Guidelines for Formal Analysis and Criticism of ArtKnowing how to write a formal analysis of a work of art is a fundamental skill learned in an art appreciation-level class. Use this sheet as a guide when writing your formal analysis paper. Consider the following when analyzing a work of art. Not everythingapplies to every work of art. Though it is not always useful to consider things in the order given, your paper will be far more organized if you begin by discussing line, then shape, and then color, etc. since there is a certain degree of hierarchy to both the elements and principles of art. In any analysis, keep in mind the following: HOW and WHY is this a significant work of art? What are the artist’s intentions? Since works of art are a means of communications, what is the artist trying to communicate? To what degree has the artist been successful or unsuccessful?Part I – General Information1. Since the primary focus of an analysis is the work of art and not the artist, I am assigning images of artwork that are lesser known and, at times, are by unknown or little known artists. You should NOT be writing about the artist, even if the artist is known. I do not want to read about the artist’s life and times in this paper. You may mention the artist and the century when the work was produced just as a point of reference, but that’s all you should do. 2. Subject Matter (Who or What is Represented?)3. Artist (If the artist is known, refer to this person by their last name, not familiarly by their first name.)4. Date (If known, when was it made? For example, “...late eighteenth century” or “...mid-twentieth century”)5. Medium (If known, what material(s) is it made of, e.g., acrylic on canvas, watercolor, etc.)6. Size and Orientation (If known, how big/small is the work of art in inches or centimeters? Is the work of art horizontal (landscape) or vertical (portrait) in orientation?)Part II – Brief Description of the ArtworkIn a one paragraph, describe the work of art. What does it look like? Is it a representation of something? Tell what is shown. Is it an abstraction of something? Tell what the subject is and what aspects are emphasized. Is it a non-objective work? Tell what elements are dominant. This section is not an analysis of the work yet, though some terms used in Part III might be used here. This section is primarily a few sentences to give the reader a sense of what the work looks like.Part III – Formal AnalysisThis is the key part of your paper. It should be the longest section of the paper (about 80%). This portion of the paper is an objective description of the work of art, not a subjective, “how you feel,” personal opinion about the work. That will come at the very end of your paper. You should not be using expressions that suggest some sort of subjective, personal opinion, e.g., “beautiful colors,” “nice shapes,” etc. NOTE: There is a “hierarchy” when it comes to writing about the elements and principles of art. The elements are the basic “building blocks”; the principles are how those “building blocks” are assembled. Thus, it is imperative to begin your analysis by writing about the elements of art. Also, within each category (elements and principles) there is a certain hierarchy. You really can’t write about shape unless you’ve first addressed line. Color may be an important element, but color is generally applied to shapes/lines. So be certain to write about the elements and principles in the order listed below.Elements of Art1. Line (straight, curved, angular, flowing, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, contour, thick, thin, implied, etc.)2. Shape (What shapes exist in the artwork? Are they geometric or organic or both? Look for large shapes that dominate the work and for small ones that may be repeated throughout the work. )3. Light and Value (e.g., source, flat, strong, contrasting, even, values, emphasis, shadows)4. Color (e.g., primary, secondary, mixed, complimentary, analogous, warm, cool, etc. Where are specific colors found?)5. Texture and Pattern (real, implied, repeating)6. Space (depth, overlapping, kinds of perspective, e.g. one-point, two-point, atmospheric.)7. Time and Motion (will not be needed for this paper since you will be writing about a painting, not a mobile or other work of art that will be impacted by time or movement through space.)Principles of Art/Design1. Balance (symmetry, asymmetry)2. Emphasis and Subordination3. Scale and Proportion (weight, how objects or figures relate to each other and the setting)4. Unity and Variety5. Rhythm and RepetitionPart IV- Art Criticism: Opinions and ConclusionsArt criticism is responding to, interpreting meaning, and making critical judgements about a work of art.An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning of the work based on what you have learned so far about the artwork by doing a formal analysis of it elements and principles. This interpretation may also include a discussion of the specific work under study within the context of the time period when it was created, how it fits into the body of work created by the artist, the socio-political time period and cultural influences they influenced its creation, etc. This is the part of the paper where you go beyond description and offer a conclusion and your own informed opinion about the work. Any statements you make about the work should be based on the analysis in Part III above. Now you can make subjective comments like: “This viewer finds the artist’s use of soft, pastel hues comforting” or “Though this is a painting whose subject matter might appeal to a wide general audience, I think the painting is too ‘cute’ and the content trite.” In this section, discuss how and why the key elements and principles of art used by the artist create meaning. Support your discussion of content with facts about the work, e.g., “The artist has chosen dark colors and jagged shapes to covey a feeling of foreboding and fear to the viewer.”Try to answer the following, always supporting your responses by referencing the elements and principles:1. What do you thing the artist was trying to say via this work of art? Support your belief.2. What was the artist’s statement in this work?3. What feelings do you have when looking at this artwork?4. Are there things in the artwork that may represent other things in some symbolic, metaphorical way?5. Why do you believe that the artist chose to work in this manner and made these kinds of artistic decisions?6. Why did the artist create this artwork?7. Why do you think that this work has intrinsic value or worth? What is the value that you find in the work? For example, is it a beautiful work of art (by what standards?), does it convey an important social message, does it influence the way that someone seeing it sees the world, does it make insightful connections, does it reaffirm a religious belief, etc.8. Do you think that the work has a benefit for others? 9. Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling or principle that would have value for others?10. What kind of an effect do you think the work could have on others?11. Does the work lack value or worth? Why do you think this is so?12. Rather than seeing the work as being very effective or without total value, does the work fall somewhere in-between? Realize that your own tastes and prejudices may enter into your criticism. Try to remain open, balanced, and fair in your criticism.