Analyzing a PaintingIt aint hard!

 OBSERVING. “”Never over look the obvious”

Look at the painting, top to bottom, side to side. Make notes of any immediate responses or feelings.Note color schemes, objects, light sources, and type like still life, period, materials, and whether it is Realistic, representational, abstract or nonobjective?

Look at the “”Objects” - what type, color, textured, Value and positions or groupings. Make a note if they seem to mean something at first sighting like one object sitting a top another. Make note of the composition types Rule of odds, rule of thirds etc.

At this point you should be breaking the painting down into understandable parts. The question here would be how did the artist do this? Where did he start, how did he start? Now go down your list of Elements - Line, shape, form, color, value, pattern, texture, and space. Make a list for each. Describe characteristics, what they are doing, how they are used.

Does a line divide or does it lead your eye or point to something What king of shapes - geometric or organic? Where are they, what are they apart of? Do they make up an object? Do they make a form? Is a circle a circle or ellipse? Color and value are very important as color can be symbolic and value can set a mood or an atmosphere. Define patterns and what they are doing, where they are. And texture, what is it doing? Is it synthetic or real? Is it the result of the brush stroke or thick paint? Space, Is there back middle and fore ground. Is there overlapping.  

Once these have been recognized and they may not all be there or important, then define the Principles. 

They are - focal point or emphasis, balance, unity, Harmony, movement, rhythm, scale, contrast and variety. Contrast can be a tell all as it can apply to value and color.  Some of the principles have psychological effects on us as we view a painting, like balance. Balance is calming, easy, and comfortable. But good work needs a tension of some kind and this could be where contrast and variety come in.  

Once these elements and principles have been identified, you write. You write like the readers were blind. You become as descriptive as possible and you MUST justify everything you write. Opinions only work when they are justified or backed up with information and content. Because I said so or because I like are subjective qualities that will not work in analyzing a painting.

You want to be objective, non-partisan, taking no sides and having no emotion. Not easy to do, but it gives way to be amore shared observation of the painting.

Thumbnails help tremendously. A simple positive /negative thumb can give you information about focal point, shape, line, use of contrast. You want to figure and see the composition. Thumbs help you see in black and white. Destruct and reconstruct as best you can or know how too. Think like the artist.

Some general thoughts,” when looking at art, “what am I bringing to the table?” “ What kind of baggage am I carrying?What do I already know? 

Color schemes can suggest a feeling an emotion. The first seeing, viewing of a work of art is usually through its color. That color will suggest an emotional response. That gives you two things to write about, Color and emotion

Stating the obvious can clarify the art. It’s a sort of lining up what’s there, what’s going on, who the characters are or what the subject matter is. Why hey, that is finding or declaring the focal point or emphasis. This would be something to write about. What is the story?

We know art can give us many clues as to what it is about. It also sets time place and history if it is representational. Look at the style of clothes in a painting, the house, the city, and the subject matter. I can tell the weather. It can tell the emotional mood of the occupants of the rectangle by body language or placement. Some of this would be conjecture or inference, but that’s is how an analysis starts. Ask your self. “What do I know”? Most things begin whit a question. 

There is no right or wrong her, not really. One idea should jump to the next. Logic and reason works at times, guessing and educated guessing work, but being open and letting the work speak to you is very important. If you know nothing about an artist or their work, then just about anything figured in a positive direction works. Then there is that piece that you just can say not one thing positive. 

If you go formal by pulling out the Elements of Art and Principles of Design then you have something concrete to hang your justifications on. Guessing with justification works also, but I always question if that is logical assumptions working.  

What about abstract or Non- objective art, where does one start here? Color reaction, that first seeing and that feeling. There is subject matter. It is just abstract so you have to make sense of it. Gesture, marks fast line, slow line, aggressive-ness of attack. All of these things might help you to understand the artwork better.

Fear is another factor that should be addressed. We are fearful of the unknown. This is why so many people hated abstract art at first. They did not understand it and the subject matter was in debate meaning we, as outsiders did know that we had changed subject from object to color, emotions, shapes etc. Time for the Elements again. Ask what do you see, what is the color doing? What are the shapes or forms doing? Is there a feeling that is generated besides,” this is stupid!” These are all clues.

Now, I freely and openly admit that there is a lot of work I cannot stand. I don’t get it. it offends something in me, I do not understand the why of it. sometimes I just did not view it in a good mood. Warhol is one of them for example. Just do not like them and I never have. Cubism is another style or movement that never moved me. Which brings me to this, I had to look at what I wanted from art and part of that is, being moved, being touched, being enlightened in someway. And yes sometimes it takes several viewings and even then it does not happen.  

Picasso’s, ”Weeping Women, were that way. I tried to like them. I mean it was Picasso. But the more I tried the less I cared. Then one day, one moment I sat and looked at a poster I had hanging in my art room and it all clicked. I was actually thinking of Guernica and the big BOOM went off. That was the connection. Picasso was getting emotional, political. Now the paintings made sense and furthermore there was a justification for as more than just decoration. This is not to say Decorative art is bad but I usually need something more.