Writing about Expressive Art - N4/5
Our response to a range of Art work is affected by both our personal, social,
historical and cultural experiences. Every person relates differently to things in
their environment, and in the written section it is important that you can
validate and back up your initial responses and observations in a thoughtful
measured way, taking into consideration the social, historical, cultural and
other factors that may have influenced the piece you have chosen to evaluate.
(1.3)
During the evaluation process you will be asked to describe how artists use a
range of art materials, techniques and /or technology in their work. (1.1)
You will be asked to discuss/describe the impact of artists’ creative choices in
a range of their work. For example, how their application and use of the visual
elements has created a certain effect? How the use of media or techniques
has contributed to the overall appearance of the piece etc.
(1.2)
When writing about art works, you must remember to be PRECISE,
DESCRIPTIVE and describe the EFFECT of each of the artists’ decisions you are
mentioning. You can bring in any historical or biographical information that is
relevant. Your analysis should address the following:
1. Introduce the Artist and the piece, including Title/Date/ Medium and
Size.
2. Subject – What precisely is the piece of? What does it represent?
(Portrait - Who is it? Landscape – Where is it? Still life – What is it?)
3. Context – what led the artist to create the piece? What was going on
in his life at the time/ what stage was he/she at during his career?
Does the piece belong to a particular style or movement? What is your
opinion of this style? How does it compare with other works by the
artist?
Abstract, semi-abstract, figurative, naturalistic, photographic, sculptural,
symbolic, imaginative, dreamlike, illustrative, matter of fact, naïve, child – like,
bold, realistic, ambiguous, understated, graphic, stark, Expressionistic,
Impressionistic, Fauvist, Cubist, Colourist etc.
4. Use of materials – How have the materials been applied in this piece
and what is the effect of this? How is the artist’s use of
materials/technique typical of or different from other works by the
same artist? How does is compare to others artists working at the
same time or previously.
Free, tight, loose, painterly, thin, thick, impasto, textured, smooth, rough, blocky
scumbled, palette – knife, scraped, flicked, scratchy, delicate, washes, drips,
canvas, board, paper, acrylic, watercolour, gouache, oils, tempera, collage, clay,
plaster, steel, aluminium, card board.
5. Texture and Pattern – Describe how pattern and texture has
contributed to the overall appearance, and has added interest to the
piece.
Pattern in an artwork can be used in a variety of ways. It can be part of
the paint technique as seen in the swirls of Van Gogh’s self – portraits
or in Munch’s “the Scream”, or in the dabs and dashes of the
Impressionists.
Gustav Klimt used pattern in a very decorative way often flattening
shapes and creating busy areas that look quilt like.
In Seurat’s paintings tiny dots of his Pointillist technique give a
shimmering sense of pattern when seen up close.
Busy, repeating, intricate, organic, fussy, eye- catching, geometric, detailed,
ornate.
Texture can be created by applying different tools in a certain way.
This could be done by a paint brush, chisel, palette knife, sponges,
photographic acids etc.
Rough, smooth, lumpy, prickly, brush marks, impasto, stippled, dabs, scumbled,
watery, fluid etc.
6. Composition - How has the artist arranged the different parts of his
work? How is your eye led around the piece? How does the artist use
composition to create a sense of mood/ atmosphere?
Flat, triangular, pyramidal, balanced, claustrophobic, open, horizontal, vertical,
lopsided, rectangular, symmetrical, layout, airy, lifeless, busy, complicated, fussy
dynamic, depth, foreground, middle ground, background.
7. Colour and Tone – How does the artist’s use of colour and tone fit the
mood, atmosphere or style of the work? Are there any areas where
colour has been used for a certain effect?
Colours often have symbolic meaning eg. reds and blacks often
represent anger, passion or torment whilst white can symbolise purity.
Cool blues might represent peacefulness or calm.
Different colours laid side by side can create particular effects where
they seem to blend when seen from a distance eg. Impressionist
paintings.
Bold, subtle, muted, stark, delicate, naturalistic, imaginative, vibrant, dull, light,
dark, garish, monotone, earthy, hot, warm, cold cool, pastel, primary, citrus,
striking, contrasting, complimentary, harmonising, vivid, loud, quiet, rich,
natural, artificial, neon.
8. Shape / Form /Scale – Discuss how shape and form has been used in
the piece. Has more organic, natural features compared to more
geometric, mechanical forms been used to create the piece. How does
scale impact the overall shape and form of the work?
Flat, abstract, simple, symmetrical, stylistic, complex, basic, geometric,
sculptural, solid, severe, delicate, airy, rounded, curvaceous, smooth, bulbous,
graceful, massive, enlarged, miniature, minute.
9. Line – How does the artist use line? Does the artist vary the type of
line in different areas of the piece? Thick heavy lines will have a
different effect from fine delicate lines. Look to see if the lines are bold,
vigorous, energetic, sweeping, erratic, jaggy, scratchy, heavy, feathery, soft,
organic, sinuous, tapered etc.
Are they used as lines as in some of Picasso’s paintings? Lines can cut
across and break up and distort a picture as in some Cubist paintings.
10. Mood/ Meaning/ Opinion – How does the artist’s use of the visual
elements (line, tone, form, texture, colour, shape, pattern,)
contribute to the mood or meaning of the piece? What do you think
the artist is trying to communicate? How successful do you think he
was doing this? How does this piece compare with others you have
looked at?
Lively, depressing, oppressive, violent, uplifting, light hearted, heavy, joyful,
exuberant, playful, comic, serious, sombre, hopeful, evocative, confrontational,
calm, quiet, serene, peaceful, dramatic, dark, sinister, gentle, manic, tragic.
Remember to evaluate two pieces of work by two different artists who are working in the
same genre (painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking etc.)
In the N5 paper you are required to draw comparisons of this piece with a second, created
by another Artist working in the same area( genre).