Art analysis + connections with your work
PLEASE REFER TO THIS LINK. THESE ARE NOT MY OWN NOTES… BUT I FOUND IT USEFUL!
Include:
- What is it
- Media used
- Art terms
- Meaning, intentions
- Cultural background of artist
- Any extra links/comments
- Conclusion
- How can I apply it to my work?
To annotate- To make short notes explaining or clarifying a point or drawing the viewer’s attention to something of relevance (e.g. ‘the wide range of tones here adds drama and interest)
To analyze- To look closely and in detail at an artwork, noting as many points as you can about the piece. These points might cover thinks like:
- Composition (organization of shapes within the work)
- Use of color/tone
- Medium used (oil paint, photography, etc)
- Mood or emotion created
- Content/narrative (what’s happening in this artwork? Is there a story?)
- Issues covered (i.e. political, social, religious issues)
To compare and contrast- To analyze two or more artworks at once, focusing on the similarities and differences between them. This is often easier than analyzing a single artwork.
To evaluate- To make personal judgment about the artwork and to give your reason i.e. Do you like the artwork? Why? What is good about it? What is not so good? The reason for this will, of course, come from your analysis.
Analyzing Artwork: A Step-by-Step Guide
1: First Reaction
- Write down your first response to the artwork.
- Do you like it?
- How does it make you feel?
- Does it remind you of anything you have seen before?
2: Description
- List what you can see in this artwork.
- Figures, colors, shapes, objects, background, etc.
- Imagine you are describing it to a blind person. Do this in as much detail as possible and use art terms.
3: Formal Analysis
- Write down your observations in more detail, looking at these aspects of the artwork:
- Colors
- Which type of palette has the artist used: is it bright or dull, strong or weak?
- Are the colors mostly complementary, primary or secondary?
- Which colors are used most in this artwork?
- Which colors are used least in this artwork?
- Are the colors used different ways in different parts of the artwork?
- Have the colors been applies flat, “straight from the tube” or have different colors been mixed?
Tones
- Is there a use of light/shadow in this artwork?
- Where is the light coming from? Where are the shadows?
- Are the forms in the artwork realistically modeled (does it look 3-D)?
- Is there a wide range of tonal contrast (very light highlights and very dark shadows) or is there tonal range quite narrow (i.e. mostly similar tones)?
Use of media
- What medium has been used (oil paint, acrylic, charcoal, clay, etc)?
- How has the artist used the medium – i.e. is the paint applied thick or thin? How can you tell?
- Can you see brushstrokes, mark making or texture? Describe the shape and direction of the brushstrokes / marks. What size of brush/ pencil was used?
- Was it painted, drawn or sculpted quickly, or slowly and painstakingly? What makes you think this?
Composition (organization of shapes)
- What types of shapes are used in this artwork (i.e. rounded, curved, straight-edged or geometric shapes)?
- Is there a mixture of different types of shapes or are all the shapes similar?
- Imagine you are describing it to a blind person. Do this in as much detail as possible and use art terms.
3: Formal Analysis
Write down your observations in more detail, looking at these aspects of the artwork:
Colors
- Which type of palette has the artist used: is it bright or dull, strong or weak?
- Are some parts of the composition full of shapes and some parts empty, or are the shapes spread evenly across the artwork?
- Are some shapes repeated or echoed in other parts of the artwork?
- Does the whole composition look full of energy and movement, or does it look still and peaceful? How did the artist create this movement/stillness?
- What is the center of interest in the composition?
- How does the artist draw your attention to it?
4: Interpretation
Now write down your personal thoughts about the work: there are no “right” or “wrong” answers here!
- What do you think the artist is trying to say in this artwork? What does it mean?
- What is the main theme or idea behind this piece?
- If you were inside this artwork, what would you be feeling/ thinking?
- Does the artwork have a narrative (tell a story)? Is it a religious artwork?
- Is it abstract? Is it realistic? Why?
- How would you explain this artwork to someone else?
5: Evaluation
Based upon what you have observed already, give your opinion of the artwork. You MUST give reason.
