ARTS 1301 Formal Analysis Paper-Arts Formal Analysis paper Assignment help
Students will visit a museum, gallery, or public art venue and select one work of art on which they will write a 500-600 word formal analysis paper. (Papers outside this range will receive a deduction of 5-15 points. Late penalties also apply. See syllabus for details.) Students must document their visit by taking a selfie in the museum/location and photos of the work. The student’s photo documentation must be included with the paper (2-3 photos).
The paper’s introduction should identify the work (artist, title, date, medium, scale, location, etc.). Students are to state where the work is found, whether in a museum, gallery, or public art venue. In the introduction, students will provide a general description of the work as if the reader has not seen it. A general description should start with the most important features, noting where they are in the work (i.e.: in the middle, on the left, the large form at bottom). Just as a novel’s dust jacket may present an enticing basic plot summary, the overall description should encourage the reader to look closely to learn more about the work. The introduction must have a thesis statement in which the student identifies three formal elements that contribute the most to the work’s success, both in terms of stylistic expression and content. Formal properties include: line, space (shape, mass/volume, depth, etc.), light, color, texture, pattern, time, and motion (chapters 4-7 in A World of Art).
The body of the paper will consist of a careful analysis of each of the three elements deemed most relevant in the work. Use a separate paragraph to carefully describe each of the three formal elements. Analyze how the element is working in the overall composition. Analyze how the formal element shapes the work’s stylistic expression or conveys content/meaning. The formal analysis should demonstrate understanding of elements and accurate application and use of terminology. While the focus of the paper is on the formal elements, students will support their descriptive analysis by noting important principles of design at play in the composition and their role in artistic expression and meaning (balance, emphasis and focal point, scale and proportion, repetition and rhythm, unity and variety—chapter 8 in A World of Art).
In the conclusion, students should summarize and analyze how the three formal elements work together to express or convey content. The analysis should demonstrate understanding of the role formal elements play in communication and expression. Students should analyze the relationship of form to stylistic expression and content. Students’ interpretation of the work’s expression and content should be based solidly on visual analysis of its formal presentation.
List of Formal Elements
Not all elements will apply to your art work. You must determine which are most important by carefully looking. Select three formal elements that contribute the most to the work’s success, both in terms of stylistic expression and content. Some things to look for may include:
Line: Does line play a role in the work? Is line used to describe forms by means of outline or contour? Is line used to symbolize or to express a mood or indicate speed or direction? Describe the characteristics of line (thick, thin, straight, curvy, regular, irregular, diagonal, vertical, horizontal, etc.)
Space: Is the overall effect two-dimensional or three-dimensional? If the work is sculptural, how does it incorporate the space around it? Is the space deep or shallow? Is a sense of space created using perspective, overlapping, relative size, or position? What is the point of view? Is atmospheric perspective, linear, or isometric perspective used? Is perspective distorted or shifting or ambiguous?
Shape: Does the artist create flat two-dimensional shapes? Do the shapes create figure/ground relationships in the work? Are shapes used to suggest three- dimensional forms in space? Are the shapes geometric and regular or irregular, organic, and biomorphic?
Mass and Volume: Is the work sculptural with real three-dimensionality, mass and volume? Or is the artist interested in conveying an illusion of mass and volume or symbolizing it? If so how? Is modeling (chiaroscuro) used? Are there gradations of tone and value from light to dark to suggest three-dimensionality? Or do contrasts of color and tone help structure the objects in the composition?
Light and Shadow: What role does light play in the work? Is real light used in the work to create an environment? What is the intensity and character of the light and shadow? Are shadows and highlights used to convey a sense of mass, volume, and space? Or does light and shadow suggest a feeling or mood?
Color: What colors are used? Are they highly saturated and intense or muted?
Describe hue, value, and intensity. Is there a primary, secondary, complementary, triadic, or analogous color scheme? What are the effects of the colors? Are the colors descriptive or expressive?
Time and Motion: Is time or motion, either real or implied, suggested in the work?
If so, how? What makes the work static or dynamic? Is there a suggestion of the artist’s motion through time and space or the motion of things? Does the work encourage the viewer’s motion in relation to the work? How does the viewer’s motion become part of the work?
Texture: Do you notice the real texture of the materials used? What is that texture like? Smooth and glossy or rough? Or is texture implied in the work through line, value, light, and colors?
Sound: Does sound play a part in the work? How? What are the sounds like? What do they contribute to the viewer’s experience of the work?
To support your formal analysis, you should also consider compositional principles of design (chapter 8) including balance, emphasis and focal point, scale and proportion, repetition and rhythm, unity and variety. These terms may help you form an analysis of the compositional organization and stylistic expression. These design principles will support your description and formal analysis. However, make sure the primary focus remains clearly on three formal elements (from chapters 4-7) and how they work to convey meaning.
