What Should I Use to Look at Student Art

Last Updated on May 27, 2021

This article has been written for high schoolhouse art students who are working upon a critical study of art, sketchbook annotation or an essay-based artist study. Information technology contains a listing of questions to guide students through the process of analyzing visual material of whatever kind, including cartoon, painting, mixed media, graphic pattern, sculpture, printmaking, architecture, photography, textiles, fashion and so on (the word 'artwork' in this article is all-encompassing). The questions include a broad range of specialist art terms, prompting students to employ subject-specific vocabulary in their responses. It combines communication from art assay textbooks also equally from loftier school art teachers who accept first-hand experience education these concepts to students.

COPYRIGHT Notation: This textile is available as a printable art assay PDF handout. This may be used gratuitous of charge in a classroom state of affairs. To share this textile with others, delight use the social media buttons at the lesser of this page. Copying, sharing, uploading or distributing this article (or the PDF) in any other way is not permitted.

International GCSE artist analysis example: The prototype above shows part of an A* IGSCE Art and Design sketchbook page analysing the work of Jim Dine, by Rhea Maheshwari, ACG Parnell College.

Why exercise nosotros report art?

Almost all loftier school fine art students carry out critical analysis of artist work, in conjunction with creating practical piece of work. Looking critically at the work of others allows students to sympathize compositional devices and then explore these in their own fine art. This is i of the best ways for students to larn.

Instructors who assign formal analyses want you lot to await—and look advisedly. Recall of the object as a serial of decisions that an artist made. Your task is to figure out and describe, explain, and interpret those decisions and why the artist may have fabricated them. – The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Loma¹⁰

Art analysis tips

• 'I like this' or 'I don't similar this' without whatever further explanation or justification is not analysis. Personal opinions must be supported with explanation, evidence or justification.
• 'Analysis of artwork' does non mean 'description of artwork'. To gain loftier marks, students must move beyond stating the obvious and add together perceptive, personal insight. Students should demonstrate higher order thinking – the ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesize data and ideas. For example, if colour has been used to create strong contrasts in sure areas of an artwork, students might follow this observation with a thoughtful assumption well-nigh why this is the case – perhaps a deliberate attempt past the artist to draw attention to a focal point, helping to convey thematic ideas.

Although description is an important function of a formal analysis, description is not enough on its own. You must introduce and contextualize your descriptions of the formal elements of the piece of work and then the reader understands how each element influences the work'southward overall consequence on the viewer. – Sylvan Barnet, A Brusque Guide to Writing Virtually Fine art²

• Cover a range of dissimilar visual elements and blueprint principles. It is common for students to become experts at writing almost one or two elements of limerick, while neglecting everything else – for instance, only focusing upon the use of color in every artwork studied. This results in a narrow, repetitive and incomplete analysis of the artwork. Students should ensure that they cover a wide range of fine art elements and pattern principles, also as address context and meaning, where required. The questions below are designed to ensure that students cover a broad range of relevant topics within their analysis.
• Write aslope the artwork discussed. In almost all cases, written analysis should be presented alongside the work discussed, so that it is articulate which artwork comments refer to. This makes it easier for examiners to follow and evaluate the writing.
• Support writing with visual analysis. It is almost e'er helpful for loftier school students to support written material with sketches, drawings and diagrams that aid the student understand and analyse the piece of art. This might include composition sketches; diagrams showing the primary structure of an artwork; detailed enlargements of small sections; experiments imitating use of media or technique; or illustrations overlaid with arrows showing leading lines and and then on. Visual investigation of this sort plays an important function in many creative person studies.

Making sketches or drawings from works of fine art is the traditional, centuries-old style that artists accept learned from each other. In doing this, you will engage with a work and an artist's approach fifty-fifty if y'all previously knew naught nearly it. If possible do this whenever yous can, non from a postcard, the internet or a picture in a book, but from the actual piece of work itself. This is useful because it forces you to await closely at the piece of work and to consider elements y'all might not accept noticed before. – Susie Hodge, How to Look at Art⁷

Finally, when writing near art, students should communicate with clarity; demonstrate subject-specific knowledge; use correct terminology; generate personal responses; and reference all content and ideas sourced from others. This is explained in more item in our article about high schoolhouse sketchbooks.

What should students write about?