- “Franz Marc has created an effective expressive painting, because the hot colors and lively brush marks he has used add to the overall feeling of energy and excitement his is trying to create.”
- “The overall mood of this drawing would be improved if Kathe Kollowitz had used strong, dramatic shadows, instead of pale tones. Dark tones would develop the feeling of fear and loneliness in this image.”
Writing about painting- a glossary of useful terms:
- Gestural- A loose, energetic application of paint which relies on the artist’s movement to make expressive marks on the canvas. This is a supposed to be a very personal and unique way of working- almost like handwriting. Look at artist like Cy Twombly or Antoni Tapies for examples.
- Glaze- (or wash)- a semi-transparent layer of thinned paint. Many traditional painters like Michelangelo made use of this technique to create the subtle tones of skin for fabric. For a modern use of the glazing techniques, look at the abstract, gestural paintings of Helen Frankenthaler.
- Impasto- a thick layer of paint, often applied in several layers with a brush or palette knife. Look at the dense, textual brushwork of paintings by artist like Gillian Ayres or Frank Auerbach.
- Plein-aire- a painting which has been made outside, often quite quickly, to cope with changing weather, light effects etc. The Impressionist were the first artists to paint outdoors, rather than in their studios. Before this, however, many artists had sketched outdoors in preparation for painting, the oil sketched of Constable are an excellent example.
- Pointillist- the use of many tiny dots of pure color which seems to ‘blend’ when seen at a distance. Georges Seurat’s work is the most famous example of this almost- scientific technique. Look at the work of Chuck Close and compare and contrast them to Seurat.
- Scumbling- a thin glaze of paint dragged over a different color, so that both layers of paint can be seen, giving a luminous, glowering effect. Abstract painters like Mark Rothko made use of this technique.
- Sfumato- literally means ‘smoked’ in Italian; the use of heavy, dark tones to suggest mystery and atmosphere. Rembrandt’s late self-portraits are a superb example of this technique in practice.
- Sketch- A quick painting, often made in preparation of the ‘final version’.
- Brushwork- the way in which the artist used the brush to apply paint. Brushwork can be loose, energetic, controlled, tight, obsessive, repetitive, random etc.
- Palette- 1. A tray used for mixing colors when painting. 2. The choice of in a painting i.e. ‘van Gogh uses a pure and vivid palette in his Arles landscapes”.
- Tone or tonal- 1. The elements of lights and shadow in an artwork i.e. ‘Kathe Kollowitz’s etchings use strong, dense tones to create an intense, sorrowful mood’. 2. The range of tones within an artwork ie ‘Rembrandt’s later portraits use a very dark tonal range’.
- Support- The surface that a painting or drawing is produced on. Support can be paper, card, wood, canvas, metal etc i.e. “Antoni Tapies’s paintings sometimes look as if they have been attacked. The support is often violently torn, ripped and stabbed into’.
Writing about Color- A glossary of useful terms:
- Primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Primary colors can be used to mix a wide range of color. These are cool and warm primary colors.
- Secondary colors: orange, green and purple. Secondary colors are mixed by combining two primary colors.
- Complementary colors: pairs of opposite colors on the color wheel: green-red, blue-orange, and yellow-purple. Complementary colors are as contrasting as possible (i.e. there is no yellow in the color purple). Painters like Andre Derain and van Gogh often made use of the contrast of complementary colors in their paintings.
- Tertiary colors: A range of natural or neutral colors. Tertiary colors are created by mixing two complementary colors together. Tertiary colors are the colors of nature: skin, plants, wood, etc.
- Tones: are created by adding black to any color (i.e. maroon is a tone of red).
- Tints: are created by adding white to any color (i.e. pink is a tint of red).
- Palette: the choice of colors an artist makes.
- Limited palette: the selection of only a few colors within an artwork; i.e. ‘In this drawing, Matisse has used a limited palette of ultramarine blues and purples to create a moody, subdued atmosphere.’
- Broad palette: the use of a wide range of different colors within an artwork; i.e. Kandinsky’s paintings are instantly recognizable for their use of geometric shapes, but also for the broad palette of colors he employs.’
