Do more than identify lines, shapes, space, colors, and medium. Explain how the artist uses them.
Paragraph Three
Apply the terms from the Visual Vocabulary video below to communicate the elements of your image. This part should be more significant than the description. Do more than identify these elements; explain how the artist uses lines, shapes, space, colors, and medium and what those choices do within the image. You are essentially taking the larger view from the description and now putting a finer point on it.
Spatial Approach to Analyzing A Work
To assist you in the analysis, Purdue’s spatial approach might help:
A spatial ordering covers the parts of a document in the order the eye is likely to scan them . . . There are no unwavering guidelines for this, but you can use the following general guidelines:
- Left to right and top to down is still the normal reading and scanning pattern for English-speaking countries.
- The eye will naturally look for centers. This may be the technical center of the page or the center of the largest item on the page.
- Lines are often used to provide directions and paths for the eye to follow.
Sample Paragraph Three
In analyzing Monet’s Woman with a Parasol, lines, shapes, space, colors, and medium work together to draw attention to the woman and create movement throughout the painting. Probably the most noticeable element is the woman’s shape near the center of the canvas, which takes up much of the painting from top to bottom. The lines of her dress, scarf, and the grass seem to move toward the left, making the viewer almost feel the wind blowing across the hill. The rounded shape of the green parasol also stands out against the open blue and white sky and helps draw the eye toward the upper part of the painting. Color is especially important, as the woman’s mostly white dress contrasts with the darker greens of the grass, while blues and whites fill much of the background. Monet also uses space to create distance between the two people. The woman appears larger and closer in the foreground, while the boy is smaller and farther away, with part of his body hidden by the hill. Finally, the medium of oil paint allows Monet to blend the colors and create less defined lines and shapes instead of making every object appear sharp and detailed. Together, these elements guide the viewer’s eyes around the painting and make the outdoor scene appear full of light and movement.