1. A Short Guide to
Formal Analysis
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3-D

2. Form
Content
Auguste Rodin, Burghers of Calais, 1889, Victoria Tower Gardens, London.
3. Form
Content
Form is the totality of the physical and visual aspects of a work of art.
4. Form
Content
Content is the meaning of a work of art.
5. What is Formal Analysis?
Formal Analysis
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Description
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Analysis
A description relates what you see.
6. What is Formal Analysis?
Formal Analysis
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Description
+
Analysis
An analysis gives meaning or insight to that description.
7. Relief Sculpture vs. Sculpture in the Round
8. Representational vs. Non-Representational
BaccioBandinelli, Laocoon and his Sons,1520-1525.
Donald Judd, Untitled, 1967
9. Composition
Line
Shape
Light
Mass
Color
Space
Texture
Elements of Design
10. Balance
Unity/Variety
Scale/Proportion
Repetition/Rhythm
Emphasis/Subordination
Principles of Design
11. Space
Remember: the viewer and the sculpture inhabit the same 3-D Space
12. Space
13. Space
14. Space
15. Space
16. Space
17. Space
18. Useful Questions
What is the setting of the work?Urban? Natural? Gallery?
Is the sculpture a relief or in the round? Can you walk around it?
How large is the statue in relation to you?Do you have to look up?How close can you stand to the work and still survey it in its entirety?Can you see it in its entirety?
How much space is there between the shapes?Can you walk among the shapes?
Is the composition held together by a podium, plinth, or foundation?
19. Shape
20. Shape
21. Shape
Jacques Lipchitz, Figure, 1958-1961
22. Shape
23. Shape
Voids
Jose Rivera, Construction, 1958.
24. Useful Questions
What types of shapes do you see?Organic? Geometric? Both?
How do those shapes interact?Do they present a unified whole?
How do these shapes interact with space?How do these shapes change as you move around the sculpture?
Does the sculpture create shapes from its space?How do those shapes change as you move?
25. Composition
Shape
Space
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26. Open(atechtonic)
Closed
(techtonic)
Mark di Suvero, Aurora, 1993
Governor, Late Period, Egypt, c.664-525 BCE
27. Open(atechtonic)
Closed
(techtonic)
28. Balance
Unity
Variety
29. Light
30. Natural Light
Jonathan Borofsky.Dancers.2003. Sculpture Park of the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
Lawrence Argent, I See What you Mean, 2005, Colorado Convention Center, Denver.
31. Artificial Light
Sandy Skoglund, Fox Games, 1990.
32. Artificial Light
Sandy Skoglund, Fox Games, 1990.
33. Surface and Light
Constantin Brancusi, The Sleeping Muse, 1909-1911, copper/brass.
Constantin Brancusi, The Sleeping Muse, 1909-1911, marble.
34. Useful Questions
How is the sculpture lit?Sunlight?Gallery lights? Directly? Indirectly?
How many light sources are there?
Are there areas of high contrast?Dark shadows?
Does the light change as you move around the sculpture?
Does the surface/material reflect or absorb light?
35. Light
36. Line
37. Line as Form
Dale Chihuly, Fountain, 2004, Atlanta Botanical Garden.
38. Material and Line
Wooden Bowl
39. Decoration and Line
Bruce Gray, Wall Sculpture #32 (Samurai Spaceship), 2004
40. Useful Questions
Is line a strong element of this sculpture?
Are there any forms that can be interpreted as lines? What are those lines like?
Are there any lines caused by the material or manufacturing process?How do they interact with other elements and with the form as a whole?
Are there lines implied by the sculptures detail?What are the qualities of these lines?
Is the sculpture adorned with any graphic elements, such as paint?
41. Line
42. Mass
43. Mass
Alberto Giacometti, Man Pointing, 1901-1906 BCE
Governor, Late Period, Egypt, c.664-525 BCE
44. Useful Questions
Does the sculpture take up a lot of space?
Are the forms mostly open or closed?Are there a lot of voids?
Is the statue made of a material you know to be heavy?
Do qualities such as color or line contribute to the sculptures visual weight?
45. Mass
46. Color
47. Materiality and Color
TilmanRiemenschneider, Madonna and Child, 1460-1531, carved linden wood.
Luisa Roldan, Virgin and Child, late 17th century
48. Useful Questions
What colors do you see?Do they fit a color scheme? Are they light? Dark? Intense? Dull?
What is the source of the sculptures color?Its material? Painting or Adornment?
How does lighting contribute to the sculptures color or how that color is perceived?
What mood does the color evoke?Does it evoke a mood?
49. Color
50. Texture
51. Material and Texture
Mel Kendrick, Untitled, 1982, oil on wood
22" x 27" x 26"
Mel Kendrick, Bronze/ Poplar Burnout, 1984, unique bronze, 16.5" x 7" x 5.5"
52. Material and Texture
NkisiNkondi Statue, Congo, 20th Century
Alberto Giacometti, Man Pointing, 1901-1906 BCE
53. Useful Questions
What are the different textures you see?Rough? Smooth? Soft? Hard? Fragile? Strong?
Are the textures the result of the nature of the materials used?
Does the material mimic the texture of another material or surface?
What is the overall impact of the textures you see?
54. Texture
55. Final Observations