Art Museum ESSAY PAPER

THE FORMAL ANALYSIS

 NOT a research paper; it is an exercise in perception and articulation. A formal analysis 

It includes a description of a work of art, but it goes beyond mere description because it tells how the described object “works.” That is, it analyzes how the component parts work together, and how the artistic choices (choices of medium, shape, color, etc.) communicate the message of the work to the viewer.

piece of art at New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) or the Ogden Museum of Southern Art

– 750 words in length

– Choose one work of art that particularly engages you.

– Take time to look at the work in detail; make a simple sketch of the work.

– Ask yourself: “How does the piece ‘work’? What is the artist doing? Why do I have a particular response (such as joy, fear, curiosity)?”  Your response is, to a great extent, the result of the choices the artist has made in the process of creation.  You will find useful ideas for thinking and writing about works of art in the text which was required for this course.”

  1.  Do a rough sketch of the artwork. (This will help you SEE and understand the work. You will NOT be graded on your drawing skill. – I promise)

  2.  State the title, artist, date, dimensions, and medium of the work of art.

  3.  State the name of the exhibition in which the work was displayed.

  4.  Introduce the reader to the work of art by writing a brief, overall description of it.

  5.  ***Discuss the Elements of Art and Principles of Design that you think are important in understanding and analyzing this work.

The following list of the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design will help you to focus on the most important aspects of the work you are analyzing. Discuss the element or principles that seem to create the meaning of the work or contribute to its aesthetic quality. (Although different texts may sometimes use different terms, the basic concepts are the same.)

   Elements of Art                            Principles of Design 

o          line                                                      o          unity and variety

o          shape and mass                                 o          balance

o          light, value, color                                 o          emphasis, focal point

o          texture                                                 o          subordination

o          space                                                   o          proportion and scale

o          time and motion                                  o          rhythm

     6.  Discuss the medium the artist used and how the artist exploited the particular qualities of this medium. (Always refer to the artist by his or her last name, not the first name.)

     7.  Explain your personal response to the work based on its form as you analyzed it in the previous sections.

     8.  Include the rough sketch of the artwork. (This was to help you SEE and understand the work. You are NOT being graded on your drawing skill. – I promise)