Global Studies

Art & Historical Analysis

Formal Analysis
This assignment requires a detailed description of the "formal" qualities of the art object
(formal as in "related to the form," not a blac tie dinner!" #n other $ords, you%re looing
at the indi&idual design elements, such as composition (arrangement of parts of or in
the work), color, line, texture, scale, proportion, balance, contrast, and rhythm.
'our primary concern in this assignment is to attempt to e(plain ho$ the artist arranges
and uses these &arious elements"
)sually you ha&e to go and loo at the object for a long time and then $rite do$n $hat
you see" As you $ill quicly see from the page length of the assignment, your instructor
e(pects a highly detailed description of the object" 'ou might struggle $ith this
assignment because it is hard to translate $hat you see into $ords ** don%t gi&e up, and
tae more notes than you might thin you need"
+hy $ould your instructor as you to do this assignment, -irst, translating something
from a &isual language to a te(tual language is one of the most &ital tass of the art
historian" .ost art historians at some point describe fully and accurately their objects of
study in order to communicate their ideas about them" 'ou may already ha&e found this
tendency helpful in reading your te(tboo or other assigned readings" Second, your
instructors reali/e that you are not accustomed to scrutini/ing objects in this $ay and
no$ that you need practice doing so" #nstructors $ho assign formal analyses $ant you to
loo**and loo carefully" Thin of the object as a series of decisions that an artist made"
'our job is to figure out and describe, e(plain, and interpret those decisions and $hy the
artist may ha&e made them"
#deally, if you $ere to gi&e your $ritten formal analysis to a friend $ho had ne&er seen
the object, s0he $ould be able to describe or dra$ the object for you or at least pic it out
of a lineup"
#n $riting a formal analysis, focus on creating a logical order so that your reader doesn%t
get lost" 1on%t e&er assume that because your instructor has seen the $or, they no$
$hat you are taling about" Here are a couple of options2
summari/e the o&erall appearance, then describe the details of the object
describe the composition and then mo&e on to a description of the materials used
(acrylic, $atercolor, plaster!
begin discussing one side of the $or and then mo&e across the object to the other
side
describe things in the order in $hich they dra$ your eye around the object,
starting $ith the first thing you notice and mo&ing to the ne(t
Some instructors $ant your formal analysis to consist of pure description $ith little or no
interpretation" #n this case, you should describe your object and e(plain ho$ these formal
elements contribute to the $or as a $hole" 3thers $ill e(pect you to go further and
comment on the significance of $hat you ha&e obser&ed" -ind out $hich $ay your
instructor $ants you to $rite your formal analysis in your particular assignment" .ost art
historians include formal analysis at some point in their essays, so there are a lot of
e(amples to loo at in the te(tboo and other readings, but you $ill probably ha&e to be
more in*depth than they are"
SAM!" A#$S%S& the Mona !isa
Art Analysis&
1escription2
1escribe subject matter * people, objects, symbols, action setting"
What do you see in the artwork?
1escribe the $oman, $here she is seated, ho$ she is dressed, her body posture, her
physical features and facial e(pression" The .ona 4isa is a portrait" The rela(ed, three*
quarter pose is different from the stiff, profile portraits that $ere the norm at this time"
What is in the background?
describe the landscape and geographic characteristics * hills, mountains, $ater and roads"
Speculate on $here the setting might be located"
Do you have an idea about the time of this artwork?
Is anything happening in the painting?
Although there is no o&ert action, that .ona%s eyes and her mysterious smile indicate
internal or psychological action"
What colors, lines, shapes, textures do you see? Do they relate to your first impression?
The muted colors, the dar colors of .ona%s dress and hair contrasted $ith the lighter
bacground landscape" 5otice the luminous quality of .ona%s face and hands" -ocus on
details, such as the repeated lines on the slee&es of her garment, the cur&ing lines of the
roads, the o&al shape of her face, the circular lines of trees and the jagged triangles of the
mountains" 6erhaps the most important line in the image is the subtle cur&e of her mouth"
How do you think this artwork was made?
