How to analyze Art

IN GENERAL:
 Use any information you can find about
the artwork: captions under the picture,
museum labels, articles, the artist
him/herself if available, etc - but FIRST
use your own eyes. LOOK carefully and
give yourself a chance to respond to the
work personally, and try to figure out what
the work is all about on your own.
 THEN :
 Be critical but not negative. Ask if the
artwork fulfils its function or the artist’s
intentions. Analyze your reaction to the
work and think about how different
audiences at different times may have
perceived it.
 THE PROCESS:
• There are two parts to the process: 1) appreciating
and evaluating the work or art,
• And 2) organizing the notes and writing the essay.
• APPRECIATING AND EVALUATING
• The process of appreciating and evaluating a work of art
can be organized into three broad steps:
• Description
• Analysis
• Interpretation
• Work through these steps, taking notes, BEFORE you
formulate your final thesis statement.
•  
 Description
• What is it? Painting, sculpture, portrait, landscape, manuscript, etc.
Each art form has its own history and traditions – are these relevant
or interesting?
• What is the medium? What materials and techniques were used to
make it? Have materials been used in a new way? How does the
process affect the meaning of the work? Was it made quickly, or
over a long period of time?
• What condition is it in? Is it damaged, or are parts missing? Has it
been repaired or renovated? Has its appearance changed?
• Size?
• What is the subject matter? Can you recognize any of the people,
places, things portrayed?
•  
 Analysis
 When analyzing a work of art we focus on
both content and formal qualities.
 Content Analysis
• What is going on in the work? Can you recognize anything? Is there an obvious story or
message?
• Is the subject matter incidental or is it a vehicle for social, religious, moral or political content of
either artist or client?
• Is it the subject imagined, remembered, or observed directly?
• Is it treated representationally, or is it abstracted? Do you know why?
• When, where, and by whom was it made? What is this work’s cultural context? Each culture and
each age sees the world somewhat differently. What was happening historically, culturally and
technologically at the time it was made? What can you find out about the artists’ experiences and
concerns? How were the original audience’s knowledge and values different from ours?
• Did other cultures influence the artwork? How do you know this – did you read it or can you see
the influence yourself?
• Is there any symbolism that reveals meanings not immediately apparent?
• What is the context of the artwork now? (e.g. Is it considered an important work? Has it
influenced other artists? Where and how is it displayed or used?)
• Formal Analysis - How things are arranged.
• What are the visual elements of the image and how – according to what principles - are they
composed within the format (the boundaries of the picture or sculpture)?
• Ask yourself how the artist has used the elements and principles of design within the format to
best express his or her idea, message and feelings.
 FORMAT :
• What is the shape of the painting, or the overall
form of the sculpture?
• How large is it? How large is it in proportion to
other things around it such as trees, buildings,
furniture, other artwork, etc.?
• For two-dimensional works, describe the edges
of the view. What is included? Can you imagine
what might have been visible outside the edges
of the picture?
 ELEMENTS:
• LINE - Are there thick, thin, curvy, jagged, or straight lines?
• VALUE - Is there a range of tones from dark to light? (Squint your eyes).
Where is the darkest value? The lightest?
• COLOR – What colors have been used? What kind of color scheme do you
see (many colors, only one or two, light colors, dark colors, etc)? Describe
the colors in terms of their harmony or contrast with each other.
• LIGHT - Does there appear to be a strong sense of light in the image?
• Is it harsh or soft? Is the light coming from a particular direction?
• SHAPE - Do you see geometric or organic shapes? Do positive shapes,
such as objects, dominate the composition, or are there more negative
shapes that represent voids? Is there one principle shape or is it composed
of interrelating combinations of shapes?
• SPACE - Is the space deep or shallow? How has the artist created a sense
of space? (By overlapping objects, position on the picture plane, linear
perspective, atmospheric perspective, other ways?)
• TEXTURE - Do you see the illusion of textures within the image? Is there an
actual texture on the surface of the image?
• DOMINANCE/EMPHASIS - Close your eyes. When you open them and look at the
image, What is the first thing that you notice? Why? What does the arrangement of
the parts of the picture or sculpture draw your attention to in the image?
• CONTRAST - Are there strong visual contrasts—lights and darks, textures, solids and
voids, etc.?
• REPETITION/RHYTHM/PATTERN - Repetition of visual elements can create unity—
a sense of order or wholeness that holds the work together visually. What elements
are repeated? Do they form a strong visual rhythm? Do they form a pattern?
• Do they contribute to a sense of unity?
• MOVEMENT – How does your eye move around the format? How do rhythms and
patterns contribute a sense of visual movement?
• VARIETY - Variety creates interest. Can you see a variety of visual elements such as
different values, different shapes, textures, etc.?
• BALANCE - Is the visual weight on one side of the image about the same as the
other? How about the top to bottom and diagonally? Is the work symmetrical or
asymmetrical?
• UNITY – Does the work hold together as an overall entity, or is it pleasing in parts yet
unsatisfactory as a whole? (Or pleasing as a whole in spite of less successful parts?)
•  
 Interpretation
• Based on your analysis, what do you think the work means? What does the
image communicate? What does it mean to you personally? What did it
mean to its original audience? Was it a public or a private piece? What was
the artist’s intent?
• What feelings do you get from the work? What is its mood? Does it capture
a mood or emotion that you have already experienced? Can you imagine
the artist’s feelings while producing the work? How does the artist’s use of
the elements and principles of design contribute to the mood?
•  
• By now you should be able to formulate a thesis.
• Your interpretation should back up your thesis statement. (Indeed, your
thesis should be based on your interpretation.)
•  
• These questions are only starting points. They may not apply to all artworks.
More, and very different questions may arise as you do your research. For
example, you may ask "How has this work been explained by Western art
historians?" or "How have women been represented in this art form?"
•