The Study of Art

Lesson 3
TOPICS:
▪ Subject and content of artworks
▪ Art structure
▪ Art analysis and art criticism

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
▪ Understand the concepts of subject and content in works of
art;
▪ Familiarize themselves with the different elements, medium,
technique, and principles of art; and
▪ Analyze and/or read works of art using different approaches
and art theories.
01
SUBJECT AND CONTENT
OF ARTWORKS
Subject
The visual focus or the image that may be extracted from examining the artwork;
any person, object, scene or event described or represented in a work of art.

Content
The meaning that is communicated by the artist or the artwork.

Form
The development and configuration of the artwork-how the elements and the
medium or materials are put together.
 Identifying
Subject, Content,
and Form
 Types of Subject

Representational Non-representational

• “figurative art” • Non-objective

• Artworks: paintings and • Abstract art
sculptures derived from real • Based on imagery from the
object sources real word
• Strong visual references • “extreme” form
KINDS OF SUBJECTS
1. Landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes
2. Still life
3. Animals
4. Portraits
5. Figures
6. Everyday life
7. History and legend
8. Religion and mythology
9. Dreams and fantasies
Content
▪ What the artist expresses or communicates on
the whole in his work.
▪ “meaning” or “theme” of the work
Levels

Factual Meaning Conventional Meaning Subjective Meaning

The literal statement or the This refers to the special Any personal meaning
narrative content in the work meaning that a certain object consciously or unconsciously
which can be directly or color has for a particular conveyed by the artist using a
apprehended because the culture of group of people. private symbolism which
objects presented are easily stems from his association of
recognized. certain objects, actions, or
colors with past experiences.
02
ART STRUCTURE
Art Elements
▪ The basic components or building blocks that
make up a particular art structure.
▪ *visual arts, music, poetry, film, and literature
Visual Arts

Elements: color, value, line,

texture, shape, form, and space

Principles: balance, emphasis,

harmony, variety, gradation,
movement, rhythm, and
proportion
ART ELEMENT: LINE
ART ELEMENT: LINE
 ART ELEMENT: LINE

A thick line gives emphasis and advances while a thin line

recedes.

Straight lines are more mechanistic and dynamic and rarely

found in nature.

Curved lines change direction gently with no sharp angles and

suggest comfort and ease to the viewer. Curved lines most often
relate to the natural world.
 ART ELEMENT: LINE

Zigzag lines alter direction fast and create feelings of unrest,

turmoil and movement.
 ART ELEMENT: LINE

Diagonal lines are lines that give movement and dynamism to

a composition.
 ART ELEMENT: LINE

Horizontal lines create the feeling of stability and calm.

 ART ELEMENT: LINE

Vertical lines give the impression of height and strength and

often have a spiritual connotation.
ART ELEMENT: SHAPE & FORM
ART ELEMENT: SHAPE & FORM
ART ELEMENT: SHAPE & FORM
 ART ELEMENT: SPACE

Space refers to the shape and form. It is

usually inferred from a sense of depth.
Realspace is three dimensional.
Space is what lies between, around or
within an object.
 ART ELEMENT: SPACE

Placement
Objects higher up in the picture plane will seem to the viewer’s
eye to be further away than objects placed low down in the
picture frame.
 ART ELEMENT: SPACE

Size
Smaller objects look as if they are further away than larger
objects. Notice how much smaller the house is in relation to the
flowers.
 ART ELEMENT: SPACE

Detail
The further away an object, the less
detail is visible to the viewer. By
purposely reducing the amount of
detail in an object it will appear
further away than an object with
greater detail.
 ART ELEMENT: SPACE

Color and Value

Objects in the distance usually appear cooler (bluer) and lighter
in color. Close up objects appear warmer and darker in value.
 ART ELEMENT: VALUE

Value is how light or dark something is.

