QUESTIONS TO ASK
Based on the content and context, answer the following questions:
What themes/topics do you see in the piece?
What do you think the artist's intentions were?
What subjects do you think the artist is exploring?
What questions do you have about the piece?
How do you read the piece?
What does the piece remind you of?
How does the piece relate to you personally?
How is the piece adding to the conversation of art?
How does it relate to what is going on in the world right now?
What conclusions/responses do you have about the piece now that you have analyzed the work?
MORE QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT from STUDENT ART GUIDE ::
"Does the subject captivate an instinctual response, such as items that are informative, shocking or threatening for humans (i.e. dangerous places; abnormally positioned items; human faces; the gaze of people; motion; text)?" Source
"Do key objects or images have symbolic value or provide a cue to meaning? How does the artwork convey deeper, conceptual themes (i.e. allegory; iconographic elements; signs; metaphor; irony)?" Source
"What tone of voice does the artwork have (i.e. deliberate; honest; autobiographical; obvious; direct; unflinching; confronting; subtle; ambiguous; uncertain; satirical; propagandistic)?" Source
"What is your emotional response to the artwork? What is the overall mood (i.e positive; energetic; excitement; serious; sedate; peaceful; calm; melancholic; tense; uneasy; uplifting; foreboding; calm; turbulent)? Which subject matter choices help to communicate this mood (i.e. weather and lighting conditions; color of objects and scenes)?" Source
"Does the title change the way you interpret the work?" Source
"Were there any design constraints relating to the subject matter or theme/s (i.e. a sculpture commissioned to represent a specific subject, place or idea)?" Source
"Are there thematic connections with your own project? What can you learn from the way the artist has approached this subject?" Source
"How does the use of media help the artist to communicate ideas?" Source
"How might your own upbringing, beliefs and biases distort your interpretation of the artwork? Does your own response differ from the public response, that of the original audience and/or interpretation by critics?" Source
Subject and Meaning: What does it Want to Communicate?
We observed artwork as an object, with visible material and formal characteristics; then we understood that it can be influenced by the context and intentions of the artist. Finally, it is essential to investigate what it wants to communicate. The content of the work passes through the subject matter, its stories, implicit or explicit symbolism.
You can preliminarily ask what genre of artwork it is, which is very helpful with paintings. Is it a realistic painting of a landscape, abstract, religious, historical-mythical, a portrait, a still life, or much else?
You can ask questions about the title if it is present. Or perhaps question its absence.
You can observe the figures. Ask yourself about their identity, age, rank, connections with the artist, or cultural relevance. Observe what their expression or pose communicates.
You can also observe the objects, places, or scenes that take place in the work. How are they depicted (realistic, abstract, impressionistic, expressionistic, primitive); what story do they tell?
Are there concepts that perhaps are conveyed implicitly, through symbols, allegories, signs, textual or iconographic elements? Do they have a precise meaning inserted there?
You can try to describe the overall feeling of the artwork, whether it is positive or negative, but also go deeper: does it communicate calmness, melancholy, tension, energy, or anger, shock? Try to listen to your own emotional reaction as well.
Subjective Interpretation: What does it Communicate to Me?
And finally, the crucial question, what did this work spark in me?
We can talk about aesthetic taste and feeling, but not only. A critical judgment also involves the degree of effectiveness of the work. Has the artist succeeded, through his formal, technical, stylistic choices, in communicating a specific idea? What did the critics think at the time and ask yourself what you think today? Are there any temporal or personal biases that may affect your judgment? Significative artworks are capable of speaking, of telling a story in every era. Whether nice or bad.
https://www.artlex.com/formal-art-analysis/
