Select a work of art (2D or 3D) from the following website. Discover Art & Artists | The Art Institute of Chicago (artic.edu)
1. Select a work of art (2D or 3D) from the following website. Discover Art & Artists | The Art Institute of Chicago (artic.edu)
2. Study the work of art and the information included with the work of art.
3. Spend some time observing, thinking, and writing. Take notes. Record details about the work that interest you. Sketch any directional lines on a copy of the drawing.
4. Use the following guidelines to analyze those details through the steps of art criticism.
THINKING LIKE AN ART CRITIC STEP #1 DESCRIPTION
Observation Without making any judgments, describe to yourself or another person everything you see in the work of art. Focus only on what you see. Materials What is the work made of? How was it made? Why did the artist choose to use these materials? The Title What is the title of the piece? What does it tell you about the work?
STEP #2 FORMAL ANALYSIS Form How did the artist use color, texture, light, shape, and composition to create this piece? Did they way they used their visual elements remind you of any of the principles of design: unity and variety, balance, repetition & rhythm, directional forces, contrast, scale & proportion? Which did they use? How did they use them? Style Is the work of art Representational, Non-representation, or Abstract and why do you think so?
STEP #3 INTERPRETATION Initial reaction Pay attention to your initial reaction to this work of art. What is the first thing you notice? Why? What interests you about this work? Why did you select it? Write a list of adjectives that come to mind as you look. Content What is happening in this work? Is there a narrative (story being told)? Does this piece remind you of anything else? In what ways? Interpretation What do you think the artist’s message to the viewer is? What do you suppose the artist wants to make you feel? Is it realistic? Metaphorical? Symbolic? What leads you to think so? Artist’s Statement Read the artist’s statement or historical facts if they are included with the image. How does the artist’s approach-his/her use of materials, subject matter, color, composition-communicate his/her ideas? Are there any biographical or historical clues that could help you make the above determinations?
STEP #4 VALUE JUDGEMENT Meaning What does the work mean to me? How does it relate to my personal experience? Might the work have more than one meaning? 5. When you have completed your note-taking and sketching (on the image, studying directional lines, balance, etc.), present your findings using the questions above in a succinct two-page paper at minimum. You may go over the page limit but please keep it under 5-pages. 6. Please include the image either in the document of your paper or as a separately attached file. Images will not be included in the page count. You may include the image with your sketches on it.
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MLA
600 Words