Have part of the essay already completed, just need the rest of it to be finished. Open to correction on my half of the half I completed.
Guidelines: at least 1000 words, 12-point Times New Roman Font, double-spaced, with 1″ margins.
Upload all written assignments to Brightspace. Make sure your last name is in the document title.
YOUR PAPER SHOULD INCLUDE A COVER PAGE WITH YOUR NAME, THE TITLE OF YOUR PAPER, AND A PICTURE OF THE ARTWORK IN THE SPACE YOU SAW IT IN, AS WELL AS ANY WALL TEXT THAT ACCOMPANIES THE ARTWORK ON DISPLAY. IF THERE IS NO WALL TEXT YOUR COVER PAGE SHOULD INCLUDE THE ARTWORK’S TITLE AND THE ARTIST’S NAME. THIS PAPER SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ANY WORKS CONSULTED.
THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY SHOULD INCLUDE A CITATION FOR THE ART SHOW YOUR CHOSEN ARTWORK APPEARS IN, AS WELL AS ONE FOR ANY EXTERNAL REFERENCES YOU CONSULT.
Formal Analysis
Formal analysis is an analytical method of looking at and discussing a work of art. It includes describing the work in terms of various design elements, such as color, shape, texture, line, lighting, mass, and space, as well as a discussion of how those elements have been used (the design principles). Formal analysis moves beyond description of the artwork and its content by linking the elements of the work to the effects that they have on the viewer. This is discussion of the artwork from the point of view of here is the artwork, and this is what I see and can make sense of . . . Formal analysis uses art terminology to consider the effects of an artwork on the viewer (you), and its a process that enables us to think about and consider the overall meaning of the artwork.
NOTE: Formal analysis does not necessarily require research, as it is based on your point of view. The more informed you are, the deeper your analysis will gobut that depth depends on experience, knowledge, and careful attention, not necessarily on research. It is good to arrive at your own conclusions about what you think an artwork means, and I am more interested in hearing what an artwork means to you than I am in hearing what historians have said about your chosen artwork. Most students do include some historical information (what movement the artwork is part of, for example) but it isn’t a requirement.
FINDING AN ARTWORK!
In lieu of visiting another artwork in person you will be searching for artists within the Museum of Modern Art’s Artist Database, Located at . If you, for some reason, feel a strong urge to write about artwork located somewhere else you must reach out to me via email or Brightspace message and we can discuss what you would like to do for this paper.
The MoMA database has some 27,000+ artists, so to help you narrow it down I’ve included a list of artists by category that I feel would be good below. The MoMA has more info on some artists than others, so you will need to look at what info is available online. Several of the artists on this list only have a couple major works in the MoMA’s collection. You can choose an artist that isn’t on this list if you would like, but you need to shoot me an email or canvas message, so I can approve your plans for this paper. For some artists in this list the MOMA just has an image and wall text for artworks in their collection. For other artists there may be the option to look at images of the artwork installed in the galleries, or even to watch an interview with the artist themselves! These are good resources, and I highly recommend you look at all the information present for your artist, but make sure you quote the website or the artist if you use their language.
It is INCREDIBLY important to cite your sources in academia, and I will be looking through what is posted about your artist when I grade your papers. I will also be using TurnItIn to check your work for plagiarism, and it will flag stuff that gets copy-pasted from the MOMA. QUOTATIONS DO NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE WORD COUNT OF YOUR PAPER.
There are many artists here who could fit several categories! Artist’s generally aren’t one-dimensional 🙂
The Museum of Modern Art has mostly Modern artists. Don’t expect classical paintings here!
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Painters |
Photographers |
Sculptors |
Printmakers |
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Designers and Text Artists |
Installation |
Assembly/Collage |
Other |
WRITING YOUR PAPER!
Step 2: Writing a critical analysis. There are four aspects of a critical analysis: description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation. It includes a description of a work of art, but it goes beyond mere description because it tells how the described object “works.”
Description = pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or interpretation.
- Describes “What do you see?” This is a good place to include details about how the elements of art are being used.
- Form and Content: Content begins with the subject matter. Describing the form of the artwork should naturally flow into describing the content of the work. What is the subject matter of the artwork? How does the subject matter of the artwork connect back to way this artist used the elements and principles of art?
This paper should begin with a description of the work (although your description will likely be less detailed than in your descriptive essay assignment) While restricting our attention during our description of the formal elements of an artwork may at first seem limited or even tedious, a careful and methodical examination of the physical components of an artwork is an important first step in decoding its meaning.
