Visual Analysis

What is a visual analysis?
Write a 3-4 page visual analysis of a single work of art. In a visual analysis you present your own interpretive argument (what you think), and explain your reasoning through the presentation of visual evidence (description) and analysis.
But what do I argue?
There are many different ways to approach art and just as many ways to formulate an argument about art. What you decide to argue depends on the work of art and how you perceive it. The argument should be about the meaning of a work of art like the discussions we’ve been having about art in class. The argument could be about emotions, or about faith, or about social roles, or some other idea that emerges for you through your study and contemplation of the work of art.
Some possible ideas:
• The representation of power
• Religious/spiritual experience
• Moral message
• Relationship between people and nature
But really, the argument should be a result of what you see.
One good way to develop an argument is to ask a question, come up with an answer, and then explain how you reached that answer. (In the paper you do not have to include the question - just the answer.)
Choosing the work of art
You should visit the website of a museum and select a work of art that interests you. You are allowed to write about any work of art from any culture or time period.
A caution: sometimes a work of art we really enjoy doesn’t produce a good paper because it turns out you don’t have much to really say about it. Sometimes works of art that we don’t enjoy that much produce really good papers because that tension between you and the work of art produces a good argument. So save a few works of art that you can sit with and think about and then figure out which one you want to write about.
When you select works of art, download a nice, high-resolution copy and make sure you include the artist, title, date, size, materials used and museum.
Some museums with good websites:
Metropolitan Museum of Art met https://www.metmuseum.org/ Museum of Modern Art https://www.moma.org/
Museum of Fine Arts Boston, https://www.mfa.org/
Art Institute of Chicago https://www.artic.edu/
National Gallery of Art, DC https://www.nga.gov/
National Gallery of Art, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/ (If you want to use another museum, feel free to explore)
Writing about the work of art
Develop your own interpretive argument (your interpretation of what the work of art is doing). Use the first paragraph to introduce the reader to the work of art and your argument.
The body of the paper is you explaining your reasoning: what do you see and why do you think it means what you say it means? This is explained through the presentation of evidence in the form of detailed visual description, and an analysis of that evidence using the elements discussed in Chapter 2 of Introduction to Art.
SUMMARY
Write 3-4 pages, 12 point standard font, double spaced Create a title that relates to your argument
Open with a thesis
Support this thesis through visual description and formal analysis
Include an image of the work of art on the last page, as large as possible, with the information about the work written as follows:
Artist Title (in italics) (Date) materials, size (Museum)
DO NOT DISTORT THE IMAGE - make sure the proportions are the same as the original.