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HOW TO ANALYSE A PAINTINGLEVEL 2

If you follow the order and aspects given on this sheet you will have comprehensivelyanalysed a painting. Such analysis will prepare you to meet requirements for 2.1Discuss art works, 2.2 Eamine su!"ects and themes, 2.# Eamine techniques used inart, and 2.$ Eamine an art movement.

Notethat not all the aspects are suita!le to comment on for every painting. Select theaspects that seem most appropriate.

1. Recording the painting details(your notes should always state painter, title and date)

%ame of &ainter' (e.g. Monet) (itle of the )ork' (e.g. Rouen Cathedral in Full Sunlight)Date it was painted' (e.g. 1874)

Si*e ' +e.g. $ -# cm /edium ' +e.g. oil on canvas Stylistic &eriod' (e.g. Ipressionis)

2. S!"ect and The#e Descri!e the su!"ect' (e.g. the artist Cour!et eets his patron Monsieur

"ruyas) and$or Descri!e the content' (e.g. the stone #a$ade o# a %othi$ Cathedral) and$or Eplain any ideas that the painting is epressing +political, social,

personal ' (e.g.Cour!et depi$ts hisel# as o# e&ual status to his wealthypatron)

Identify underlying themes' +e.g. self0sacrifice, loyalty to nation in Davids "rutusre$ei'ing the "odies o# his Sons

Eplain any !ackground known a!out the work +using research to find out' (e.g. the #orat deri'es #ro a popular print $alled he andering *ew)

#. %o#position+means the organisation of o!"ects andorfigures within the painting (sele$t only the ost rele'ant o# these)

/ain organisational features' 3ocal &oint' 4eometrical shapes' Symmetry56symmetry5' /ethods used to lead the eye around the work' Effects created !y compositional devices' +e.g. sta!ility, order, randomness, effect of

drawing attention to particular parts of the work

&ar!ara Or#ond'ni(ersit) o* Ac+land

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4. Space$,epth+how is the illusion of depth created5 7inear perspective' (e.g. +issarro uses a row o# trees whi$h re$ede and lead the eye into the distan$e. he trees 'anish at a point on the

horion)

6erial perspective' +the gradual lightening, ha*iness and !luish tinge that appearstowards the hori*on

8verlapping of o!"ects' Distance from the picture plane ' +sense of distance from the actual surface of the

painting Effects created' +e.g. to create a sense of naturalism, to give an illusion of great

distance, to limit picture space 0 in cases where recession isrestricted

9. %olor

/ain:olours used ' :ool and )arm :olours' ;ange of the palette ' +means the num!er of colours used 0 a wide range or a

limited paletteEffects colour creates'

-. Light Direction of the 7ight ' :hiaroscuro +contrasts of light and shadow or Even 7ighting ' 6tmospheric 7ight +to create mood'