ARTS

Formal Analysis Instructions ARTS 1301 ~ Dr. Foltz Use the Formal Analysis Quick Guide to analyze one artwork in the H. Paxton Moore Gallery at El Centro.

• Take careful notes; answer every part of the list including the “why?”, and support your answers with evidence.

Use your notes to type a formal analysis paper that describes the artwork in detail.

• Use MLA format for all aspects of the paper, including page headers (last name and page number in the top-right margin), a four-line heading, centered title (no bold or quotation marks), 1” margins all around, and a standard 12-point font, double spaced. (See Sample Analysis.)

Begin the paper with the basic information, including artist’s name, title (in italics), date (2017 or 2018 if not listed), dimensions (height x width, with inches or “), medium (what it’s made of), and subject (what it’s a picture of).

• Write at least two paragraphs describing the elements of art listed on the Quick Guide. Be thorough and detailed: explain what, where, and why.

• Write at least one paragraph describing the principles of composition listed on the Quick Guide. Be sure to describe them in terms of the elements above, not just “stuff”!

• Write at least one paragraph that answers the Analysis questions at the end of the Quick Guide. Remember the definitions of realistic and abstract from the beginning of the class.

Proofread your paper.

• Make sure you have answered everything, and that your writing makes sense to someone who is not looking at the painting.

• Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and write in a formal, academic tone (like the textbook), not a conversational one.

• Avoid first and second person (“I”, “you”, etc.), and either use “the viewer” or just state observations directly (for example, instead of writing “I can see the primary color red in XYZ,” just say “The primary color red is used in XYZ.”).

• Avoid “I feel like” and “would be.” Contact the instructor or ECC Learning Center for help with writing. Upload your paper as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file to the correct location in eCampus by 11:59pm on the due date. No late work will be accepted for this activity.