Three Ways to Analyze Art
1. Visual Analysis. A visual analysis asks you to look carefully at a work of art and report what you see about the work of art. The visual analysis looks only at what is present in the work, not at what led up to the work of art. First, you should look at the formal elements of the work, including line, color, shape, form and naturalism. Next, you should consider composition, the way individual visual elements are put together. The elements of composition are symmetry, balance, proportion and scale, and rhythm. These various factors combine to create the totality of the composition.
2. Contextual Analysis. A contextual analysis looks at how the work of art fits into and impacts the world around it. Contextual analysis requires you consider other works of art of the time, historical events, the place of creation, and the patron of the work.
3. Comparative Analysis. A comparative analysis compares and contrasts two or more works of art, incorporating both visual and contextual analysis of each work. The two works may be from the same period or from different periods, and may even be different media; however, in most cases, there will be some similarity, whether in subject, style, patronage, or function.
2. Contextual Analysis. A contextual analysis looks at how the work of art fits into and impacts the world around it. Contextual analysis requires you consider other works of art of the time, historical events, the place of creation, and the patron of the work.
3. Comparative Analysis. A comparative analysis compares and contrasts two or more works of art, incorporating both visual and contextual analysis of each work. The two works may be from the same period or from different periods, and may even be different media; however, in most cases, there will be some similarity, whether in subject, style, patronage, or function.