Formal Analysis of an Art: Light and Color
Purpose - The purpose of this assignment is practice Formal Analysis. Students will find and analyze three (3) works of art from our text, but outside of Chapter 5, that effectively illustrate the aspects and qualities of light and color as visual elements. Practicing the application of the tanguage of art helps us to understand and appreciate what we see.
Skills - After doing this assignment you will be able to:
- Translate what you see into clear, structured writing
- Identify the effective use of light and color in visual art
- Analyze the role of light and color in contributing to the visual impact of art
Knowledge - After doing this assignment you will understand:
- How the the visual elements of light and color are employed by artists to help structure a work of art
- How an artist's use of light and color can contribute to a work's visual impact
Task - To complete this assignment you should:
- Spend some time paging through Chapters 1 - 7 of our course textbook, looking for works of art that demonstrate an effective use of light and color in their form.
a) Please note: you may not select an example for this assignment from "Chapter 5: Light and Color"
b) Consider related vocabulary like chiaroscuro, modeling, atmospheric perspective, value, complementary color, and so on.
- Choose three (3) works from Chapters 1 - 7 (not Chapter 5) as the topic of this Applied Learning Writing Assignment.
- Download, or screen shot, a copy of your chosen artworks as you will include these images in your assignment submission.
- Compose a formal analysis of the artist's use of line and color on your
selected artwork #1. (approx 100 words)
a) In your own words, describe the artwork's subject matter. (see definition of subject matter below)
b) Include figure number, artist's name, and artwork title in your description.
c) Identify and describe how the artist uses light and color to structure the work, or direct the viewer's gaze, or otherwise contribute to the work's overall visual impact.
d) Include an image of your selected artwork in your assignment submission.
- Compose a formal analysis of the artist's use of line and color on your selected artwork #2. (approx 100 words)
a) In your own words, describe the artwork's subject matter. (see definition of subject matter below)
b) Include figure number, artist's name, and artwork title in your description.
c) Identify and describe how the artist uses light and color to structure the work, or direct the viewer's gaze, or otherwise contribute to the work's overall visual impact.
d) Include an image of your selected artwork in your assignment submission.
- Compose a formal analysis of the artist's use of line and color on your selected artwork #3. (approx 100 words)
a) In your own words, describe the artwork's subject matter. (see definition of subject matter below)
b) Include figure number, artist's name, and artwork title in your description.
c) Identify and describe how the artist uses light and color to structure the work, or direct the viewer's gaze, or otherwise contribute to the work's overall visual impact.
d) Include an image of your selected artwork in your assignment submission.
- In your conclusion, select and explain which of these three artworks illustrates the most successful use of light and color.
Criteria - Successful assignment submission will include:
- A typed submission of 300 - 400 words, double-spaced, 12-point font
- Three selected artworks from Ch 1 - 7 in the text (not from Ch 5)
- Three selected artworks identified by figure number, artist's name, artwork title, with image of each
- Description of each artwork's subject matter
- Analysis of each artist's use of light and color
- Conclusion
Art 1309 – Applied Learning Assignment #1
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Figure 4-29 shows Isaac Julien's Ten Thousand Waves. The 2010 image demonstrates an immersive film installation projected into double-sided screens organized within a dynamic structure. The artist uses expensive optical setups based on indirect diffuse light reflections to reconstruct the objects and two-dimensional patterns around corners. The artist also uses black color perspective around the images to direct the viewer's gaze and visual impact by creating the illusion of space of depth on a flat surface. This is achieved by rendering forms and shapes to ensure they overlap using detail, color, and linear perspective (Lake Washington School District, n.d.). The image is shown below.
Figure 4-15 below represents Leonardo da Vinci's art termed The Last Supper, ca. 1495-98. Regarding the subject matter, the artist sought to depict the sitting arrangement of the Christ's disciples as they