Analysis = how have principles of design been employed? and how did the artist do 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. This is generally where you start talking about the how the principles of art are being used.
Interpret = find meaning in the artwork. Meaning is subjective, but your interpretation should be based off of how the artwork makes you feel or what “catches your eye” about the work.
- Interprets your personal response to the work based on what you know about it and other artworks you’ve seen. Think about how artworks can have different interpretations, there is no right interpretation. Your goal is to provide a framework for understanding the artwork which is insightful, interesting, informative, and reasonable. Interpretations usually involve talking about context.
Evaluation = How do you feel when you look at this work and why?
- Evaluates what makes this work of art special. Do you like the work? Why or why not? Based on your interpretation of the work, what unique things about the artwork make it successful? Your reaction to the artwork is an important component of your evaluation. Evaluating a work involves judging it based off of Aesthetic Values.
Prompts to guide your Description:
- What can we notice at first glance about a work of art? Is it two-dimensional or three-dimensional? What is the medium? What kinds of actions were required in its production? How big is the work? What are the elements of design used within it?
- Line: is it soft or hard, jagged, or straight, expressive, or mechanical? How is line being used to describe space?
- Shape: are the shapes large or small, hard-edged, or soft? What is the relationship between shapes? Do they compete with one another for prominence? What shapes are in front? Which shapes fade into the background?
- Mass and volume: if two-dimensional, what means if any are used to give the illusion that the presented forms have weight and occupy space? If three-dimensional, what space is occupied or filled by the work? What is the mass of the work?
- Space: does the artist use perspective? If so, what kind? If the work uses linear perspective, where are the horizon line and vanishing point(s) located?
- Texture: how is texture being used? Is it actual or implied texture?
- Light/Value and or color: what kinds of colors are used? Is there a color scheme? Is the image overall light, medium, or dark?
Prompts to guide your Analysis:
- Once the elements of the artwork have been identified, next come questions of how these elements are related. How are the elements arranged?
- What elements in the work were used to create unity and provide variety? How have the elements been used to do so?
- What is the scale of the work? Is it larger or smaller than what it represents (if it does depict someone or something)? Are the elements within the work in proportion to one another?
- Is the work symmetrically or asymmetrically balanced?
- What is used within the artwork to create emphasis? Where are the areas of emphasis?
- How has movement been conveyed in the work, for example, through line or placement of figures?
- Are there any elements within the work that create rhythm? Are any shapes or colors repeated?
Prompts to guide your Interpretation
- What does the artwork mean to me?
- What is the message of the artwork?
- What is the iconography artwork?
- What is the context of the artwork?
Prompts to guide your Evaluation
- How do you feel when you look at this work and why? Is it visually pleasing, disturbing, emotionally engaging?
- Do you like the work? Why or why not? Be specific and use art terms. Merely stating, I like it or I dont like it is not enough.
- Does the artwork convincingly express the subject or idea it was based on?
- How original is the artwork?
- What degree of uniqueness and imagination has the artist displayed in the artwork?
Other things to Keep in mind:
1. (Axiom of Intent) – Accept the work as it is. Do not “second guess” the artist and make such statements as, “I think the painting would have been better if the artist had . . .”
2. Watch out for generic words. Avoid such bland terms as “beautiful,” “unique,” “big,” “short” or “artistic.” Refine what you are really trying to say and use a more descriptive phrase. Instead of “big,” try “towering,” “imposing” or “powerful.” Don’t force your reader to fill in the gaps because they are unsure of your meaning.
2a. Similarly, watch out for marketing words with flexible meaning. Words like vintage or rustic or aesthetic mean very different things to different people. If you use one of these words it is important to clarify what you mean to your audience.
3. Proofread your paper. It will count against your grade if your paper is full of typos or mistakes in spelling and grammar. Do not rely on your computer spell-check to proofread your paper for you. It often cannot tell the difference in usage between ‘it’s’ and ‘its’, for instance.
4. Read your paper out loud when you are finished. Look for missing words where sentences have been re-written, and ask yourself if reordering parts of your sentence will make it clearer to understand.
5. Don’t turn in an outline! Your paper should not contain section headings. Work on your transitions between paragraphs if you are tempted to include section headings.
6. Have fun with it! – While I’m sure many of you don’t associate final papers with fun, it is so much easier to write about artworks you are inspired by. Try to find excellent art, and tell me why it’s so fantastic! No one wants to write a formal paper about a subject they aren’t interested in.