Although each aspect of composition is treated separately in the questions beneath, students should consider the human relationship between visual elements (line, shape, form, value/tone, color/hue, texture/surface, space) and how these interact to form blueprint principles (such as unity, diverseness, emphasis, dominance, balance, symmetry, harmony, move, dissimilarity, rhythm, pattern, scale, proportion) to communicate meaning.

As circuitous as works of art typically are, there are really merely three general categories of statements one can make about them. A statement addresses class, content or context (or their diverse interrelations). – Dr. Robert J. Belton, Fine art History: A Preliminary Handbook, The University of British Columbia⁵

…a formal analysis – the issue of looking closely – is an analysis of the form that the artist produces; that is, an assay of the work of art, which is fabricated up of such things as line, shape, color, texture, mass, composition. These things give the rock or sail its form, its expression, its content, its meaning. – Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art^two

This video past Dr. Beth Harris, Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Naraelle Hohensee provides an excellent example of how to analyse a piece of fine art (it is of import to annotation that this video is an example of 'formal assay' and doesn't include contextual analysis, which is also required by many high schoolhouse fine art test boards, in addition to the formal analysis illustrated hither):

Limerick analysis: a list of questions

The questions beneath are designed to facilitate direct engagement with an artwork and to encourage a breadth and depth of understanding of the artwork studied. They are intended to prompt college order thinking and to aid students arrive at well-reasoned analysis.

It is not expected that students respond every question (doing and then would result in responses that are excessively long, repetitious or formulaic); rather, students should focus upon areas that are most helpful and relevant for the artwork studied (for example, some questions are appropriate for analyzing a painting, but not a sculpture). The words provided equally examples are intended to help students think almost appropriate vocabulary to use when discussing a particular topic. Definitions of more complex words have been provided.

Students should not attempt to copy out questions and then answer them; rather the questions should be considered a starting signal for writing bullet pointed note or sentences in paragraph form.

A small sample of the books that informed this article. Some of these were written for fine art history students learning how to write an art assay; others provide information nigh composition. For more details, delight refer to the bibliography below.

CONTENT, CONTEXT AND Meaning

Field of study affair / themes / problems / narratives / stories / ideas

In that location can exist dissimilar, competing, and contradictory interpretations of the same artwork.
An artwork is non necessarily near what the creative person wanted it to exist well-nigh. – Terry Barrett, Criticizing Fine art: Understanding the Gimmicky^half-dozen

Our interest in the painting grows only when nosotros forget its title and take an involvement in the things that information technology does not mention…" – Françoise Barbe-Gall, How to Expect at a Painting^eight

• Does the artwork fall inside an established genre (i.due east. historical; mythical; religious; portraiture; landscape; however life; fantasy; architectural)?
• Are at that place any recognisable objects, places or scenes? How are these presented (i.due east. idealized; realistic; indistinct; hidden; distorted; exaggerated; stylized; reflected; reduced to simplified/minimalist class; primitive; abstracted; curtained; suggested; blurred or focused)?
• Accept people been included? What can nosotros tell about them (i.e. identity; age; attire; profession; cultural connections; health; family relationships; wealth; mood/expression)? What can we acquire from their pose (i.e. frontal; profile; partly turned; body linguistic communication)? Where are they looking (i.due east. direct eye contact with viewer; downcast; interested in other subjects within the artwork)? Can we work out relationships between figures from the fashion they are posed?

What do the clothing, furnishings, accessories (horses, swords, dogs, clocks, business ledgers and so forth), groundwork, angle of the head or posture of the caput and body, direction of the gaze, and facial expression contribute to our sense of the figure's social identity (monarch, clergyman, trophy wife) and personality (intense, absurd, inviting)? – Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art²

• What props and important details are included (drape; costumes; adornment; architectural elements; emblems; logos; motifs)? How do aspects of setting back up the primary subject? What is the outcome of including these items inside the arrangement (visual unity; connections betwixt unlike parts of the artwork; directs attending; surprise; variety and visual interest; separates / divides / borders; transformation from one object to another; unexpected juxtaposition)?

