The Analytic Method

Analytic Method
Definition
Outline

Terms Used
I. Physical Analysis:
Medium
S ubject
Technique

II. FormalAnalysis:
Form
Elements of art
Principles of art
Composition
Picture Plane

III. Contentual Analysis:
Content
Function
Iconography
*symbol
Mood

IV. Historical Analysis:
A. Stylistic

Style
Classical
Romantic
Non-representational
Representational
Abstract
Illusionistic
Naturalism
Realism

B.Social Context

V. Critical Analysis:
Criticism
Historical Criticism
Contemporary Criticism
Personal Reaction

Secondary Vocabulary
I. The Elements of Art
Line
Contour
Shape
Two-Dimensional shape
Three-Dimensional shape
Mass
Volume
Texture
Actual texture
Invented texture
Simulated texture
Value
Color
Hue
Intensity

II. The Organizational Principles
Composition
Unity
Harmony
Dominance
Variety
Balance
Symmetrical
Asymmetrical
Space
Illusionism
Linear perspective
Atmospheric (aerial) perspective
Planear Space
Recessional Space
Other Organizational Terms
Repetition
Pattern
Picture plane
Rhythm
Positive/negative
Movement

The Analytic Method

The following is one example of a framework for the systematic analysis of a work of art. It will serve as a guideline for the lectures and tests in this course. Its order or sequence is adjustable according to its application. Although initially awkward, this system will prepare the student to analyze art thoroughly and creatively.

Outline

I. Physical Analysis--Description

A. Category: The primary subdivision of art by type based upon the essential utilization of space; i.e., architecture, sculpture/crafts, painting/graphics.
B. Medium: Material used and its characteristics or nature.
C. Technique: Tools and processes used to work the medium.
D. Subject: The object depicted in representational art.

II. Formal Analysis--The organization/use of the elements of visual communication.

A. The Elements of Art

1. Line
2. Shape/Mass
3. Texture
4. Value
5. Color

B. The Principles of Art

1. Composition
2. Balance
3. Movement (compositional, gestural, actual)
4. Space (actual and illusionistic)
5. Scale and Proportion

III. Contentual Analysis--The purpose and meaning

A. Function: Purpose or use (for us this is usually advertisement, but can also serve the purpose of bolstering social awareness or can be purely propaganda)

1. Magical/Religious
2. Socio/Political
3. Aesthetic/Personal

B. Iconography: Conventional or consciously used symbols
(Identify symbols and explain meaning)

C. Mood: Subconscious expression--the viewer's reaction--
feeling or emotion expressed by the work of art.

IV. Historical/Cultural Analysis
Graphic design often draws its inspiration from art history. If the image under investigation imitates a well-known work of art, be prepared to draw comparisons and discuss the following:

A. Historic Identification

1. Style
2. Era/Period/Sub-period
3. Date
4. Artist

B. Social Context

1. General attitudes and major events of the times which influenced art--comment on how the art may reflect the larger culture including politics, religion, economics, education, etc.
2. Specific facts about the artist and/or the work of art relative to history.

V. Critical Analysis

A. Historical Criticism--evaluation of the significance of the art in its own time.
B. Contemporary Criticism--evaluation of its significance by experts.
C. Personal Reaction--your evaluation of its significance.

Terms used in the Analytic Method

I. Physical Analysis:
Medium
The substance or material in which an artist works; also, in painting--the vehicle, usually liquid, that carries the pigment.
Nature of the Medium...
The characteristics or personality of a medium, its strengths and weaknesses as a vehicle of artistic expression.

Subject
traditionally, the persons or things represented. Other common definitions include:

the topic, theme, or motif of a work of art.
the raw material or experience leading to the creative art.

Technique
the method of executing the technical or manual details of art especially in terms of manipulation of media.
definable in practice as the ability to employ a medium adequately to achieve a predetermined expressive effect.

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II. FormalAnalysis:
Form
in general, the final and total appearance of the art object.
the organization and use of the elements of art (line, shape, value, texture, color) and includes the principles of organization (unity, rhythm, balance, etc.).

Elements of art
the visual units which individually or collectively make up a work of art: line, shape, value, texture, and color.

Principles of art
the means used to organize the elements of art into a whole and includes space, movement, balance, proportion, and related concepts.

Composition
the act of organizing all of the parts of work of art into a harmoniously unified whole. Each element used may have intrinsic characteristics which create interest, but it must function in such a way that "the whole is more important that its parts".

Picture Plane
the flat surface on which the artist executes his pictorial image.
an imaginary plane of reference through which a picture is seen in terms of advancing and receding space.
(see pages 6 to 10 for additional information on terms used in formal analysis)

III. Contentual Analysis:
Content
the essential meaning, significance, or aesthetic value of an art form. Defined in terms of function, iconography, and mood.

