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Blog Post 4: Formal Analysis

One way to comprehend and critique artwork is to use formal analysis. Formal analysis can be described as a way to understand, on a deeper level, the artwork by viewing the artwork as being composed of different elements instead of being viewed as a whole. From this one goes on to analyze the different elements that make up the artwork: color, line, space and mass, and scale. When we look at the color we should focus on different aspects, such as the different hues that might be present and if there appears to be a pattern in the choice of color. This would also mean determining if the level of saturation. As mentioned in the reading, the idea of analyzing the lines goes beyond pictures and paintings; it can be applied 3D objects as well. Analyzing lines could mean determining if the lines are light or harsh in terms of 2D pieces, or understanding the different line contours for 3D objects. When comprehending the space element, it is important to recognize if it is portraying 3D space, even conceptually. Mass is then used to imagine the artwork as having physical measurements such as weight and volume. Lastly, scale refers to the actual size of the artwork and the size in the artwork. To further analyze and determine scale, one must determine its consistency and what the actual size of the artwork could mean.

What’s Formal Analysis?

What is formal analysis? In your own words explain what we mean when we say formal analysis and what its components are

Formal analysis is a tool used to understand what the artist conveying. It uses the elements of color, line, space and mass, and scale. However, formal analysis is not independent of context analysis which takes into account the subjects of the picture to better understand and grasp the purpose of the image and the message its conveying. Often times it is possible to place together the physical elements of a picture with the contextual elements to piece together a story about the art work observed. Whether it is a two dimensional art or a three-dimensional sculpture, the art’s elements can carry the observer to a deeper understanding of the image. Formal analysis starts with observation, keenly taking notes of the elements in the picture.  The key is to ask leading questions about the color, the style, the perspective, etc. and also why. Though the fundamental aspects of formal analysis remains the same, the perspective changes with different types of art. The way that the observer understands a two dimensional art work is not the same way they would try to understand architecture. Moreover, formal analysis become coherent after the contextual analysis is taken into consideration. The art speaks when the observer considers the political, social, and cultural portrayal of the art work. Art is open to interpretation because it is highly subjective and abstract, formal analysis gives a standard way to assess art so that the message in the work can be captured.

Blog post 4: Formal Analysis

Formal analysis is how we can examine and understand art to the smallest details by seeing how the artist used their techniques to create their works. Using formal analysis involves things such as the composition, lines, color, and texture. Using these characteristics many artist use them to help us paint our own picture of what the artist is conveying. Composition refers to what we are first drawn to in the painting? Composition usually coexists with size, color and position; the bigger and brighter object placed right in the middle of the canvas usually will draw more attention to it than an oddly, darker placed object in the background. Line textures and darkness can also help deepen the formality of a painting by outlining different objects and creating a sense of depth. Color refers to the type of color palette the artist uses throughout his work. Is it a warm palette filled with reds, oranges and browns or is it colder with white and blues. Formal analysis helps us break down works and brings us to our own understandings of things from the theater to sculptures and to advertisements we see everyday.

Blog Post #3: Pedagogy and Power

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire was a book that criticizes the conventional education system. The banking model Freire proposed is that students only receive, file, and deposit what the teacher provides. The only thing students are learning to do is memorizing information that the teacher “deposits” in the students’ brains. The job of teachers is not so the students can memorize as much information as possible but to teach and get the students to think and analyze the work that is given. The problem the students have is never reach full understanding the knowledge because of the lack of context or they don’t have any reason to apply it to anything to appreciate its full value. Freire believes this turns students into better explain as “storage units” while the teachers are the depositing knowledge into, explaining the banking model title. Freire states this is a misguided system of education, where teachers are the oppressors and the students are the oppressed. This model of education greatly empowers the teacher and disempowers the student.

I keep trying to think of when (if) I’d ever experienced the banking model and  I can’t really seem to recall.

 

What IS Formal Analysis?

The exploration and study of art history would be rendered useless if one did not properly use formal analysis. What formal analysis is and what it’s asking us to do is to simply take note of what the artist has done visually in his or her work. What the artist has done visually is a broad phrasing, so it is important to hone in on visuals such as color, line, space, mass/scale, material, contrast, position, composition, and illusionism. While it seems like a lot to take in, each component is vital to pay attention to in order to fully grasp what it is the artist is trying to convey through their artwork. An artists use of a certain range of color, their emphasis of line and linear contours and the space they create within their work all speak volumes of what it is they’re trying to convey. These components can be categorized as the formal properties of formal analysis, but there is also subject matter and historical context to take into consideration when formally analyzing a piece of art.

In addressing the subject matter and historical context whilst using formal analysis, we are able to understand what/who the artist and their society had valued at the time and what they deemed worthy of preserving. The subject matter is more obvious than historical context, because it is supplied to you via the art you’re analyzing. Like in Titian’s Venus of Urbino, the subject matter is clearly Venus herself as she is not only front and center but takes up the majority of the canvas as well. While the subject matter here is clear as day, most would not know that Titian painted this work as a gift for a young, newly wedded couple to give a push to consummate their marriage. However, while subject matter is easier to depict in formal analysis, historical context works to further give the artwork meaning. In short, formal analysis is integral to art history because it is essentially asking us to understand the crux of the artwork we’re examining. And what is art without us attempting to understand it and assign it meaning? What is art, without formal analysis?

Formal Analysis

Formal analysis is not only describing the art but also showing and understanding what the artist is trying to convey, visually. Everybody has different ways of looking at things so our own interpretation of art will have a play in what we think it means. When focusing on formal analysis, there are some characteristics we use: color, line, space and mass, scale. We also look at the composition of the art. Composition means how the artist combines all these factors in their work of art.

