Museum Report(A Sunday on La Grande Jatte)

Identify the work fully (artist name if known, title if available, time period or date, medium, dimensions or approximate dimensions).

Provide a brief description of the subject matter of the work.

Engage in a formal analysis of the work: (NOTE: It is expected that the analysis of the work’s formal elements and principles of design be the most in-depth and therefore most time should be spent on this section.)

Analyze, describe, and discuss the work in terms of three (3) formal elements of art. Please use bold font for each of your chosen formal elements once within your essay.

Analyze, describe, and discuss the works’ composition using three (3) principles of design. Please bold each of your chosen principles of design once within your essay.

You must demonstrate your understanding of the concepts learned in the course by utilizing appropriate course vocabulary within your analysis. Please use precise terminology associated with the elements and principles chosen. Failure to do so will result in a reduced grade. Consult the chapters and course material from Module 2.

Spend a good amount of time looking at the work and taking notes. It is helpful to provide the reader with an overall picture of the work you are describing. You may find it useful to pretend you are describing the work to someone who cannot see but must create an impression of the work based solely on your words. Clearly and articulately analyze and describe the formal elements and principles of design that you see in the work. There may be many but be selective and try to determine the most significant elements of composition. Remember to utilize key terms from the textbook associated with the specific elements/principles chosen.

Is the work non-objective, representational, figurative, or abstract? Note that a work of art can fall into more than one of these categories. Explain fully and in a way that demonstrates you have a correct understanding of the term(s) as it relates to our course content.

Discussion of Medium: Examine your artwork further by discussing the medium used and the artist’s technique and application of materials. Is the object two- or three-dimensional? What limitations, if any, might the chosen medium create for the artist? Below are some further questions to consider, depending on the type of medium employed. See Part Two of your textbook (Media & Processes) for further information on art materials and media.

Painting: How did the type of paint affect the strokes the artist could make? Was it fresco, oil, tempera, or watercolor? Was it a fast-drying paint that allowed little time to make changes? What kind of textures and lines was the artist able to create with this medium? Does it lend a shiny or flat look? How durable was the medium? Does the work look the same today as when the artist painted it?

Drawing: Consider the materials utilized: metal point, chalk, charcoal, graphite, crayon, pastel, ink, and wash. Is the artist able to make controlled strokes with this medium? Would the tool create a thick or thin, defined or blurred line? Was the drawing intended to be a work of art in itself, or is it a study for another work, a peek into the artist’s creative process?

Printmaking: What is the process the artist undertook to create this work? Did he or she need to carve or etch? Did the medium require a steady hand? Strength or patience?

Photography: What is the process the artist undertook to create this work? Is it an example of early photography or more recent processes? Is it created from digital, film or other processes? Documentary? Staged?

Sculpture: Is the sculpture high or low relief, or can we see it in the round? What challenges did the material present to the artist? Was the work created through a subtractive process or an additive one? What tools did the artist use to create the form? Is your work created from constructing or assembling things together?

Craft: Is it made of fiber, textile, ceramics, metalwork, glass, etc? Is the art object considered craft or fine art? Why? Can works of fine art be utilitarian, in your opinion?

Alternative media and processes: Is your work a video, sound art, interactive, a work of conceptual art or even a performance piece? How does it differ from traditional works of art? Did you encounter the actual work itself, or is it documentation of an event or a time-based piece? Do you find it easier or more difficult to apply a formal analysis to this type of work? Explain.

Interpretation: This is the part of the paper where you go beyond description and offer a conclusion and your own informed opinion about the work.

Consider how the formal aspects of the work and the subject matter work together to produce significant meaning.

  • How did the artist’s choice of materials and medium affect its message and reception?
  • What questions does the work raise or leave you with, if any? Is it possible to make a reasoned statement about the artist’s aim?
  • Describe your personal reaction to the work. Did a visual analysis change your first reaction and interpretation of the work?