Video: What is Formal Analysis?

To do art history, you must know how to do formal analysis, which is also called visual analysis .

Artist can use materials that push against their expected meanings.

It allows us to understand art by analyzing the formal elements and structures used by the artist to convey meaning or achieve a certain effect.

Video: The History in Art History

Iconography allows artist to convey messages and tell stories though visual representation. It's way for artist to express ideas, beliefs, and emotions that can't be described in words. The meaning of artworks can be only understood by historical context

This painting portrays the working class people of Paris revolting against the government. Pulling cobblestone from the streets to shield themselves and battle the army

Video: The History in Art

Linear perspective is a technique used by artist to create the illusion of depth and space using relative size and position of a group of objects.

But there is not just one type of linear perspective. Artist Gustavo Caillebotte used a two point perspective in his painting. It contains to vanishing points and horizontal lines. This is often used to show something like the corner of a building on a street. One side of the blind will vanish on the left and other with vanish toward the right, creating two separate vanishing points.

Video: The Art in Art History

The composition is balanced but informal, with Madame Charpentier seated slightly off-center, dressed in a lavish black dress with intricate lace details. Her daughter Georgette-Berthe sits beside her in a ruffled white gown, while her son Paul-Émile-Charles, in a sailor suit, sits casually on the floor. Renoir uses a triangle shape to link the three figures, directing the viewer’s gaze between them. The grouping emphasizes familial closeness and intimacy.

Website: https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/formal_analysis.html#color

Space- Space in a work of art refers to a feeling of depth or 3 dimensions. Space also include the negative and positive side to it. Depending on the artist use of it.

This would be a great example because the old man is surrounded by negative space, which shows how life around him seems slow and empty when he reached to an older age. Almost like it's an end point of his life.

Video: What is Formal Analysis

Form in art is important because it helps shape how we see and understand the subjects. It creates a sense of depth and movement, making the artwork feel more real and engaging.

The Doni Tondo by Michelangelo is a round painting featuring the Holy Family and Saint John the Baptist. Michelangelo uses strong, well-defined figures and a simple background to focus the viewer's attention on the central characters. The round shape of the painting helps keep the figures in the center, making them the main focus.

Color- Is the light the reflects off objects. It contains hue (red, Blue, etc), Value (Light or Dark), and Intensity (Brighter or dull)

A great example would be this masterpiece because, the woman has clothing that gives hues of red's and blue and includes a lot of shadows.

Video: What is Formal Analysis

Line is important in art because it defines shape, suggests movement, and creates structure. It can convey emotion, guide the viewer’s eye, and give depth or texture to a piece, making it fundamental to artistic expression.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s drawing of Oscar Wilde showcases his mastery of line work and color. He used bold, fluid lines to capture Wilde's personality with simplicity and precision, emphasizing the contours and essential features.n addition to his line work, Lautrec’s use of color is equally striking. He often employed flat, vibrant tones to complement his lines, creating a sense of immediacy and focus. Instead of relying heavily on shading or intricate details, Lautrec's lines highlight Wilde's presence, using minimalism to convey both character and expression.n addition to his line work, Lautrec’s use of color is equally striking.

Using this piece again, we can see how the use of greens and blues are darken to show distance for the center piece.

Video: "The history in Art History"

Iconology- A branch that takes it history to consideration and focuses on the analysis of symbols along with it.

Using the art piece "Mary, Christ and the Young John the Baptist, known as the Madonna of the Goldfinch", the text in the women's hand appears to be the Bible that talks about the sacrifice of Christ, this symbolizes the "Traditional worship" during those times.

Video: "What Are the Physical Properties of Artworks"

Physical Analysis- This is a branch of analyzing that focuses in the physical side of the paintings or sculptures, using the visual elements like color, texture, form, or line.

An example would be print making because it's a technique that uses the texture of the wood to press onto the paper to create a picture or painting in a low cost. You could also use color as well to help mimic it.

I used the picture above because they are showing the technique and how interested the people were over the low cost material rather than the high cost material art pieces hanging on the wall.

"Physical properties include shape, size, materials, and technique." (pg 11) Stokstad and Cothren

Website: https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/formal_analysis.html#color

Shape- It contains height and width. Sometimes can be defined by line.

A great example would be this masterpiece by Chalres de la Fosse because it contains rectangles and ovals in the composition.

Video: What Are the Physical Properties of Artwork?

The reason this was mention was to view Davids sculpture focusing on the technique and size. Viewing a photo of this sculpture looks quite small, when in reality he is 17 feet tall! Size in art is important because it can influence how viewers experience a piece. Larger artworks can create a sense of grandeur and impact, drawing viewers in and often dominating a space. They can evoke strong emotions and make a statement. Smaller pieces can invite closer inspection and create an intimate connection.

- Artist's Name: Michelangelo Buonarroti

- Artwork Title: David

- Date Created: 1501-1504

- Medium: Marble

- Dimensions: Approximately 17 feet (5.17 meters) tall

Video: Naturalism stylization

Artist use terms such as illusionism, naturalism, realism to refer to art works to fool the viewers eye. In The Seven Sacraments, Rogier van der Weyden uses illusionism to create depth, inviting viewers into the narrative. His focus on realism in the figures’ expressions and gestures makes the scenes relatable and emotionally impactful. Naturalism in the depiction of human figures and settings bridges the divine with everyday life, enhancing the work's spiritual significance.

• Artist's Name: Rogier van der Weyden

• Artwork Title: The Seven Sacraments

• Date Created: Circa 1445-1450

• Medium: Oil on wood

• Dimensions: Approximately 86 x 60 inches (218 x 152 cm) when opened

The reason this was introduce in the module video, "Sense Perception Art" was because it demonstrates that you cannot understand an artwork just as concepts, stories, or ideas. Artworks exist was "sensory experiences"

The reason this was introduce in the module video, 'Sense Perception Art", was because the use of fruits, flowers, and objects this artist's capture's orchestrates a sensory world for it viewers. Like color, light, line, and shape.