Art research paper

Art Appreciation Formal and Content Analysis Paper

Introduction:

One of the basic tools of all art-related disciplines is formal analysis, meaning the ability to describe and analyze form (how something looks). Formal analysis requires looking, describing, and analyzing using the accepted vocabulary of art.

Note: Formal analysis is not concerned with content (subject) or context. Do not include an interpretation of meaning in the first part of the paper. Only address how it looks. You are also prohibited from consulting websites, books, videos, or articles discussing the work.

The second part of the paper, content analysis, relies on research to determine meaning in the paper. You will rely on what other people already have said for this part.

Your formal analysis MUST address three elements of form and principles of composition. The most common of these are:

· Line

· Color

· Light and shadow (source and value)

· Texture

· Perspective

· Spatial attributes (space and mass/volume)

· Composition (rhythm, repetition, balance, proportion, scale, unity/variety)

First describe the element or principle, then analyze. For example, “The painting has a diagonal line that crosses the picture plane.” That is a description. “The effect of that line is to divide the painting into two zones.” That is analysis. Anytime you consider the effect of the formal element or principle of composition, you are analyzing the form.

Getting Started:

You have selected a work in a regional museum (Amon Carter [American], Meadows, Crow Collection [Asian], DMA, Kimbell, Nasher Sculpture Center) to describe and analyze. Write only about that work and what you see. Start early and visit the work, taking notes on each formal element or principle of composition.

When you first look at the work, consider such things as abstraction, movement, naturalism, etc. Are there lines? Are the lines well defined or sketchy? Are there directional or compositional lines that direct the viewer’s eye or help construct the painting? How does the artist use color. What kind of brush work does the artist use? Look at surface detail, at how the artist applied the paint – can you see paint, brushstrokes, or is the surface smooth? How do brushwork and color affect the way the work looks? How does the artist arrange his composition? What elements does he use to do this? Does the artist use perspective and if so what kind? How does the artist render form? Does the artist use naturalism, abstraction, realism, etc?

What size is it? Do not include size information as dimensions alone, but describe how you have to look at it, up close, or does its size require you to look from a distance to take it in.

Here are some questions to answer as you look at the work:

· How is line employed in the work?

· Does the work possess real or implied lines (like lines of sight), or both?

· How is the line handled? Is it bold and firm or sketchy and timid?

· Does it seem to regulate or order the composition? Is there a discernible axis created by one or more of the lines?

· Does it seem to fragment the work?

· Do lines help to define the objects in the image? Does the artist rely on lines to define his figures?

· Does line help to create the illusion of three-dimensional space, as in orthogonals and transversals?

· What are the effects of each of these treatments of line?

· How is color employed in the work?

· What is the dominant color scheme? Are complementary, monochromatic, or analogous colors employed?

· How does the color scheme contribute to the viewer’s reception of the work?

· Are the colors highly saturated?

· Are the colors local (naturalistic, true) or expressive? What effect does that create?

· Is color used to define the objects in the image? Does the artist rely on color to define his figures?

· Does color seem to regulate or order the composition?

· How are light and shadow employed in the work?

· Is there a discernible light source? Where? Is it consistent throughout the work?

· Is there a great deal of tonal/value contrast, or is it held to a minimum? What effect does that create?

· Are light and shadow treated naturalistically or conceptually? Does the artist employ light to describe his/her forms or to create expressive or exaggerated effects?

· Are light and shadow used to define the objects in the image? Does the artist rely on light and shadow to define his figures?

· Do light and shadow seem to regulate or order the composition?

· How is texture employed in the work?

· What kind of texture do you see? Visual texture or tactile textures?

· Are the textures real (tactile) (bumpy surface of the painting) or implied (visual) (painted to look like a weave)?

· Are the textures natural or unnatural? What effect does that create?

· Is texture used to define the objects in the image? Does the artist rely on texture to define his figures?

· Does texture seem to regulate or order the composition? (Hint: This rarely happens.)

· How does the artist implement perspective?

· Is perspective critical to the image?

· Is the perspective linear or atmospheric, or both?

· Does the perspective lead the eye into the picture?

· Does the artist ignore perspective for some reason?

· How is space employed in the work?

· Is the work rendered illusionistically or is it made to appear two-dimensional? Is it actual or implied? Even two-dimensional works take up space. What is the effect of this treatment of space?

· How does the artist define illusionistic space, if the object is two dimensional? Linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, overlapping?

· How does the work reveal the mass/volume of objects, if it is two-dimensional? Modeling, scale, shape.

· How are these elements composed, that is, organized within the work?

· Is there a clear and discernible geometric shape or other organizing principle employed?

· Is there a significant use of visual rhythm and repetition of elements?

· Is the composition balanced symmetrically or asymmetrically?

· Do the work’s various forms (figures/objects/shapes) seem proportional, and how does the question of scale affect your perception?

· Does the composition seem unified or varied? What unifies it?

Writing the paper:

Your paper must be at least three full pages of text and no more than five pages. Organize it as follows. Do not vary from this outline other than to change the order of the paragraphs. Write in complete sentences. Do not label each paragraph.

1. Introduction that provides:

· Artist (name), Title, and date included in a complete sentence!

· One sentence description. Pretend that your reader cannot see the work. “The painting features three male figures standing in a landscape.”

· Thesis sentence. (One sentence explaining that this paper will analyze the formal elements and principles of composition found in the work.) Make this sentence clear about what YOU will address. EX: I will describe Goya’s Third of May in terms of color, composition, texture, (etc). Add a second statement about what method of content analysis you will use. EX: I will also examine Goya’s painting with a historical analysis of the event portrayed.

