- JUST USE YOUR EYES !
1/Introduction
What is the work of art entitled ? Who created it ? When was it created ?
What is it ? What is the medium ? What is its genre ? Is it activism, propaganda, or neither ?
If it is a painting /sculpture / photograph, when was it shown for the first time ?
What is the question ?
2/The work of Art in its time :
When was it created and at what point in the artist’s career ? Is the artist famous ? Was the artist famous when the work of art was created ?
What major historical or artistic events could relate to that work ?
Are the artist and his/her work part of a movement ? Find other works or artists linked to it.
Did this work change anything in the history of Art / the career of the artist ? Is it specific of the time ?
3/What exactly can you see ?
Speak about the title and what you can see. Focus on what you can see and be precise.
What genre is it ? (portrait, landscape, historical scene, myth, abstract painting…)
Shapes and lines…What do they refer to ? What can you associate them with ? What can you think of ?
Composition : find the major lines, the masses and how they are organized. Where are they going ? Are there any precise shapes you can identify ?
Your eyes : are they attracted by anything special ? Do they have to move ?
Where is it exhibited ? Is there a link between the work of art and the place where it is shown ? Is there any specific way it is arranged and shown ? Is the viewer expected to participate in any way ( by moving his eyes, moving his body, or is there a certain time of proportionality between the viewer and the work of art ?)
– Bidimensional space : is there any depth, or is an illusion of depth created ? Is there any sense of perspective ? (through colours and lines, for example ?)
– Surfaces : do they create an illusion of depth ? do the elements in the background look smaller ?
– Colour :
Name the various colours . Are they cool or warm ? Are they primary or secondary ? Bright or pale ? Light or dark ?
Are they in contrast with eachother ?
Is colour the expression of something ? Is it realistic or symbolic ? What is the relationship between colour and light ?
– Light :
Where does it come from ? Is the source of light visible in the picture ? How is it organized ? What is in the light ? What is in the shade ? What is the proportion of light in the picture ?
-Is it soft or harsh ? warm or cool ? is there a camera obscura effect ?
– does light play a peculiar role in the picture ?
–Lines :
– Are they horizontal, vertical, diagonal ? straight or curved ? thick or thin ? Are there any clear lines that delineate the patterns or are the colours or objects blended into each other ?
– Texture : is the surface rough or smooth ? Is it soft or hard ? Does it look hard and feels soft ? Textures do not always feel the way they look.
Can you see the traces of the brush ? Is the painting smooth and regular, or is it thick and over loaded with material ?
– The materials :
Name them. Say where they come from and how they are organized. How do they hold together ? What role do they play ? Why did the artist choose to use objects instead of just picturing them ?
ARCHITECTURE :
How was it built ? What materials are used ? Describe the shapes ? Are they organic or geometrical ?
Do the lines look soft or do they look straight ?
Draw the main line : it may help you understand the structure.
Are there any walls, how does the building close, can it be walked through ?Is there just one part, or does it consist in different spaces ? If there are several, how is it possible to move from one to the other ?
What about maintenance rooms ? Are they visible ? Is there a roof ? What is it like (describe its shape and materials)?
What is the inside like ? is it possible to change its structure ?
What is the relationship between the building and its environment ?
Why was it built for ?
SCULPTURE :
What technique was used ? Was it molded, modelled, carved , or built ?
What is it made of ?
Does the sculpture rest on a support ? What is the support like ? What is it made of ? Is it totally built in the sculpture, or is it separated from it ?How does the sculpture relate to its environment ? If you can turn around it, imagine the various view points.
4. Analysis ? What does the work of art mean ?
Use your observation of all the elements above to understand what the work of art means.
Why did the artist create it ? Did he/she intend to shock people, to commemorate, to pay tribute, to provoke thought, to a, to denounce something, to express ideas, to experiment with art ?
Imagine you could be part of that work, what would you feel ?
If you could hear the characters in that work of art , what do you think they could say ?
When you look at it, what comes to your mind ?
How do you react to it ?
Why is it a work of art ?
Why did you choose it, and how do you relate to it ?
