>https://artworksgallery.wixsite.com/artworksgallery/upcoming-exhibitions (Links to an external site.)
- You will need to upload your Word doc and two images into Canvas by midnight on the due date. Be sure to use a strong internet connection when doing so. I will accept late papers, but 10 points are deducted per day late.Assignment:Go to any art gallery or art museum.* Choose one specific art object on display. The object can be a painting, sculpture, drawing, craft object, or any other type of artwork that can be found in a professional venue (such as a gallery, museum, arts space—not in a home or office setting). It can be from any time period—from prehistoric to contemporary—and from anywhere in the world. This must be an ORIGINAL artwork, not a reproduction. A visual analysis requires you to look closely at a work of art for a period of time, so plan on spending at least 15 minutes studying the work.Write a visual or formal analysis of this artwork. A visual analysis considers only those aspects of the work of art that can be directly observed; anything beyond the visual “boundary” of the work is irrelevant to this paper. Consider such aspects as its form, technique, material, space, color, composition, texture, line, size, and emphasis. Attached is a list of key elements, principles, and media/techniques. You can use this as a guide, but not as a checklist. Choose the elements and principles that are the most apparent to you and try to figure out why the artist made those artistic choices in creating the artwork. At least three elements and three principles of art should be identified and analyzed. Please underline or bold these terms in your paper. Also, you should discuss the medium (materials) and technique (how it was made).The analysis should be written as a coherent, well-organized essay, using complete sentences and paragraphs. You should begin your essay by introducing the title (italicized), artist, date, size (if provided; if not, estimate), medium, and location of the artwork as well as a basic description of the work – what does it physically look like? Describe the subject of the artwork in a sentence or two.The bulk of your essay should be the analysis portion. In your analysis, you should demonstrate that you know how to look at art in a sophisticated manner – not just describing the work, but choosing the elements and principles that seem to be the most important to the artist and figuring out why. For example, this is description: “The ceramic jar has a line painted on its surface.” Here is an analysis: “The ceramic jar employs a thick curved blue line on its surface that diagonally moves from left to right. This prominent line creates a sense of fluidity and implied motion. The painted deep blue color of the line conveys coolness and its bold curves seem to emphasize the roundness of the vessel.” You might begin by noting where your eyes are drawn to first and what elements and principles the artist employed to create this visual emphasis and focal point.This is an exercise in looking and visually analyzing. Therefore, any discussion of the artist’s biography, historical context, or the meaning or symbolism of an artwork will not be counted towards the word count. This is NOT a research paper; however, if you do consult outside sources to assist in your analysis, please be sure to cite them with a footnote or parenthetical citation.
*Most art galleries are open now, including the ones on the JMU campus. Please follow guidelines for safety including wearing a mask, social distancing, etc. If you have any issues with visiting a gallery or museum in person, please contact me as soon as possible for an alternative assignment.
Below is a good reference to aid you in observing the artwork and writing your Visual Analysis:
VISUAL/FORMAL ANALYSIS OF WORKS OF ART
A work of art is the product of the dynamic interrelationships between the various art elements and principles as they are utilized by the artist. As you engage yourself with a work of art, ask yourself why do you think the artist made such choices? By using concrete elements and principles to make ourselves look more closely at works of art, we may further understand the artist’s intended vision and will notice how the artwork often reflects the time and place from which it came.
ART ELEMENTS
Line – Do you see any outlines which define objects, shapes, or forms? Are lines used to emphasize a direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal)? Describe the important lines: are they straight or curved, short or long, thick or thin? How do you think the artist utilized to emphasize certain 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 linear perspective utilized? Do the lines themselves even have an expressive quality, as in Van Gogh’s Starry Night?
Shape/Form – A 2D object, such as a drawing of a triangle, is called a shape. A 3D object, such as a pyramid, is called a form. What shapes or forms do you see? Are the objects in the work (for a painting or drawing) or are the objects themselves (for a sculpture or architectural work) flat or volumetric? Organic or geometric? Actual or implied? For representations of people, how does shape lend character to a figure? Are these figures proud or timid, strong or weak, beautiful or grotesque? What is the size of all the forms and how do they relate proportionally to one another? Are they located in the foreground, middle ground or background? Why do you think the artist placed them there?