There is a scale of light and dark from pure
white through to pitch black.
The value of a color depends on how light or
dark it is compared to the value scale.
 ART ELEMENT: VALUE

By increasing differences in value, contrast is

increased as well. A highlight will look
brighter when surrounded by a dark value.
Decreasing contrast will make objects visually
recede into the picture plane and draw less
attention.
ART ELEMENT: COLOR
 ART ELEMENT: COLOR
The color wheel shows primary colors, (colors that
can’t be mixed), secondary colors (made by mixing
two primaries) and tertiary colors (made by mixing a
primary and secondary color).

A color has intensity called chroma, also known as

saturation, brightness or purity. The more pure
the color is (less of other colors mixed in), the more
intense or saturated it is.
 ART ELEMENT: TEXTURE

Texture can be either real or implied. This

element in an artwork is experienced
through the sense of touch and sight. It is
commonly associated with textiles.
 ART ELEMENT: TEXTURE
The artist must instead convey the illusion
of the actual texture to the viewer on the
flat surface.
ART PRINCIPLE: BALANCE
ART PRINCIPLE: BALANCE
ART PRINCIPLE: SCALE & PROPORTION
ART PRINCIPLE: SCALE & PROPORTION
ART PRINCIPLE: EMPHASIS & CONTRAST
ART PRINCIPLE: EMPHASIS & CONTRAST
ART PRINCIPLE: EMPHASIS & CONTRAST
ART PRINCIPLE: UNITY & VARIETY
ART PRINCIPLE: REPETITION & PATTERN
ART PRINCIPLE: REPETITION & PATTERN
03
ART ANALYSIS &
ART CRITICISM
Art Analysis

The process of undertaking art

criticism.

The study, reading, or

understanding of a work of art.
Art Criticism
The analysis and evaluation of works of art.

It is interpretive, involving the effort to understand

a particular work of art from a theoretical
perspective and to establish its significant.

Responding to, interpreting meaning, and making

critical judgments of a work of art.
Aesthetic Theories
Aesthetics – a branch of philosophy concerned with
identifying the clues within artworks that can be used
to understand, judge, and defend judgments about
those works (Mittler, 2006).

*Realism, Formalism, and Emotionalism

FORMAL ART ANALYSIS :
ON STUDYING ART AND
WRITING ANALYSIS
DESCRIBING THE ARTWORK
● A detailed inquiry and evaluation of the
artist’s crafts.
1. Gather necessary information about the
work.
■ Title of the work
■ Artist’s name
■ Date of creation
■ Medium used (e.g., oil paint on canvas)
■ Size of the work (dimensions in inches)
■ Subject
DESCRIBING THE ARTWORK
2. Describe the artwork.
■ Write all the perceived things about the
artwork.
■ Describe if the art shows figures or objects
rather than abstract shapes.
DESCRIBING THE ARTWORK
3. Discuss the elements of the work.
■ Examine the way the artist used the
elements of art and design (line, color,
space, and shape).
ANALYZING THE ARTWORK
1. Discuss the use of the principles of
composition.
■ Balance
■ Contrast
■ Movement
■ Proportion
ANALYZING THE ARTWORK
2. Identify the subject or focus of the artwork.
■ Most artworks have one or more points that
are designed to catch attention. Try to
identify which parts of the artwork are
focused on.
INTERPRETING THE ARTWORK
1. Identify the purpose of the artwork.
■ What does the artist was trying to say with
the artwork?
INTERPRETING THE ARTWORK
2. Describe your reaction to the work.
■ How you feel while looking at the artwork.
■ Does it remind you of something?
INTERPRETING THE ARTWORK
3. Support your interpretation with examples.
■ Use examples from your description and
analysis of the artwork to clarify why you
think and feel and the way you do about the
piece.
JUDGING THE ARTWORK
1. Decide whether the artwork is successful
or not.
■ Do you think the artwork says what the artist
wanted to convey?
■ Did the artist use appropriate tools and
techniques well?
■ Is the artwork original, or only imitate other
works?
JUDGING THE ARTWORK
2. Explain how to judge the work.
■ After you have decided on a few aspects of
the work to judge, clearly state the focus of
your evaluation.
JUDGING THE ARTWORK
3. Summarize why you think the artwork is
successful or not.
■ Explain your judgment of the artwork. Give
reasons for your feeling, using your
interpretation and analysis of the artwork.