If a waiter served yous a whole fish and a scoop of chocolate ice foam on the aforementioned plate, your surprise might exist caused by the juxtaposition, or the side-past-side contrast, of the two foods. – Vocabulary.com

A motif is an chemical element in a composition or design that tin can be used repeatedly for decorative, structural, or iconographic purposes. A motif can be representational or abstruse, and it can be endowed with symbolic meaning. Motifs can be repeated in multiple artworks and often recur throughout the life'southward work of an individual artist. – John A. Parks, Universal Principles of Art¹¹

• Does the artwork communicate an action, narrative or story (i.e. historical upshot or illustrate a scene from a story)? Has the arrangement been embellished, set up upwardly or contrived?
• Does the artwork explore movement? Do you gain a sense that parts of the artwork are well-nigh to change, topple or autumn (i.e. tension; suspense)? Does the artwork capture objects in movement (i.due east. multiple or sequential images; blurred edges; scene frozen mid-action; live performance art; video art; kinetic art)?
• What kind of abstract elements are shown (i.e. bars; shapes; splashes; lines)? Have these been derived from or inspired by realistic forms? Are they the result of spontaneous, accidental creation or careful, deliberate arrangement?
• Does the piece of work include the appropriation of work by other artists, such as within a parody or popular art? What event does this have (i.eastward. copyright concerns)?

Parody: mimicking the appearance and/or manner of something or someone, simply with a twist for comic outcome or critical comment, as in Saturday Night Live's political satires – Dr. Robert J. Belton, Art History: A Preliminary Handbook, The University of British Columbia⁵

• Does the subject obsess an instinctual response, such as items that are informative, shocking or threatening for humans (i.east. unsafe places; abnormally positioned items; homo faces; the gaze of people; motion; text)? Heap map tracking has demonstrated that these elements catch our attending, regardless of where they are positioned –James Gurney writes more about this fascinating topic.
• What kind of text has been used (i.eastward. font size; font weight; font family; stenciled; hand-fatigued; computer-generated; printed)? What has influenced this pick of text?
• Practice key objects or images have symbolic value or provide a cue to meaning? How does the artwork convey deeper, conceptual themes (i.e. allegory; iconographic elements; signs; metaphor; irony)?

Allegory is a device whereby abstract ideas tin can be communicated using images of the concrete world. Elements, whether figures or objects, in a painting or sculpture are endowed with symbolic meaning. Their relationships and interactions combine to create more complex meanings. – John A. Parks, Universal Principles of Art¹¹

An iconography is a particular range or arrangement of types of prototype used by an artist or artists to convey item meanings. For example in Christian religious painting there is an iconography of images such as the lamb which represents Christ, or the pigeon which represents the Holy Spirit. – Tate.org.uk

• What tone of phonation does the artwork have (i.east. deliberate; honest; autobiographical; obvious; directly; unflinching; confronting; subtle; ambiguous; uncertain; satirical; propagandistic)?
• What is your emotional response to the artwork? What is the overall mood (i.due east positive; energetic; excitement; serious; sedate; peaceful; calm; melancholic; tense; uneasy; uplifting; foreboding; calm; turbulent)? Which subject matter choices help to communicate this mood (i.east. conditions and lighting conditions; colour of objects and scenes)?
• Does the title change the fashion you translate the piece of work?
• Were there any blueprint constraints relating to the discipline matter or theme/due south (i.due east. a sculpture deputed to represent a specific subject, identify or idea)?
• Are there thematic connections with your own project? What can you learn from the fashion the artist has approached this subject?

Wider contexts

All fine art is in function about the world in which it emerged. – Terry Barrett, Criticizing Art: Agreement the Contemporary⁶

• Supported by research, tin can you identify when, where and why the work was created and its original intention or purpose (i.e. private sale; deputed for a specific owner; commemorative; educational; promotional; illustrative; decorative; confrontational; useful or applied utility; communication; created in response to a blueprint brief; individual viewing; public viewing)? In what mode has this background influenced the outcome (i.east. availability of tools, materials or time; expectations of the patron / audience)?
• Where is the place of construction or design site and how does this influence the artwork (i.e. reflects local traditions, craftsmanship, or community; complements surrounding designs; designed to conform weather conditions / climate; built on historic site)? Was the artwork originally located somewhere different?
• Which events and surrounding environments have influenced this work (i.due east. natural events; social movements such as feminism; political events, economic situations, celebrated events, religious settings, cultural events)? What effect did these have?
• Is the work characteristic of an artistic way, movement or time period? Has it been influenced past trends, fashions or ideologies? How can y'all tell?
• Can you brand whatsoever relevant connections or comparisons with other artworks? Have other artists explored a similar subject in a similar way? Did this occur earlier or after this artwork was created?
• Tin can you lot make any relevant connections to other fields of study or expression (i.e. geography, mathematics, literature, film, music, history or science)?
• Which key biographical details near the creative person are relevant in understanding this artwork (upbringing and personal state of affairs; family and relationships; psychological country; health and fitness; socioeconomic status; employment; ethnicity; culture; gender; education, religion; interests, attitudes, values and beliefs)?
• Is this artwork part of a larger trunk of work? Is this typical of the work the artist is known for?
• How might your own upbringing, beliefs and biases distort your interpretation of the artwork? Does your own response differ from the public response, that of the original audition and/orinterpretation past critics?
• How exercise these wider contexts compare to the contexts surrounding your ain work?