- Tonal range: the range of tones in an artwork from light to dark. A wide tonal range would include all tones from white to black. A narrow tonal range would include only pale tones, only mid tones or only dark tones; i.e. “Kathe Kollowitz’s etching make a powerful use of a narrow tonal range to create oppressive, dark images.’
- Opacity: the density or thickness of a color used; if the color is strong and nothing can be seen beneath it, the color is said to be opaque. Acrylic and oil are often opaque.
- Transparency: thin, transparent color, with perhaps other colors, shapes and lines visible beneath it. Watercolor painting typically uses transparent color.
Useful adjectives you might use when describing COLOR:
Saturated, bright, pure, vivid, strong, harsh, dramatic, vibrant, brilliant, intense, powerful, muted, subtle, gentle, dull, soft, watery, subdues, delicate, gloomy, tertiary, faded, limited
wonder-mechanic answered your question: So, I’m thinking about doing this thing where I…
Style? What exactly do you mean?
Shio the curve of your face shape is very sweeping. The cheek is not so defined (this is cool! I’m thinking about doing this sometime). Your line quality is pretty nice. It is a thinner weight but fills out in the middle and then tapers again. The shapes you make are very curvy and organic. The highlights follow the shape of the hair…it’s similar to the shape you do your bangs with. The positioning of your characters is kind of on an angle. Eyes are simple and large. The mouth takes place of the nose, that is to say, it is in the middle of the place between the eyes and the chin.
Just a reminder to everyone, what I’m saying is not criticism, just interesting notes!
It's all art, BUT...
ART: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance. - Dictionary.com
That being said, I think that if you’re drawing and it makes you happy, it is art and you are an artist.
***HOWEVER!
Not all art is equivalent. Professional artists are people who are paid enough to make a living off of their art. Their clients/employers expect certain things from them and they must be able to fulfill those expectations. They must understand what makes an image appealing and how to change it if necessary to express whatever it is they are being asked to express. In general, professional artists are very experienced, usually formally educated, skilled, and talented. They tend to do their art with an eye on improvement so that they can get jobs. Art is their life.
The rest of us are amateur/hobbyist artists. We may be skilled, we may be talented, but if we want people to pay us, we have to look at the expectations of the pro world and fulfill them as best we can. Fan art is still art. You’re still an artist even if you’re unskilled. But don’t expect to be considered the same as a professional artist because YOU’RE NOT.
So if you’re speaking from a professional point of view, yes there is such thing as “good” art. Does the artist show understanding of composition, color theory, anatomy, perspective, and all that? Money is involved, therefore if you want in, you have to play by their rules. This is just how it is.
For me, if you are doing art, you’re expressing yourself and it’s making you happy, that’s art. You’re an artist. But I am not going to say you’re the same as Frank Frazetta, because you’re not. “Good” and “bad” in the untamed wilds of amateur art is pretty subjective, and that’s okay. Having had art training, I prefer people to show a certain skill level before I call it “good.” People who haven’t had art training also have certain expectations before they call it “good.” Understandable. But it doesn’t really matter in amateurland.
You don’t have to improve, you know. You can sit in your own little puddle of mediocrity and if that makes you happy, that is OKAY. I prefer to try and improve my skills - because it makes my art that much more effective in expressing what it is I want to express. That and I want people to give me money for it.
Sitting around labeling other people’s art when it’s strictly for enjoyment is a waste of time and really smacks of arrogance. Fan art is like vomit. Whatever. You’re entitled to that opinion, you’re entitled to post it. Remember that other people are entitled to get mad at the implied insult, though I think anger at that is a waste of time.The whole exercise is a waste of time and really just ego wanking.
The only question artists should be asking themselves is “do I wanna go pro or do I not?” If you do, you’d better get busy and start working hard and realizing that it’s not all fun and games. If you don’t, do whatever makes you happy - don’t worry about whether it’s “real” or “good” art. Just don’t expect the pros to treat you like an equal - they don’t have to.
