Formal Analysis

Formal Analysis   assignment requires you to visit the Art Gallery on campus (next to Bovee & across from Park Library). swipe your campus ID at the computer next to the reception desk. You will lose points if you do not swipe in. There are currently two exhibitions, but they are both installed in the Art Gallery. They are the Department of Art and Design Faculty Exhibition 2017 and ALTERNATIONAL: Works by Chris Maddox, 2017 Barstow Artist-in-Residence. The Art Gallery’s hours are Mon-Fri 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can find additional information at the Gallery’s website: https://www.cmich.edu/colleges/CCFA/CCFAArtGallery/Pages/default.aspx. This paper is about looking at, thinking about, and writing about a work of art. It is due via Blackboard on Tuesday, September 26 by 11:59 p.m. Select work of art and spend some time just looking at it. Look closely and carefully and make extensive and detailed notes. You will be writing a short formal analysis of this work. A formal analysis is an examination of the forms used to create a work of art and how those forms convey meaning. It is a close inspection of the artist’s use of aspects such as color, shape, texture, line, lighting, mass, and space. The formal analysis moves beyond description by linking the visual elements of the images/objects with the effects they have on the viewer. Considering this connection enables the writer to discuss the overall meaning of the work. Keep in mind: A formal analysis does not require any outside research and is based on your personal observations of the work of art you’ve chosen. Describe and write about the work as if you have no outside knowledge of the subject. You can use the title of the work in your analysis, but do not rely on artist’s statements or explanatory text on lables for your interpretation. I want to know what YOU think, not what the artist has said. How to Write Your Formal Analysis: 1. Start your paper with an introductory paragraph. Make your opening sentence interesting and inviting to the reader. • Avoid: I chose to write my paper about a beaded necklace. • Better: The multi-colored beaded necklace by an unknown artist is a colorful and eye-catching piece. Give a general description of the work before you get into its particulars. • The work is a painting on canvas showing a house in a story landscape. • The work is an installation with five large pieces arranged in a circle. Introduce the subject of the work: What does it depict or represent? Is it an animal? Is it a recognizable design or symbol? An abstract work? If so, how are the major forms organized? This paper requires a thesis, which should come at the end of your introduction. A thesis gives your paper a point to prove, and thus provides an analytical approach to the object. Some examples of theses used by previous students are: • This artist’s work is an action packed piece that is supposed to remind the viewer that good triumphs over evil. • Newport’s work is a representational piece meant to bend the social norms of feminine and masculine, and the roles each play. • This artist transforms a form of entertainment into a platform for challenging the way we have come to accept and teach the roles of men and women in domestic life. 2. In the body paragraphs of your paper, describe the work in detail, using the terminology we have discussed in class about the formal elements of art. Start with the overall view. What materials were used to create this work (beads, leather, wood, paint, fiberglass)? Often the label will indicate what they are. What kind of work is it? A photograph, installation, painting? How big is it? Give a general approximation of the size (approximately thirteen inches long, roughly three inches in diameter, etc.). Use the formal elements (listed below) to structure 2 your discussion. You do not have to discuss every one of the formal elements, but discuss at least four of them in your description. 3. As you describe the visual elements of the work, you will also analyze its meaning. Your “reading” of the work will become somewhat more subjective as you interpret what the artist is trying to communicate in the work. In other words, your task is to move from the description of the particular elements of style towards an assessment of how the artist’s use of these elements contributes to the overall meaning or function of the object. As you do this, be as objective as possible. For this exercise, we are not interested in how the work makes you “feel.” Your task is to describe what you or anyone else looking at the work can see. Make sure to link your interpretation to specific visual aspects of the work. Avoid using the first person since your arguments should develop from the formal elements, not your personal response. • Avoid: I was disturbed by the painting. • Better: The sharp, heavy lines running around the vase give the piece an ominous and disturbing feeling. You are also not critiquing the artist’s skill. • Avoid: This artist was unable to sculpt a realistic bear. • Better: The artist’s representation of the bear’s form might indicate that her goal was to provide an abstracted or symbolic representation of the animal. 