Write an essay about the article "A Huntsman and doges" by Winslow Homer.

FORMAL ANALYSIS

Write an essay describing an art object (mural, painting, sculpture, installation, video art, photograph) of your choice. The object must have been created by an American artist after 1860. It cannot be a craft object, e.g rug, pottery vessel, woven basket, clothing, jewelry, furniture, etc. You must be able to see this object in person, not from a digital image found online. It must be an original work of fine art. If you have any doubts please discuss it with me before you are downgraded or have to rewrite the analysis on account of your choice of art object.

I. "Data Collection (observation and collection of visual facts)"

A. Take photos of the work and of what's around it. Include some detail photos and different views (different distances, angles, lighting, etc.). Include these with your paper.

B. What is my first response to the work? Trust yourself.

C. Sketch the work.

D. What do the physical properties and the form contribute? Take into account

1. The material - is the paint thick or thin? Is the marble polished and reflective? Texture?

2. The size - how do you feel standing before this object? Scale?

3. The color - realistic? Symbolic?

4. The composition (arrangement of forms) - balanced? Symmetrical? Densely patterned?

5. Location and context of site (especially in public art)

6. Where is the best place to stand and look at the work? Do you need to move when you look at this work?

7. Light: Role of light in the work? Role of light on the work?

8. What is the title? Does it say something about the work?

9. Who or what can we identify in the work? How does this figure or form relate to other elements in the work? Why is this figure or form place here and not there? What would happen if you moved or took out a form?

10. What is the chief interest in the work?

II. Focus on creating a logical order so that your reader doesn't get lost. Think about your description in terms of a spatial map of the artwork.

A. Summarize what is going on overall in the work before moving on to describe the details of the object.

B. Describe the composition - Describe components in an order that makes sense. Maybe the components lead to a focal point. Maybe the components tell a story or forward an argument. Maybe there is no visual/formal focus.

C. Break down the artwork into its major sections, EX: foreground, middle-ground, and background. Or discuss one side of the work and then move across the object and discuss the other side.

D. Use spatially-orienting prepositional phrases like "on the left side one sees," "to the lower right the artist has depicted," "in the foreground there are," "within the top third," "at the center," "between the," "towards the," "above this section," etc.

E. Check your work: If you were to give your written formal analysis to a friend who had never seen the object, s/he would be able to describe or draw the object for you, or at least pick it out of a lineup.