Space – How does the form created by shape and line fill the space of the composition? Is there negative, or empty, space without objects? If the object is three-dimensional, how does it fill our space? Is it our size or does it dwarf us? If a two-dimensional object, is the space flat or does it visually project into our space? How does the artist create depth in the image (layering of figures/objects, linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, foreshortening of figures)?
Volume/Mass – Forms (3D) have two fundamental attributes: volume (the amount of space a form occupies) and mass (a volume that has or gives the illusion of having weight, density, and bulk. Does the artwork accentuate weight and solidity or rather openness and weightlessness? Is the mass asymmetrical, suggesting dynamism and change or balanced, suggesting regularity and timelessness?
Light/Value – For a two-dimensional object, is a source of light depicted or implied? Is it a natural light source or artificial? Are the shadows created by the light true to life or does the artist distort them? How does the artist depict shadows? Through line or color? If a three-dimensional object, how does the object interact with the light in its setting? How do gradations of shadows and highlights create form or depth, emphasis or order in the composition?
Color – Which colors are dominantly 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 he was working or did it create a certain mood or effect? Color can be best described by its hue, tone, and intensity. The hue is its basic name, blue or red. Does the artist’s choice of color create a certain mood? Does the artist make use of complementary colors (red/green, violet/yellow, blue/orange)? Or analogous colors (those next to one another on the color wheel)? Does the artist utilize colors which are warm or cool? Where? Is atmospheric perspective utilized (in which cool colors recede creating a blurred background, and warm, bright colors fill the foreground)?
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?
Time/Motion – Is the artwork kinetic or static? If static, has the artist found ways to suggest activity, the passage of time, or the appearance of motion? Is time/motion implied or actual? Are movement and change significant aspects of the artwork?
ART PRINCIPLES
Emphasis/Focal Point – The emphasis of a work refers to a focal point in the image or object. What is your eye drawn to? Does the artist create tension or interest by creating more than one area or interest? Or is the work of art a afocal? That is, the viewer cannot find a particular place to rest the eye. Is there even a psychological focus created through the elements of art?
Balance – Balance is produced by the visual weight of shapes and forms within a composition. Balance can be symmetrical, in which each side of central line is the same, or asymmetrical. How are opposites utilized (light/shadow, straight/curved lines, complementary colors)?
Unity/Variety – When looking at the composition (the overall design or organization of an artwork), is it unified—creating order, harmony, or wholeness—or is it varied, emphasizing uniqueness and diversity? Does everything seem in its proper place or if an element was changed or moved, would it affect the overall design?
Scale/Proportion – Scale is the size of an object relative to another object. How does the scale of the work communicate ideas? Is the work small scale, suggesting intimacy and delicacy? Is the work large scale, conveying larger ideas, heroism, or epic virtues? Is hierarchy of scale used? Is proportion (the sizes of different parts of a work) significant? Are the parts of the artwork in proportion to each other, suggesting unity? Or, are the parts out of proportion, creating contradiction and discord?
Rhythm/Pattern – Rhythm is created by repetition. What repeated elements do you see? Pattern is an arrangement of predictably repeated elements. Does the repetition create a subtle pattern, a decorative ornamentation? Does the predictability of the pattern imply unity? Or does it create an intensity, a tension? Does the rhythm unify the work or does it seem a group of disparate parts?
MEDIA AND TECHNIQUE
Is the object two- or three-dimensional? What limits might the chosen medium create for the artist, if any?
Painting – How did the type of paint effect the strokes the artist could make? Was it fresco, oil, tempera, watercolor? Was it a fast-drying paint giving the artist 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? Does the work look the same today as when the artist painted it?
Drawing – Consider the materials utilized: metal point, chalk, charcoal, graphite, crayon, pastel, ink, wash. Is the artist able to make controlled strokes with this medium? Would the tool create a thick or thin line? Defined or blurred? Was the drawing intended to be a work of art in itself? Or is it a study for another work, a peek into the artist’s creative process?
Printmaking – What is the process the artist undertook to create this work? Did he need to carve or etch? Did the medium require a steady hand? Strength or patience?
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 object created through a subtractive process (beginning with a large mass of the medium and taking away from it to create form) or an additive process? What tools did the artist use to create his form? If a human form, is the artwork life-size?
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