COMPOSITION AND Class

Format

• What is the overall size, shape and orientation of the artwork (i.e. vertical, horizontal, portrait, landscape or square)? Has this format been influenced past practical considerations (i.eastward. availability of materials; display constraints; pattern brief restrictions; screen sizes; common attribute ratios in picture or photography such as four:3 or ii:iii; or paper sizes such as A4, A3, A2, A1)?
• How practice images fit inside the frame (cropped; truncated; shown in full)? Why is this format advisable for the subject field matter?
• Are unlike parts of the artwork physically separate, such as within a diptych or triptych?
• Where are the boundaries of the artwork (i.e. is the artwork self-contained; compact; penetrating; sprawling)?
• Is the artwork site-specific or designed to be displayed across multiple locations or environments?
• Does the artwork have a fixed, permanent format, or was itmodified, moved or adjusted over time? What causes such changes (i.e. weather and exposure to the elements – melting, erosion, discoloration, decomposable, current of air movement, surface abrasion; structural failure – cracking, breaking; impairment acquired by unpredictable events, such as fire or vandalism; intentional movement, such as rotation or sensor response; intentional impermanence, such as an installation assembled for an exhibition and removed afterwards; viewer interaction; additions, renovations and restoration by subsequent artists or users; a project so expansive it takes years to construct)? How does this change impact the artwork? Are in that location stylistic variances between parts?
• How does the scale and format of the artwork relate to the environment where it is positioned, used, installed or hung (i.e. harmonious with mural typography; sensitive to next structures; imposing or dwarfed by surroundings; human scale)? Is the artwork designed to exist viewed from one vantage point (i.e. front facing; viewed from below; approached from a principal entrance; set at human eye level) or many? Are images taken from the best bending?
• Would a similar format benefit your ain project? Why / why not?

Structure / layout

• Has the artwork been organised using a formal organization of organization or mathematical proportion (i.e. rule of thirds; gilded ratio or spiral; grid format; geometric; dominant triangle; or circular composition) or is the arrangement less predictable (i.e. chaotic, random, accidental, fragmented, meandering, scattered; irregular or spontaneous)? How does this arrangement of arrangement help with the communication of ideas? Can you depict a diagram to show the basic construction of the artwork?
• Can you see a clear intention with alignment and positioning of parts within the artwork (i.e. edges aligned; items spaced every bit; elementary or complex arrangement; overlapping, clustered or full-bodied objects; dispersed, carve up items; repetition of forms; items extending beyond the frame; frames within frames; bordered perimeter or patterned edging; cleaved borders)? What consequence exercise these visual devices have (i.east. imply bureaucracy; assist the viewer sympathise relationships between parts of artwork; create rhythm)?
• Does the artwork have a chief axis of symmetry (vertical, diagonal, horizontal)? Can you locate a center of residuum? Is the artwork symmetrical, asymmetrical (i.eastward. stable), radial, or intentionally unbalanced (i.e. to create tension or unease)?
• Can you draw a diagram to illustrate emphasis and authorisation (i.e. 'blocking in' mass, where the 'heavier' ascendant forms appear in the composition)? Where are dominant items located within the frame?
• How practise your optics move through the limerick?
• Could your own artwork utilize a similar organisational structure?