We can also use subject matter to describe what is happening in the work of art. The subject matter shows us what the artist is trying to tell the audience and what message they want to send. Another component is the historical context. Historical context is the historical background of an artwork. It relates to the things that happen during the time the art was made. It serves to give us a better understanding of the art and show why the artist decided to make this artwork.

Formal Analysis, What’s That About?

What is formal analysis? In your own words explain what we mean when we say formal analysis and what its components are.

Formal analysis is a way of observing the visual aspects of an art work.  What this basically means is looking at a piece of art and interpreting what the artist is conveying to the viewers through the way it was physically created.  When preforming formal analysis of art, we are looking for three main components.  These three components are, characteristics, subject matter, and the historical context of the art piece.  Some characteristics used when interpreting art are, but not limited too, color, line, scale, space, and mass.  We use these characteristics in order to take apart and dig into the physical picture of the art.  The next component, subject matter, is analyzed as a way to describe the story of the scene going on in the art work.  We look to the subject matter as yet another way of understanding the message that the artist wants to convey to the viewers, or how the scene present creates a message.  As for historical context, this component requires some research to be done around the art piece, which looks into the time period and all the things going on during the time, the history of the artist themselves, etc.  This is done to gain a better understanding for, and see the possible influences that went into creating the art work.

Rudolf Adis Blog Post #3: Pedagogy and Power

Pablo Friere was a leading Brazilian educator and philosopher who’s article, “Pedagogy and Power” was a critical work that helped shed an entirely different light on the education system than previously seen. In this article, Friere creates the banking model of education in order to help readers visualize the relationship between students and teachers as one of oppression, with the teachers assuming the role of oppressor. This is because, as Friere sees it, the teacher assumes him/herself as all-knowing, whilst the student is viewed as an “empty vessel” or “container” into which the teacher continuously vests knowledge to be stored. This model helps illustrate how flawed our understanding of the learning system truly is, being that students are only taught one “right” method or way of thinking, and are left without any room for creativity and individual thinking. Furthermore, the banking model of education forces us to think outside the box, revealing that if the teachers are by some chance wrong, no one student may be able to dispute it. Even if a student is able to dispute a mistake, most of the time the word of the teacher overrules the student no matter how ludicrous, thus only adding to the authoritarian style of learning. Given this information, it is safe to conclude that the empowerment largely goes to the educator/teacher and the dis-empowerment, obviously, in the hands of the students at the expense of their learning.

From the end of elementary school until the end of high school, I had always thought of the education system as beneficial but flawed. My reasoning for this line of thinking is similar to Friere’s in that most of the time, I did not feel as if my creativity was encouraged to flow, or that I have to think “outside the box” simply because it all seemed like a mindlessly repetitive pattern: school, study, sleep, repeat. Most of the time, teachers were just there to instill their version of knowledge and education into our brain, regardless of how monotonous or flawed it may be. To exemplify this, I remember after half a year of simply memorizing scientific terms and definitions for 6th grade science, I questioned a scientific theory once and my answer was a simple “because that’s what the book says”. Thinking about it now, it is a clear-cut example of my teacher using me as an empty vessel to just throw information into without truly considering its validity. Nonetheless, the education system is not complete chaos like one may assume, without rote information being passed down to us students, classes such a computer science and mathematics, where memorizing is the second step after understanding, would be a complete disaster.

Blog Post #4: Formal Analysis

When a regular person wanders through a museum, they glance at art, get drawn to paintings with memorizing colors & after thinks it was a nice experience & call it a day but when someone who knows a bit about art & how it’s critiqued, they use Formal Analysis to look & understand art. This procedure helps someone describe a painting in detail through different steps & ideas. First off you look at the content of the picture (which most people do). Then you would look at it’s formal properties, including how it’s lines are drawn, what colors are in the painting, the composition of the art, how items are placed in the picture, in what way are the people modeling, how big it is through it’s scale and mass,  how it is designed, as an oil painting, sculpture, cinema, or others. Also, you would look at it’s historical context because where it was made can explain many things like a theme that would be unknown if it’s time of creation is unknown as well the technique used in a painting or sculpture could be unknown if there were two places which used similar art techniques but with two different outcomes, there could be a mix up. Without the knowledge of where a piece comes from, we won’t be able to figure out the full idea of the picture.

Blog 4-Formal Analysis

The definition of formal analysis is describing was is seen not by simply looking at a structure or painting but by interpreting and evaluating it. Interpreting a piece of art can mean looking at the color, line, and scale of the picture. This can be done by asking questions about the piece. What particular colors were used? How was the quality of the brush/pencil work? Is this piece to scale? Why or Why not? Through formal analysis, you can get the true meaning of the piece and really appreciate it.

There are also a few components of formal analysis. One of them is formal properties. Formal Properties as discussed above are the physical aspect if the work. This includes the color, line, scale, material, illusions, and mimesis. A second component is a subject matter which is the prime focus of the work. But we should also consider how every item contributes to the whole story of the piece. A third component of formal analysis is historical context. When interpreting work, it is critical to consider the time period it was created in. The time period may have influenced the artist.

In the small excerpt we were given, the authors used formal analysis to dissect an ad for Dior handbags. It is shown that a well-dressed, pretty, and young woman is holding the handbag. The background shows many large buildings. The colors are whites, grays, and blacks. The bag is just a simple leather rectangle. However, the fact that they used a famous, gorgeous young woman over an area that looks quite rich, the bag is quite appealing.

Image result for dior handbag and gwyneth paltrow
*The Dior ad.