2. Second paragraph (and third if necessary) – First expand on the sentence you used in the first paragraph to give broad overview of the image in no more than two sentences. Pretend that your reader cannot see the work. “The painting features three male figures dressed in classical garb standing in a rural landscape with a town in the background.”

· Then begin to include more details. Be sure to include in the description the elements that you will discuss in your analysis. For example, The Third of May depicts a line of soldiers aiming rifles at another group of men, all placed within a landscape. A hill forms the background against which the men cluster.

Formal Analysis – This analysis require looking only. Do NOT include meaning in the formal analysis.

3. One to two paragraph(s) on the first element - For example, a discussion of line may include: “The top of the hill (you have already introduced the hill in your description) forms a diagonal line that separates the foreground from the background. This diagonal leads the eye to the line of six soldiers standing rigidly at the right of the canvas. The rifles they hold form a second directional line that points back at the group of men to the left. Goya also used diagonals lines to indicate movement, forming the body of the victim about to be shot in an X that leads the eye down to the blood and bodies onto which the man will soon fall.”

4. One to two paragraph(s) on the second element.

5. One to two paragraph(s) on the third element.

Content Analysis – This analysis requires some research! Do not give your opinion of what you think it means.

6. Write at least two paragraphs on the content of the work.

· You may use iconographic, biographical, contextual (historical/social), or feminist analysis

7. Conclusion that states that the paper has analyzed the formal elements and principles of composition found in the work and offered an analysis on the content.

CITING SOURCE

You will need to cite the sources of your information of your content analysis section. Please follow the instructions for citing precisely. If you need additional help, make an appointment to get help.

· You should not include direct quotations in your paper. You must instead paraphrase the author’s ideas and cite your source.

· Paraphrasing is putting the idea in your own words and crediting your source with a footnote or in-text citation.

· For help with paraphrasing, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml (the link on our website).

· You must cite sources even when you do not quote directly. Put the citation at the end of the sentence that contains the other author’s ideas. If several sentences in one paragraph contain the same author’s ideas, put the citation at the end of the sentence with the most specific information.

· Use the Chicago citation style for footnote citations. Insert these footnotes by using the insert tool in Microsoft Word. Here are two examples:

· Van Gogh’s earliest paintings included small pieces of his ear as a token of his love for Mickey Mouse. Word inserted this #1 and automatically creates a #1 that you can see at the bottom of this page (see below). It also moves your cursor to that point so that you can type the source.

· According to John Smith, van Gogh’s love for Mickey Mouse led him to include a small piece of his ear in each of his early paintings. Word automatically inserts the next number for your footnote, and again, inserts it below where you will type in that source. Notice that the footnote has reduced the information because it already appears in another footnote. If you re-order your sentences, Word also reorders your footnotes.

· All works cited must be listed in the Works Cited/Bibliography (call it either name).

· Use the document on Blackboard for help with Chicago style citations.

· When should you cite sources?

· Cite the source of information that is not observable. For example, your painting has a baby with a bird in his hand and you write “The baby has a bird in his hand.” You do not need to cite that.

· Cite information that you receive from another text/source that is not observable. To continue our example, next you look at an iconography dictionary and discover that babies with birds in their hands are images of the Christ Child. You write “Babies shown with a bird in the hand may be Christ.” You must cite the iconography dictionary where you got that information: “Babies shown with a bird in the hand may be Christ.”

· Do not cite information that is common knowledge. This is a tough decision, since much of the information may be new to you. Therefore, except for stating that a cross is a symbol of Christ or a halo is a sign of holiness, cite your sources for everything else that is not observable.

Again, if several sentences in one of your paragraphs contain information from one source, put the citation at the end of the sentence with the most specific information. If each sentence comes from a different source, cite each sentence.

Formatting the document:

· Your paper must be typed, double-spaced.

· Your paper must have margins no larger or smaller than one inch.

· Your paper must have a font no larger or smaller than 12 pt, preferably Times New Roman.

· Do not put extra spaces between paragraphs. Indent to begin each new paragraph.

· Papers with big font, big margins, or gaps between paragraphs will not be graded.

· Your paper must at least 3 full pages long. Put your title and name on a separate title page.

· Proofread and edit for grammar, spelling, and clarity.

· Be sure that the paper represents your own work. Plagiarism will be punished with a grade of “F” in the course and disciplinary action at the Dean of Student’s discretion. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to submitting a paper that shares portions with another student’s work and employing an external source without proper citation (do not consult any outside sources [except the text for style]).

Images

· A picture of the object must accompany the paper at the end, do not embed it in the text or place it at the beginning of the paper. Tie the image to your text.

· The FIRST time you mention the work, place (Figure 1) at the END of the sentence and before period. Example: Goya’s Third of May, 1808 depicts an execution scene with two groups of men, the executioners on one side and the victims on the other, all within the landscape of Toledo (Figure 1).

· Place the caption, in the format below, under the image that you will add on a separate page AFTER your text. Example:

Figure 1

Goya, The Third of May, 1806, 1814. Oil on canvas, 8' 9" x 13' 4". (Artist, Title, date. Medium, size.)

· You may add details (small bits of the image at high resolution to add clarity to your analysis) of the image as a second and third (or more) image as Figure 2 and Figure 3 in the same way as above.

Assessment:

This paper will be assessed based on the following criteria:

· Description of the work

· Accurate description of three elements

· Accurate analysis of three elements

· Inclusion of content analysis

· Quality of description and analysis

· Correct use and application of terminology

· Proper organization according to the outline provided in the instructions

· Clarity and professionalism of writing (edited, proofread, spellchecked)

· Adherence to assignment guidelines

� John Smith, Van Gogh and Mickey Mouse, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, 27.

� Smith, 27.