Line

• What types of linear marking-making are shown (thick; thin; short; long; soft; assuming; delicate; feathery; indistinct; faint; irregular; intermittent; freehand; ruled; mechanical; expressive; loose; blurred; dashing; cantankerous-hatching; meandering; gestural, fluid; flowing; jagged; spiky; sharp)? What atmosphere, moods, emotions or ideas do these evoke?
• Are at that place any interrupted, suggested or implied lines (i.e. lines that tin can't literally be seen, but the viewer's brain connects the dots between separate elements)?
• Where are the dominating lines in the composition and what is the effect of these? Tin can yous overlay tracing paper upon an artwork to illustrate some of the of import lines?
  • Repeating lines: may simulate material qualities, texture, design or rhythm;
  • Boundary lines: may segment, divide or split different areas;
  • Leading lines: may manipulate the viewer's gaze, directing vision or lead the middle to focal points (eye tracking studies signal that our eyes leap from one indicate of involvement to another, rather than move smoothly or predictably along leading lines⁹. Lines may nonetheless help to establish emphasis by 'pointing' towards certain items);
  • Parallel lines: may create a sense of depth or movement through space inside a landscape;
  • Horizontal lines: may create a sense of stability and permanence;
  • Vertical lines: may suggest height, reaching upwards or falling;
  • Intersecting perpendicular lines: may suggest rigidity, force;
  • Abstract lines: may balance the composition, create contrast or emphasis;
  • Athwart / diagonal lines: may suggest tension or unease;
  • Chaotic lines: may propose a sense of agitation or panic;
  • Underdrawing, construction lines or contour lines: draw form (learn more about contour lines in our commodity about line drawing);
  • Curving / organic lines: may suggest nature, peace, movement or energy.
• What is the relationship between line and 3-dimensional form? Areoutlines used to ascertain form and edges?
• Would information technology be advisable to use line in a similar way inside your own artwork?

These artworks by James Gurney (author of Imaginative Realism^ix) illustrate a concept he has called 'spokewheeling' – where leading lines converge towards a focal betoken, helping to straight the viewer's attention. Images © of James Gurney.

Shape and form

• Can you place a dominant visual linguistic communication within the shapes and forms shown (i.eastward. geometric; angular; rectilinear; curvilinear; organic; natural; fragmented; distorted; free-flowing; varied; irregular; circuitous; minimal)? Why is this visual linguistic communication advisable?
• How are the edges of forms treated (i.e. practice they fade away or blur at the edges, equally if melting into the page; ripped or torn; distinct and difficult-edged; or, in the words of James Gurney^nine, exercise they 'dissolve into sketchy lines, paint strokes or drips')?
• Are there whatsoever three-dimensional forms or relief elements inside the artwork, such equally carved pieces, protruding or sculptural elements? How does this affect the viewing of the work from different angles?
• Is there a variety or repetition of shapes/forms? What upshot does this have (i.e. repetition may reinforce ideas, residue composition and/or create harmony / visual unity; diverseness may create visual interest or overwhelm the viewer with chaos)?
• How are shapes organised in relation to each other, or with the frame of the artwork (i.e. grouped; overlapping; repeated; echoed; fused edges; touching at tangents; contrasts in scale or size; distracting or bad-mannered junctions)?
• Are silhouettes (external edges of objects) considered?

All shapes have silhouettes, and vision research has shown that one of the first tasks of perception is to be able to sort out the silhouette shapes of each of the elements in a scene. – James Gurney, Imaginative Realism^ix

• Are forms designed with ergonomics and human scale in heed?

Ergonomics: an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use then that the people and things interact nigh efficiently and safely – Merriam-webster.com

• Tin can you lot identify which forms are functional or structural, versus ornamental or decorative?
• Have any forms been disassembled, 'cut away' or exposed, such as a exclusive drawing? What is the purpose of this (i.e. to explicate construction methods; communicate information; dramatic effect)?
• Would it be appropriate to employ shape and course in a similar way within your own artwork?

Value / tone / light

• Has a wide tonal range been used in the artwork (i.east. a broad range of darks, highlights and mid-tones) or is the tonal range limited (i.due east. pale and faint; subdued; ho-hum; heart-searching and dark overall; strong highlights and shadows, with fiddling mid-tone values)? What is the effect of this?
• Where are the light sources within the artwork or scene? Is there a single consistent light source or multiple sources of low-cal (sunshine; light bulbs; torches; lamps; luminous surfaces)? What is the effect of these choices (i.e. mimics natural lighting conditions at a sure time of twenty-four hour period or nighttime; figures lit from the side to clarify form; contrasting background or spot-lighting used to accentuate a focal area; soft and diffused lighting used to mute contrasts and minimize harsh shadows; dappled lighting to signal sunshine broken by surrounding leaves; chiaroscuro used to exaggerate theatrical drama and impact; areas cloaked in darkness to minimize visual complexity; to enhance our agreement of narrative, mood or meaning)?

