art essay 4 pages

Go to the Museum/Gallery (Crocker Arts Museum). 

Take careful notes while you are there. Include the location and title of the show. Give

an overview of the entire show. Then choose one artwork and give the title of the artwork

and the name of the artist. Describe the appearance of the artwork using vocabulary

learned in lesson one. How does it fit in with the rest of the show? What do you believe

the artist is trying to say? What devices were used to communicate this? Was the artist

successful?

Things to Look For When Viewing Art and taking notes

The following will help when writing this essay. This list gives you an idea of what to

look for when you go to a gallery or museum. Consider topics that are most relevant to

the work you are viewing. Look at the artwork and find your own meaning before reading

the title. Galleries and museums usually have a copy of the artist’s statement for visitors

to read, but it is more interesting if you come to your own conclusions about the work

before reading the artist’s statement.

• Use the Art Elements and Principles of Design.

• What is the mood (jarring, relaxing, pleasant, upsetting, harmonious, etc.)?

• What elements create the mood (line, color, texture, design, composition)?

• What do you notice about the composition and pattern?

• What about the line quality (bold, delicate, tight, gestural)?

• Does the size of the art object affect your impression of it?

• Is there an element of surprise or the unexpected?

• What technique was used? Is the process apparent?

• Can you associate it with an artistic style or idea (classical nonrepresentational,

abstract, surrealistic, etc.)?

• How should you view it (from a distance, in the round, in natural light, etc.)?

• What do you think the artist is trying to say? What is the purpose of this piece?

• Is it a personal statement by the artist or is it a more general universal idea. Can

you relate to it on a personal level?

• How could the idea be carried further? What might the artist do next?

• Could the piece be improved? How?

• In what settings would you expect to see this artwork?