Look at Attachment and Description.
Museum Paper
Two pages minimum, Full Pages.
Cover page must include, name of artist, title of work, type of medium, and date.
First Option – a very detailed description of what you see. Describe everything in this work, down to the frame if it has one. The body of the paper must not include any information on the artist or your opinion on the work. It is strictly based on a very detailed description of what you see.
Second Option – a formal analysis. A formal analysis doesn’t mean simply describing what you see in the work, although description is part of it. It means looking at the work and trying to understand what the artist wants to convey. Basic characteristics you will focus on in formal analysis are color, line, space and mass, scale, and composition.
Color – analyzing color is to identify the different hues (red, blue, green, etc.) Also what particular range of colors (primary colors, secondary colors, etc.)
Line – distinguish if the work emphasizes line and linear contours. Does it emphasize the play of light and dark? Is it a strong line and continuous, or broken up into many small hatches or pieces?
Space and Mass – does the work indicate whether the image conveys a sense of three-dimensional space? Mass – describes the space created by the work. Does the work convey a sense of substantial form – as if it has weight or volume?
Scale - does the work hold a consistent scale? Are different scales used to emphasize or deemphasize certain elements in the image?
Composition – describe how the artist placed all of the above elements together in the work. You can start by asking yourself some questions. Ex. What first attracts your attention? How does the artist emphasize the features? What does the artist emphasize visually? How can you describe the idea or emotion evoked by this work?
Is the work abstract or figurative?
Paper must be on time, if you don’t have it on the due date for class, you have till mid-night to e-mail it to me. If you e-mailed it, you must bring in a hard copy to the following class. I am not accepting papers after that. Thank you.
