Instruction
-what do you see?
-what is the format (is it painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, or something else)?
-which materials are used? Acrylic paint, steel, cardboard, canvas, cotton balls, oil paint, ink, clay, marble, plastic water bottles?
-size and scale of the work
-describe how the following elements are used, and how they help deliver the content or meaning of the artwork:
SHAPE - Are the shapes geometric or organic? How are shapes interacting? Are they overlapping to convey a sense of depth?
LINE - Are lines thick, thin, solid, dotted, long, short, blurred or bold?SPACE - Is there depth? If so is it achieved through linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, diminution or some other way?
COLOR - Which colors are used? Describe the palette. Describe the TEXTURE - Describe the surface of the work of art, or any instances where the artist is creating the illusion of texture on a smooth surface.
how do the components from #2 help you to understand the work? What does each feature suggest? Why do you think the artist make the choices they made?
Some questions to consider:
-Is a mood attached to each individual component?
-what is the effect of each choice the artist made? For example, if in the previous paragraph you said the artist used oil paint on linen, in this paragraph you may describe how the use of oil paint contributes to the artwork’s overall meaning or purpose. If the artist used cardboard and old newspapers to create sculptures, you might describe how those are everyday objects and make the work more approachable because the materials are familiar and not expensive.
-how is light used? Does it feel like the light creates clarity or does it create shadows and confusion?
-is the composition symmetrical, serene or chaotic?
-what is your reaction to the work?
summarize your concepts and clarify any unresolved thoughts