Function
the purpose for which the work was made.
a. Magical/religious--deals with the spiritual world
b. Socio/political--deals with human relations
c. Aesthetic/personal--deals with views of beauty and personal expression

Iconography
the study dealing with the conventional symbolic meaning of objects, persons, or events, depicted in works of art.

*symbol
representation of a quality or situation through the use of an intermediate agent; the work is not the thing itself but a "sign" of the thing (for example, the owl "represents" blindness); indirect understanding as opposed to direct understanding through form-meanings.

Mood
the predominant feeling or emotion expressed by a work.

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IV. Historical Analysis:
A. Stylistic:
Style
the general artistic character and form trends normally designated as classical/romantic, representational/non-represenational.
the specific artistic character and dominant form trends of certain times or periods in history.
the expressive character that marks an individual artist's work within the broader period styles.

Classical
art forms which are characterized by a rational, controlled, clear, and intellectual approach. The term derives from the ancient art of Greece in the 4th and 5th Centuries B.C.

As a general style classicism is highly organized and characterized by:

• linearity - emphasis on contour and form shape. It is marked by clean outlines and clear figure-ground contrasts.
• planearity space - spatial illusion based on planes...movement back with foreground, middleground, and background planes.
• closed composition - composition contained to picture plane not implying exterior activity.
• multiplicity - objects are independent, i.e., not interlocked with each other or their ground.
• clarity - the composition and objects are organized in an obvious manner so that structure is apparent.

The term classic has an even more general connotation, meaning an example or model of first rank or highest class for any kind of form, literacy, artistic or otherwise.
Classicism is the application of and adherence to the principles of Greek culture by later cultural systems such as Roman classicism, Renaissance classicism, or the art of the Neoclassic Movement of the early 19th Century.

Romantic
a philosophical attitude toward life which may occur at any time. In art, the romantic form is characterized by an experimental point of view which extols spontaneity of expression, intuitive imagination, and the picturesque rather than a carefully organized, rational approach. The Romantic Movement of l9th Century with artists such as Delacroix, Gericault, and Turner is characterized by such an approach to form.

As a general style Romanticism focuses on the formal elements and is characterized by:

• painterly quality - emphasis on interior details and form through highlights and shadows. It is marked by complex and obscure outlines and interacting figure-ground.
• recessional space - spatial illusion based on the diagonal.
• open composition - composition suggests space and activity outside of the picture plane.
• unity - objects are integrated.
• vagueness - the elements dominate and organization is not obvious.

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Non-representational

• abstract art carried to its (non-objective) ultimate extreme eliminating all natural appearing objects.
• a type of art in which the form and the creative act become the subject matter.

Representational

• A mode of presentation in art which details are arranged in such a way as to suggest to the imagination some concrete object, person, or scene.
• Means to represent the world of appearances.

Abstract
a term given to invented forms derived from nature which are exaggerated or simplified but still representational. Reorganization of natural impressions to meet the needs of form and expression.

Illusionistic

• Imitation of visual reality.
• The method of overcoming the flatness of the picture plane in painting to create the effect of depth or space. Perspective, foreshadowing, and the chiaroscuro are all potential aides to illusionism.

Naturalism

the doctrine that nature should be represented objectively, without interpretation by the artist.

Realism
a form of expression which retains the basic impression of visual reality but deviates only enough to relate and interpret universal meanings underneath surface appearances.

B. Social Context:
The general political, social, economic, scientific, technological, and intellectual background that accompanies and influences art-historical events.

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V. Critical Analysis:
Criticism
evaluating or analyzing works of art with knowledge and objectivity in order to make an educated appraisal of their significance

Historical Criticism
The general role or importance of art in its period--how this artist and work were evaluated and interpreted in their own time.

Contemporary Criticism
how the art of this period is evaluated today by knowledgeable commentators.

Personal Reaction
a blend of criticism and taste in which you express a personal opinion about the artist and work based upon both an objective analysis and your individual preference.



Secondary Vocabulary (Design Terms Used in Formal Analysis)
I. The Elements of Art
Line - The path of a moving point; that is, a mark made by a tool or instrument as is is drawn across a surface. It is usually made visible by the fact that it contrasts in value with the surface on which it is drawn. The physical properties of line are: measure, type, direction, location, and character.

Contour - A line that creates a boundary separating an area of space from its surrounding background.

Shape - An area that stands out from the space next to or around it because of a defined boundary or because of difference of value, color, or texture.
Two-Dimensional shape - An area confined to length and width and set apart by contrasts of value or color.
Three-Dimensional shape - A solid, or the illusion of a solid.

