Using what you’ve learned in lectures, readings, and other multimedia, follow the below steps to practice analyzing a work of art with reference to elements and principles of design. This is called ‘formal analysis’—not formal like a tuxedo, but formal as in ‘using form.’
Aside from providing the identifying information I ask for below, please disregard historical context for the purposes of this essay. (No need for an artist’s bio, for example, or mention of the movement to which they belonged.) It is meant to be an exercise in seeing rather than a research paper. It can also be relatively informal, in that there is no need for an introduction/conclusion or cited sources. You are also welcome to write in the first person.
Please use 12-point, double-spaced font. If you do a thorough, thoughtful job it should come out to 1.5 to 2 pages.
Please Complete the Following Steps:
1. Artwork Selection: Choose one two-dimensional artwork from the MoMA online collection at https://www.moma.org/collection/ (Links to an external site.) . You are welcome to continue working with the artwork you analyzed for your color scheme analysis, and can incorporate what you wrote for that discussion into this essay.
2. Basic Details: At the top of the essay, where you would normally put the title of a paper, please list the following basic identifying information about the work in the following format:
Artist’s Name, “Artwork Title,” Year the artwork was made, Materials/medium used, Size (for example, 40 x 60 inches)
3. Analysis of Elements: In 6-10 substantive sentences, describe the artwork with enough detail that someone who has not seen it will be able to imagine it. Do this by describing how the artist uses as least several of the following four elements: line, shape, form, texture, pattern, hue, value, intensity. Try to use adjectives when talking about each–how does it appear to you
4. Analysis of Principles: In 6-10 substantive sentences, describe how the artist uses at least two of the following principles to organize or structure this work: balance, emphasis, movement, repetition or rhythm, proportion or scale, unity, or variety.
5. Interpretation: In 6-10 substantive sentences, draw some conclusions about what the artist might be trying to communicate with this piece. Use your formal analysis as you do this—how do the artist’s formal decisions lead you to your interpretation