How to Do Visual Formal Analysis in Art History

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If you're taking an art history class, a visual assay assignment might seem overwhelming. Fortunately, a visual assay is basically just a description of what you see in a piece of art. Information technology's really important that you don't rush yourself when you observe the piece since really detailed descriptions will help you explain how you experience nearly the work. You don't need to practice enquiry about the artist or the piece in social club to make an effective visual analysis, although y'all might do that for a formal interpretive paper.

1. 1

   Look at the artwork from far away before you move close to observe details. It'due south amazing how much your perspective changes as you lot motility away from the slice. Start observing the work from a altitude so you lot can see everything. So, have a few steps closer and pay attention to the details that stand out to y'all. Keep moving closer and take notes every bit yous notice more things.

   • Give yourself lots of fourth dimension to detect the artwork. If you take thorough notes, you'll have an easier time putting together a thoughtful, interesting analysis.

2. 2

   Take note of scale, composition, and space. Scale refers to the size of the artwork or its subjects and composition is how the forms are arranged or organized. Y'all could mention where the focal point is at or note what's in the groundwork and foreground. This ties into how the artwork handles space since perspective can make a 2d object seem 3-dimensional.^[i]

   • If you're analyzing a sculpture, pay attention to the size of the subject. Does it belfry over you lot or is information technology then small-scale that you take to get close to encounter the details?

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3. iii

   List the forms that you see in the piece. Think of forms as things that are in the artwork. You might see natural forms similar copse, rivers, or boulders, or you'll observe built forms like buildings, walls or bridges. If the artwork features figurative forms, then you lot'll come across people as the subject or in the background.^[ii]

   • Forms are probably one of the start things you find about a piece of artwork since they normally grab your attending. For instance, in Monet'south garden paintings the congenital form of a bridge and the natural forms of waterlilies are the main forms.

4. 4

   Mention the colors in the piece. Spend some fourth dimension really looking at how the artist chose colors and hues. Does the piece give off warm or cool vibes? Do the colors work harmoniously or practise they clash? You lot can also note if the colors are vibrant or stake and wearisome.^[3]

   • If in that location are color contrasts in the piece, explicate where you observe them. For example, you could say, "The subject'southward face is a rich, brown tone that contrasts with the stake bluish of her wearing apparel."

5. 5

   List the light and tone of the piece. Write nigh the source of light in the artwork, which could be shown in the piece or outside of it. A stiff light source means that you'll likewise notice shadows. Describe if the shadows assist create 3-D forms or if they add to the temper of the painting. The light also impacts the tone, which is the corporeality of lite and night in the artwork's colors.^[iv]

   • For instance, calorie-free falling on a face can illuminate it and then information technology looks vibrant.

6. vi

   Look for texture and patterns within the work. Some artists use texture to make their pieces look more than realistic while others believe their noticeable brushstrokes to exist part of the slice. Pay attention to textures—are subjects smoothen, pebbled, soft, or prickly? Then, look for patterns or shapes that the creative person uses. This might exist a repetitive detail that y'all see on the field of study'south dress, or you lot might inquire yourself why an artist arranged geometric shapes in a certain manner.^[v]

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1. 1

   Discuss what upshot the artwork has on you. Before you lot dive into explaining the piece, have a moment to consider how information technology makes you lot feel. If you're taking an art class, you'll probably share your thoughts with the grouping. Try to imagine what the creative person hoped to achieve in making the piece and make up one's mind if you lot think they were effective. Then, ask yourself what it is about the piece that makes you feel this way.

   • For example, you might say that y'all feel a sense of at-home if y'all're looking at a landscape with soft lighting, gentle curves, and pale colors while an abstract painting with bright, sharp lines tin can make you feel energized.

2. 2

   Write a thesis that'south the master theme or result you want to explore. A lot of your newspaper volition focus on the observations you make, only they should all be tied dorsum to the main claim. If you're writing from a prompt, your instructor might tell y'all to compare 2 pieces of art, and so you'd employ your thesis to argue that the pieces are similar or dissimilar in some style.

   • For case, your thesis might be, "Van Gogh uses repeating patterns in The Starry Nighttime to create movement that draws in the viewer," or "Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase exaggerates the human form in a fashion that challenges earlier concepts of organic and natural forms."

3. 3

   Pull artistic details from your ascertainment to support your thesis. Whether you lot're writing a visual analysis paper or sharing your thoughts in a discussion group, tie artistic details to your statement. Remember that these tin can include tone, texture, color, and composition. So, if your thesis says that the piece signals a shift in way for the artist, you could compare past compositions, how their shading has changed, or how the tone of the painting is completely different.^[6]

   • If your instructor has covered specific vocabulary terms like foreshadowing, perspective, or cross-hatching, try to employ them in your analysis.
   • For instance, in The Starry Dark, you might note how the post-impressionist style of the clouds creates a swirling movement that gives energy to the piece.

4. iv

   Avoid focusing on political, social, or economic aspects of the artwork. It can be tempting to talk about symbolism or iconography if the art you're analyzing is rich with pregnant, but that doesn't vest in visual assay. Leave out data about the social, political, or economic weather condition surrounding the painting since you're just focusing on what yous can see in the artwork.^[7]

   • Don't focus on how the painting was produced either—you don't want to include patron or commission information.

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1. 1

   Inquiry the piece and artist if you're going to write a formal analysis. Now that yous take a visual understanding of the piece, spend some time learning about the creative person and the historical context. Read biographies of the artist and historical overviews of the period when they lived. You might learn why the artist chose the subject, how the piece was received, or find criticism of the work.

   • For example, if you're researching Van Gogh, research the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists so you tin can learn how his work was received. In your paper, yous could discuss Van Gogh was reacting against the natural lighting of the Impressionists to focus on abstract colors and designs.

2. 2

   Innovate the creative person and the piece in the start paragraph of your paper. To write the introduction, state the artist, the title of the work, and the date information technology was fabricated. This is a good risk to tell the reader what medium the artist used and the artistic period it belongs to. Finish the paragraph with the thesis statement yous fabricated in your analysis.^[8]

   • For case, your intro might country that Van Gogh painted The Starry Night in oils on canvas. He painted it in 1889 and it belongs to the Post-Impressionist schoolhouse. So, yous could country a thesis like "Van Gogh's bold brushwork and unusual colors broke with earlier painting traditions that valued natural hues and lines."

3. three

   Write 1 paragraph on each artistic element that supports your thesis. To create the body of your paper, await over your visual assay and choice at least 5 elements that you desire to cover. Then, write at least 1 paragraph on each artistic element and explain how information technology ties dorsum to your thesis.^[9]

   • For example, in a newspaper on The Starry Night, yous could write one paragraph on color, one paragraph on composition, one on texture, one on course, and one on light. Think to tie each of these dorsum to your thesis, which might show how original they were compared to previous paintings, for instance.

4. 4

   Wrap upwardly your paper with a summary paragraph. To write your conclusion, briefly restate how your main ideas supported your main claim. Since this is a reminder, don't innovate new ideas at the very end or your newspaper won't feel complete.^[10]

   • It's totally fine to include your thoughts or feelings about the slice, specially at the end. Share the insights you gained with your reader to make the conclusion more than powerful.

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• If your instructor gave you an outline or rubric, be sure to follow it closely! They might include a helpful list of observations they'd similar y'all to make.

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