Written Paper – Visual Analysis
Choose one work of art from an exhibition at a museum or gallery in town (this can be done in person or online). Write a paper on your chosen work of art analyzing the elements and principles of art as well as the themes present in the work. You may choose to include a little background on the artist.
Format: 2-4 pages, 12-point font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and a cover sheet.
The emphasis should be on analyzing the formal elements—not interpreting the artwork. Think back to Chapter 1 and how we analyzed each work of art. How the elements and principles of art worked together to help create and convey the artists ideas and themes.
Choosing the piece:
Choose a piece of fine art: drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation, video, etc. from the list below.You must include a clear color image of the piece that you’ve chosen to analyze.
The Menil Collection
MFA Houston
CAM Houston
Lawndale Art Center
Kerry Inman Gallery
McClain Gallery
Josh Pazda Hiram Butler Gallery
David Shelton Gallery
Texas Gallery
Museums are open Wednesday- Sunday.
Galleries are open Wednesday- Saturday.
Your argument should provide a framework for your analysis and suggest your interpretation of the work. A Problem Statement does not necessarily involve a statement of argument or original insight, but it should let the reader know how the artist’s formal choices affect the viewer.
The Analysis:
Although description is an important part of a formal analysis, description is not enough on its own. You must introduce and contextualize your descriptions of the formal elements of the work, so the reader understands how each element influences the work’s overall effect on the viewer. In simpler terms, describe the work in as much detail as you can and then explain how the elements and principles of art work together with the artists choices. You may include your emotional responses to a work, but you must explain them and back them up with evidence, the formal elements that elicit your emotional response.
Example of effective analysis: In Club Night, George Bellows traces the boxers’ limbs with distinct, arcing lines that define the curvature of each muscle and give the viewer a sense of the energy in their bodies. These long brushstrokes convey stability and fluidity, whereas the short brushstrokes in the boxers’ upper bodies suggest an immense accumulation of tension, like a coiled spring. Additionally, strong diagonal lines in the boxers create a sense of lunging, dynamic movement.
Suggested Structure for a Formal Analysis:
Introduction: The introduction should identify the title of the work of art, the name of the artist, and the date when it was created. You may also indicate the medium, the period in which it was created and its current location. While biographical information about the artist is not necessary, if you know something about the artist’s interests or the interests of the period that may have influenced this work, you may include it here. Typically, your introduction should conclude with your thesis statement, which will suggest the meaning or content of the work in order to introduce the formal elements you have chosen to analyze.
Body/Development of Analysis: Each main element you discuss in your paper should be analyzed in its own paragraph. You may find it helpful to begin each paragraph with a topic sentence about the significance of the element and end with a concluding statement. You may also organize your analysis of the formal elements according to major figures, a focal point, or other significant effects in the composition.
Conclusion: The conclusion may summarize your findings and relate back to the theme presented in your introduction; however, you should avoid simply repeating what you offered in the introduction. You may also include any new ideas, insights, or understandings you gained about the work through the analysis process.
Assessment:
You will be graded on Content, Organization, Development, Expression, and Mechanics.
Sources and Citing:
Because this is a visual analysis, you should not need to do research on the piece. The main exception might be that the artist is using a process that is unfamiliar to you, and it is crucial to the visual analysis. In this case, some research might be necessary, and you will need to cite your sources. Do so using MLA format, and use in-text citations in MLA format as well. Use the MLA Handbook as a reference for this and use the LSC Writing Center if you need additional support.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism of any kind will not be tolerated. This includes all of the following:
Turning in someone else’s work as your own
Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not
Reusing work from another class
ATTACHED BELOW ARE THE SAMPLE OF THE ESSAYS, HOW IT SHOULD BE MIRRORED
