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A Basic Guide to Picture Analysis

 

When looking at a work of art:

a) describe it.

Look at this painting for a moment. What observations can you make about it?

What kinds of things do you see in this painting? What things seem new to you? What else do you see?

What words would you use to describe this painting? What other words might we use?

How would you describe the lines in this picture (e.g. jagged, smooth, quick, careful)? The shapes? Do they balance or unbalance one another? What does this painting show?

Look for surprises. Is there a startling colour, an odd object, an unexpected relationship? Where and how does the work surprise you, in big ways or little ways?

Shift your scale. Look for the big things, the small things, overall structure, detail.

How would you describe this painting to a person who could not see it?

Look for capturing a time or place. Many works engulf the viewer in a very specific spatial and temporal locus: for example, Paris in the fog, 1890. How would you describe the place depicted in this painting?

Look for motion. Many works depict motion directly and vividly – running horses, a bird in flight. Others do not represent action, but the lines, the texture, the spatial form, carry a message of motion (or rhythm) anyway.

b) relate it.

What does this painting remind you of?

Look for symbolism and meaning. Does the artist have a message? What might it be?

Look for mood and personality. What mood or personality does the work project? (Never mind if it doesn’t show a person or animal. Strong moods or personalities often shine through abstract works, landscapes, or still lifes).

Look for cultural or historic connections. Something like, “the car as central to the American way of life”.

How is this picture different from real life?

What interests you most about this work of art?

c) analyze it.

Which objects seems closer to you? Further away?

What can you tell about the colours in this painting? What colour is used the most in this painting?

What makes this painting look crowded?

What can you tell about the person in this painting? What can you tell about how this person lived? How did you arrive at that idea?

What do you think is the most important part of this picture?

How do you think the artist made this work? What features of the work appear really hard to do? What features appear easy but might actually be hard?

What questions would you ask the artist about this work, if s/he were here?

d) interpret it.

What title would you give to this painting? What made you decide on that title?

What other titles could we give it?

What do you think is happening in this painting? How did you arrive at that idea? What else could be happening?

What sounds would this painting make (if it could)?

Pretend you are inside this painting. What does it feel like?

Why do you suppose the artist made this painting? What makes you think that?

e) evaluate it.

What do you think is good about this painting? What is not so good?



Do you think the person who painted this did a good or bad job? What makes you think so?

Why do you think other people should see this work of art?

What do you think other people would say about this work? Why do you think that?

What would you do with this work if you owned it?

What do you think is worth remembering about this painting?

 

 


Useful Phrases for Analyzing and Interpreting a Work of Art

– to show the subtleties of changing light and atmosphere;

– to capture nature’s evanescent moods;

– to record not so much the appearance of the nature but its poetry;

– there is a lively freshness and refined colour harmony in this summer scene;

– this painting shows the impressionistic technique applied to an outdoor scene;

– the green of the foliage is modulated by the play of shadows and reflected lights;

– everything is bathed in all-embracing light;

– to show the joy of living;

– to have a great emotional impact;

– the picture gives a sense of …

– light plays an essential role in the picture; it acts as an integral part of the design and becomes even the principle actor;

– to lend a poetic and elusive quality to the dreary prose of everyday life;

– attention is focused on …

– to show psychological depth and human understanding;

– a subtle portrait;

– the colour scheme is of great importance;

– the artist restricts his palette (colour scheme) to cool rich grays and greens;

– nature is not a mere background but a principal actor, expressing different emotions;

– light creates strong patterns of shadow and light;

– to give true to life social types;

– the picture is very thoughtfully designed;

– the picture is a wrathful indictment of the appauling injustice, cruelty and inhumanity of the bourgeous society;

– to show a dramatic change of moods;

– this canvas touches upon social issues;

– his outdoor scene shows keen observation of weather and season and light and the subtleties of open-air colour;

– to be painted in a powerful style;

– expressionistic distortions and exaggerations and deliberate childish simplifications do not enhance, but on the contrary, greatly mar the artistic value of this painting;

– his art is a bitter comment on …

– his art is filled with …

– to develop a new portrait formula;

– the sitter fills most of the picture’s surface area thanks to …

 

In the top At the top In the top left hand right hand corner corner In the background   On the left In the middle / center On the right   In the foreground   In the bottom In the bottom left hand left hand corner At the bottom corner

 


Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1014


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