Follow the guidelines below in order to cover all the points you need:
- NAME of ARTIST, date of birth, death, nationality. You should write a brief background about the artist to include the main events in their professional and personal lives.
- List the TITLE of the art work, and the date it was completed
- Say why you have chosen this example. In what ways does it relate to your chosen theme or focus?
- SUBJECT MATTER – Describe the piece of work.
Use descriptive and evocative vocabulary to communicate what you see.
- What is in the artwork / image, what can you see?
(Try to use words and references to background, mid-ground, foreground).
- Look at the subject matter chosen by the artist. Describe the ideas and messages it communicates and how it communicates them.
- What has the artwork / image been produced for?
- Analyse the composition of the artwork / image.
How have the things that are in the artwork been arranged, composed, put together? (Consider the formal elements, focal point, devices to lead the viewer’s eye around the artwork / image. Discuss the arrangement of the composition).
- Who would be the intended viewer / audience of the artwork?
- METHODS and MATERIALS – what sort of media has been used – paint, pastel, collage, charcoal, 2D / 3D media and techniques, etc? Describe how it has been applied / manipulated? Thickly? Thinly? Is it roughly or smoothly applied?
- LINES, MARKMAKING, PATTERN – describe the techniques used – use appropriate technical language – thick, thin, hatching, etc.
- COMPOSITION, SCALE – describe using appropriate vocabulary / words – focal point, devices to lead the viewer’s eye around the picture – curves, directional lines, etc., enlargement / zoom-in, verticals / horizontals, etc.
- TONE – identify the light / dark areas – say how the tone has been used to give depth, distance, shape (3D), impact, emphasis.
- COLOUR – use descriptive language to describe the colours used and any colour relationships – primary, secondary, complementary, harmonious, etc.
- TEXTURE – either actual or implied surface texture. How has this been achieved?
- YOUR PERSONAL OPINION AND OBSERVATIONS – what you think about the work and why? This can be worked into your analysis as you go along using examples to illustrate your ideas.