4. Finally, choose one of the elements of art listed below and provide a more in-depth discussion as to how it contributes to the meaning you have laid out. For instance, how does the artist use color to evoke a particular response to the work? Or, how does the suggestion of movement affect the meaning/message of the work? It should be very clear which element you have chosen and you should discuss it thoroughly. This should be a full paragraph with a more in-depth discussion than what you provided in your general description. Format & Grading: The first page of your paper should have the following heading: Your paper should be coherently written and organized. Your grade will be assessed based on the quality of your observations and your writing. Your paper should be at least 700 words, typed, double spaced, normal margins, and in a standard font such as Times Roman, size 12. Your paper can be over 700 words, but turning in a paper that is too short will result in the deduction of points from your grade. I have provided a rubric that will be used to grade your paper. You may view the rubric by clicking on “Paper 1” under “Assignments.” At the top of the page, you will see a link for the rubric. I have also provided sample papers from a previous semester for your reference. Electronic Submission: The paper must be submitted online through Blackboard by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, September 26. Late papers will be marked down 10 points for every day they are late. Here are the instructions for submitting your paper through Blackboard. 1. Click on Assignments (on the menu list at the left) 2. Click on “Paper Assignment 1” at the very top Your Name Artist’s name Title of work Date of creation (if given) 3 3. Scroll down to “browse my computer” 4. Select the file for your paper and upload 5. Click submit The file formats supported by the inline grading system are Word (.doc/.docx), .txt and .pdf. You must use these formats to submit your paper. Please do not upload a zipped file or a link to an outside source (i.e. no Google Docs, no Cloud). You will lose points if you use an unsupported format. Don’t wait until the last minute! If you have technical difficulties and absolutely can’t figure out how to upload your paper by the deadline, email me a copy so that it won’t be considered late. Formal Elements: Use at least four in providing your general discussion of the work. Choose ONE of the following elements to fully explore. You do not need to address every question listed. They are simply thinking questions to help you approach your discussion. Line: Is there an emphasis on line? For example, are there sharp diagonals or angles in the work? Are the lines balanced and ordered? Are they agitated? Do they imply directional movement? Does the artist emphasize line? Are the lines broken and lost or clearly defined and distinguished? You can think of line as outlines if no obvious lines are apparent in the work. Light and Value: How does the artist employ effects of light and shading? Does the light appear to come from a single direction? Is the light evenly distributed? Which parts, if any, appear in a strong light? Which parts are in shadow? If it is a three-dimensional piece, be sure to think about how ambient light affects/falls on the work. Color: What are the dominant colors employed by the artist? Be sure to list the colors. Are the colors intense, or are they muted? Does the artist use a wide range of colors, or does he restrict himself/herself to a few? Does the artist create color harmonies through analogous colors, such as red and orange? Does he create contrasts through complementary colors, such as red and green? Texture & Pattern: Is the surface of the object soft or rough (to the best of your knowledge)? What are the tactile qualities of the object (meaning how would it feel to touch its various parts)? Discuss actual texture versus intended/implied texture. Is there an illusion of texture? Is the artist trying to mimic actual texture? Shape & Volume: Is this a two-dimensional or three-dimensional piece? What are the dominant shapes apparent within the work? Are they geometric? Irregular? How are they organized? Do you detect dominant patterns? Are there shapes that appear to recede into space? Space/Mass: If it is a two-dimensional work, does the artist draw the viewer’s eye beyond the picture plane and into the illusionistic space of the picture? Is this a deep or shallow space? How is space suggested? If it is a threedimensional work, is it large or small? Would you describe the overall effect as sleek, bulky, heavy, light, etc.? What kind of impression does it make in terms of how it is displayed in the gallery? Space: Is the work displayed in a certain way? If there are multiple components, how are they organized? If it is a 2-D work, how has the artist indicated space within the composition? Does s/he give the illusion of 3-D space or is the emphasis on the 2-D nature of the work itself? Time & Motion: Does the work itself move? If it is static, are there repeated patterns or other elements that suggest movement? Can the work be seen from one perspective or does it unfold in time as you move around it