Mass - A three-dimensional form or body that stands out from the space surrounding it because of difference in color, value, or texture; the physical bulk of a solid body of material.

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Volume - A three-dimensional shape that exists in space. On a flat surface the artist can only create the illusion of a volume.

Texture - The surface character of a material that may be experienced through touch, or the illusion of touch. Texture may be produced by natural forces or through an artist's manipulation of the art elements.
Actual texture - A surface that may be experienced through the sense of touch (as opposed to surfaces often "imitated" by the artist)
Invented texture - Patterns created by the repetition of lines or shapes on a small scale over the surface of an area. The repeated motif may be an abstract or an adaptation of nature patterns used in a more regular or planned fashion.
Simulated texture - The illusion of real or actual texture on a 2-dimensional surface.

Value - The relative degree of lightness or darkness given to an area by the amount of light reflected from it.

Color - The character of a surface that is the result of the response of vision to the wavelength of light reflected from that surface.

Hue - Used to designate the common name of a color and to indicate its position in the spectrum or on the color wheel. Hue is determined by the specific wavelength of the color in a ray of light.

Intensity - The saturation or strength of a color determined by the quality of light reflected from it. A vivid color is of high intensity; a dull color, of low intensity.
Value - The characteristic of a color in terms of the amount of light reflected from it. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of tone, not to color quality.

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II. The Organizational Principles
Composition - The act of organizing all of the elements of a work of art into a harmoniously unified whole. Each element used may have intrinsic characteristics which create interest, but it must function in such a way that "the whole is more important than it's parts." Conventional concepts associated with composition include: open composition, closed composition, cradle composition, pyramidal composition, dumb-bell composition.

Unity - The whole or total effect of a work of art that results from the combination of all of the work's component parts, including the assigned ratio between harmony and variety.

Harmony - The unity of all of the visual elements of a composition. Harmony is achieved by repetition of characteristics that are the same or similar.

Dominance - The principle of visual organization suggests that certain elements should assume more importance than others in the same composition. Dominance contributes to organic unity because one main feature is emphasized and other elements are subordinate to it. The principle applies in both representational and nonrepresentational work.

Variety - The principle of including diversity in a work of art to sustain interest and avoid monotomy--a subordinant counterpoint.

Balance - A feeling of equality in weight, attention, or attraction of the various visual elements within an artwork as a means of accomplishing organic unity.

Symmetrical or formal balance - A form of balance achieved by the use of identical compositional units on either side of a vertical axis within the confining pictorial space.
Approximate symmetry - The use of similar forms on either side of a vertical axis. The forms may give a feeling of the exactness of equal relationship but are sufficiently varied to prevent visual monotony.

Asymmetrical or informal balance - A form of balance attained when visual units are placed in positions within the pictorial field so as to create a "felt" equilibrium of the total form concept.
Radial balance - A form of balance attained by organizing the visual units around a central point.

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Space -May be characterized as boundless or unlimited extension in all directions; void of matter. Artists use the term to describe the interval or measurable distance between preestablished points. The two basic spatial concepts are decorative (2-D) and plastic (3-D, actual or illusionistic).

Illusionism - The imitation of visual reality created on the flat surface of the picture plane by the use of perspective, light-and-dark shading, etc. The illusion of space can be achieved by a number of devices including modeling, size relationships, placement in the picture plane, and manipulation of value and color.

Linear perspective - A mechanical system for creating the illusion of a three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

Atmospheric (aerial) perspective - The illusion of deep space produced in graphic works by lightening values, softening contours, reducing value contrasts, and neutralizing colors in objects as they recede.

Planear Space - space organized in a series of planes such as foreground, midground, and background.

Recessional Space - space organized on a diagonal, non-planear plan.

Other Organizational Terms
Repetition - The use of the same visual element a number of times in the same composition. Repetition may accomplish a dominance of one visual idea, a feeling of harmonious relationship, an obviously planned pattern, or a rhythmic movement.

Pattern - The obvious emphasis on certain visual form relationships and certain directional movements within the visual field. Pattern also refers to the repetition of elements or the combinations of elements in a readily recognized systematic organization.

Picture plane - The actual flat surface on which the artist executes a pictorial image. In come cases the picture plane acts merely as a transparent plane of reference to establish the illusion of forms existing in a three-dimensional space.

Rhythm - A continuance, a flow, or a feeling of movement achieved by repetition of regulated visual units; the use of measured accents.
Value pattern - The total effect of the relationships of light and dark given to areas within the pictorial field.

Positive/negative - Positive areas are definite units which are explicitly laid down; negative areas are the unoccupied or empty space. Relates to figure/ground.

Movement - The effect or illusion of motion--maybe actual, descriptive or gestural, or compositional.

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