One of the most important ways in which artists can use light to achieve item effects is in making strong contrasts between light and dark. This contrast is often described as chiaroscuro. – Matthew Treherne, Analysing Paintings, University of Leeds³

• Are representations of three-dimensional objects and figures apartment or tonally modeled? How do different tonal values change from one to the side by side (i.eastward. gentle, smooth gradations; abrupt tonal bands)?
• Are there whatsoever unusual, reflective or transparent surfaces, mediums or materials which reverberate or transmit lite in a special way?
• Has tone been used to help communicate atmospheric perspective (i.due east. paler and bluer equally objects go further abroad)?
• Are gallery or ecology light sources where the artwork is displayed stock-still or fluctuating? Does the work appear different when viewed at different times of day? How does this affect your estimation of the work?
• Are shadows depicted within the artwork? What is the consequence of these shadows (i.eastward. anchors objects to the page; creates the illusion of depth and space; creates dramatic contrasts)?
• Do sculptural protrusions or relief elements catch the light and/or create cast shadows or pockets of shadow upon the artwork? How does this influence the viewer's experience?
• How has tone been used to help straight the viewer'due south attention to focal areas?
• Would information technology be appropriate to apply value / tone in a similar manner within your own artwork? Why / why not?

Color / hue

• Can you view the true colour of the artwork (i.due east. are you viewing a low-quality reproduction or examining the artwork in poor lighting)?
• Whichcolor schemes have been used within the artwork (i.eastward. harmonious; complementary; primary; monochrome; earthy; warm; cool/cold)? Has the artist used a broad or limited color palette (i.east. variety or unity)? Which colors dominate?
• How would you describe the intensity of the colors (vibrant; vivid; vivid; glowing; pure; saturated; potent; tiresome; muted; pale; subdued; bleached; diluted)?
• Are colors transparent or opaque? Tin y'all see reflected color?
• Has color contrast been used inside the artwork (i.e. farthermost contrasts; juxtaposition of complementary colors; garish / clashing / jarring)? Are there any abrupt color changes or unexpected uses of color?
• What is the effect of these color choices (i.e. expressing symbolic or thematic ideas; descriptive or realistic depiction of local color; emphasizing focal areas; creating the illusion of aerial perspective; relationships with colors in surrounding surround; creating rest; creating rhythm/pattern/repetition; unity and variety within the artwork; lack of color places emphasis upon shape, item and grade)? What kind of atmosphere do these colors create?

It is oftentimes said that warm colors (red, orangish, yellow) come forrard and produce a sense of excitement (yellow is said to suggest warmth and happiness, equally in the smiley face), whereas cool colors (blue, green) recede and have a calming issue. Experiments, however, have proved inconclusive; the response to color – despite clichés about seeing carmine or feeling blue – is highly personal, highly cultural, highly varied. – Sylvan Barnet, A Brusque Guide to Writing About Art²

• Would it be appropriate to apply colour in a similar way within your own artwork?

Texture / surface / pattern

• Are at that place any interesting textural, tactile or surface qualities within the artwork (i.e. bumpy; grooved; indented; scratched; stressed; rough; smooth; shiny; varnished; glassy; glossy; polished; matte; sandy; grainy; gritted; leathery; spiky; silky)? How are these created (i.e. inherent qualities of materials; impasto mediums; sculptural materials; illusions or implied texture, such as cross-hatching; finely detailed and intricate areas; organic patterns such as foliage or pocket-sized stones; repeating patterns; ornamentation)?
• How are textural or patterned elements positioned and what result does this have (i.e. used intermittently to provide diversity; repeating pattern creates rhythm; patterns broken create focal points; textured areas create visual links and unity between separate areas of the artwork; balance between detailed/textured areas and simpler areas; glossy surface creates a sense of luxury; fake of texture conveys information about a subject, i.e. softness of fur or strands of hair)?
• Would it exist appropriate to employ texture / surface in a similar way within your own artwork?

