Formal Analysis is a visual description of a work of art. To formally analyze a work art means that we are looking at the structure of the piece and analyzing the decisions that the artist made in his/her painting. When we are formally analyzing art we are evaluating it, asking questions, looking for the meaning, and looking at the central focus. We are looking for what art is showing us not telling us. In order to give a piece of art a formal analysis we need to describe it, find the formal properties, subject matter, and the historical context. To find the formal properties we need to look at the scale (the size of the painiting), medium (the type of painting it is), composition (placement of the visual elements), illusion of depth (the space that is created), chiaroscuro (light/dark), and forshortening (how close and how far away objects or people seem to be). Subject matter would be when we are looking at what the artist has decided to create. Finding the historical context would be like finding the main idea in a book. It is to find out what story or what scenario is being depicted to us. Historical context can be found through the subject matter. When we are looking at the historical context we are finding the circumstances in which the artwork was created. By comprehending the place where the piece comes from we are able to fully grasp the message and the story that is unfolding in front of us.