Space

• Is the pictorial space shallow or deep? How does the artwork create the illusion of depth (i.eastward. layering of foreground, eye-ground, background; overlapping of objects; use of shadows to anchor objects; positioning of items in relationship to the horizon line; linear perspective – learn more about ane point perspective here; tonal modeling; relationships with adjacent objects and those in close proximity – including the human form – to create a sense of scale; spatial distortions or optical illusions; manipulating scale of objects to create 'surrealist' spaces where true scale is unknown)?
• Has an unusual viewpoint been used (i.e. worm's view; aeriform view, looking out a window or through a doorway; a scene reflected in a mirror or shiny surface; looking through leaves; multiple viewpoints combined)? What is the issue of this viewpoint (i.e. allows sure parts of the scene to be dominant and overpowering or squashed, condensed and foreshortened; or suggests a narrative between 2 carve up spaces; provides more information about a space than would normally be seen)?
• Is the accent upon mass or void? How densely arranged are components inside the artwork or picture plane? What is the relationship between object and surrounding space (i.e. compact / crowded / busy / densely populated, with piffling surrounding space; spacious; careful coaction betwixt positive and negative space; objects amassed to create areas of visual interest)? What is the consequence of this (i.e. creates a sense of emptiness or isolation; business / visual ataxia creates a feeling of chaos or claustrophobia)?
• How does the artwork appoint with real infinite – in and effectually the artwork (i.e. self-contained; closed off; eye contact with viewer; reaching outwards)? Is the viewer expected to move through the artwork? What is the relationship betwixt interior and outside space? What connections or contrasts occur between inside and out? Is information technology comprised of a series of divide or linked spaces?
• Would it be advisable to use infinite in a similar style within your own artwork?

Employ of media / materials

• What materials and mediums has the artwork been constructed from? Take materials been curtained or presented deceptively (i.due east. is in that location an authenticity / honesty of materials; are materials celebrated; is the structure visible or exposed)? Why were these mediums selected (weight; color; texture; size; strength; flexibility; pliability; fragility; ease of use; cost; cultural significance; durability; availability; accessibility)? Would other mediums have been appropriate?
• Which skills, techniques, methods and processes were used (i.e. traditional; conventional; industrial; contemporary; innovative)? It is of import to note that the examiners do not want the regurgitation of long, technical processes, simply rather to run across personal observations nearly how processes effect and influence the artwork in question. Would replicating part of the artwork help you gain a better understanding of the processes used?
• Has the artwork been built in layers or stages? For example:
  • Painting: gesso ground > textured mediums > underdrawing > blocking in colors > defining form > final details;
  • Architecture: cursory > concepts > development > working drawings > foundations > structure > cladding > finishes;
  • Graphic design: cursory > concepts > evolution > Photoshop > proofing > printing.
• How does the use of media help the creative person to communicate ideas?
• Are these methods useful for your own project?

Finally, remember that these questions are a guide only and are intended to make you showtime to think critically well-nigh the fine art you are studying and creating.

Wondering how to analyze your own artwork? The questions above tin be practical to your ain artwork, as in the art assay example above, past Nikau Hindin, ACG Parnell Higher. In this sketchbook page she analyses her ain Photoshop thumbnails, created using photographs of her called bailiwick matter. Critical analysis of your own artwork is something that students should become very familiar with over the duration of an art and design course. You may wish to view the remainder of Nikau'south A* A Level Fine art coursework projection.

Further Reading

If you enjoyed this commodity you may also like our article about high school sketchbooks (which includes a department nearly sketchbook annotation). If yous are looking for more assistance with how to write an art assay essay you may like our series about writing an creative person study.

_BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. _{A guide for Analyzing Works of Art; Sculpture and Painting, Durantas}
2. _{A Short Guide to Writing Almost Fine art, Sylvan Barnet (Amazon affiliate link)}
3. _{Analysing Paintings, Matthew Treherne, University of Leeds}
4. _{Art and Fine art History Tips, The University of Vermont}
5. _{Art History: A Preliminary Handbook, Dr. Robert J. Belton, The University of British Columbia}
6. _{Criticizing Art: Understanding the Gimmicky, Terry Barrett (Amazon chapter link)}
7. _{How to Look at Art, Susie Hodge (Amazon affiliate link)}
8. _{How to Look at a Painting, Françoise Barbe-Gall}
9. _{Imaginative Realism, James Gurney (Amazon chapter link)}
10. _{The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill}
11. _{Universal Principles of Art: 100 Key Concepts for Understanding, Analyzing and Practicing Art, John A. Parks (Amazon affiliate link)}

Amiria has been an Art & Blueprint instructor and a Curriculum Co-ordinator for seven years, responsible for the course design and assessment of educatee work in 2 high-achieving Auckland schools. She has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. Amiria is a CIE Accredited Art & Design Coursework Assessor.

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Source: https://www.studentartguide.com/articles/how-to-analyze-an-artwork

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