'ou may consider the particular type of paint used * in this case the ne$ oil medium"
There are no sharp outlines in this $or" 4eonardo pioneered sfumato or the layering of
thin, translucent gla/es" He compared this to "smoe" * suggesting that the forms seems
to melt and blend together $ithout definite edges"
Formal Analysis& 'ow is the work organi(ed)
What is the most important part of the painting? What is the focal point? Why do
you think so?
The $oman%s hands and face stand out because they are light and luminous in contrast to
her dar clothing and hair" The composition is triangular" Another important aspect of the
$or is the use of perspecti&e, $ith all lines leading to a single &anishing point behind
Mona isa!s head" The hori/on line is repeated in the railing behind the figure" The
repetition of light dra$s the &ie$er%s eye around the painting, but al$ays bac to the face
and hands"
Formal *haracteri(ation& the o+erall impression or expressi+eness (the mood of
feeling!
How would you describe the mood or feeling of this painting? Why do you think so?
The $or can be depicted as intriguing, mysterious, haunting, sad, tentati&e, content or a
range of other descriptions" The important thing here is to state $hat you see that
pro&ides e&idence for their opinion" -or e(ample, the subtle colors and tones may support
a sad or pensi&e characteri/ation"
%nterpretation& what is the meaning)
What is the artwork about? What is the artist trying to communicate?
As students to consider e&erything they ha&e discussed from the &isual clues in the $or
to offer an interpretation" -or e(ample, students may focus on the famous smile"
Why is she smiling?
6ossible responses2 # thin she%s smiling because she has a secret7 # thin she%s smiling
because she%s happy7 # thin she%s smiling because she thins she%s better than e&eryone"
These are all projections of meaning based on &isual qualities"
8(pand these assumptions by referring to other qualities in the art$or * her placement
and posture, the bacground, her clothing" -or e(ample, if you thin Mona isa is
arrogant you can point to the fact that she sits proudly, clothed in a lu(urious fabric and is
sitting in front of a beautiful landscape that she could o$n" 3thers may thin that her
facial e(pression* the direction of her eyes and the smile, are $hat creates the effect of
intrigue and mystery"
The .ona 4isa is 9:th century oil painting created by the reno$ned 4eonardo da ;inci"
The $or of art depicts an enigmatic $oman ga/ing at the &ie$er, and it is said that if
you mo&e across the room $hile looing into her eyes, they<ll follo$ you" #t is definitely
one of the most popular paintings $orld$ide and has been the center of many artistic,
religious, and theoretical debates" The -rench go&ernment currently o$ns the .ona 4isa
and it is featured at the .usee du 4ou&re in 6aris" The painting can also be referred to as
4a Gioconda or 4a =oconde"
The name of the painting stems from the name of the $oman in the portrait, 4isa
Gherardini, the $ife of a $ealthy businessman in -lorence, #taly named -rancesco del
Giocondo" .ona means >my lady< or >madam< in modern #talian, so the title is simply
.adam 4isa" Art historians agree that 4eonardo da ;inci liely began painting the .ona
4isa in 9?@A, and completed it $ithin B years" #n 9?9: the Cing of -rance, Cing -rancois,
bought the painting and it is thought that after 4eonardo<s death the painting $as cut
do$n" Some speculators thin that the original had columns on both sides of the lady,
$hereas other art critics belie&e that the painting $as ne&er cut do$n in si/e" #t has been
suggested that there $ere D &ersions of the .ona 4isa painting, but many historians reject
the second &ersion" The duplicate copy can be found at the 1ul$ich 6icture Gallery"
After the -rench re&olution the painting $as mo&ed to the 4ou&re, and 5apoleon had it
placed in his bedroom for a short time before it $as returned to the 4ou&re" The
popularity of the .ona 4isa increased in the mid 9Eth century because of the Symbolist
mo&ement" The painting $as thought to encompass a sort of feminine mystique"
#n 9E99 the .ona 4isa $as stolen from the 4ou&re" The art thief hid in a broom closet
until the museum closed, stole the painting, hid it under his jacet and $aled out the
front door" 8duardo de ;alfierno $as the mastermind behind the theft and has planned to
mae copies of the original and sell them as the real thing" 8&entually, in 9E9A, he $as
caught $hen trying to sell the original to a -lorence art dealer" The .ona 4isa is most
famous for her facial e(pression, her enigmatic smile and da ;inci<s mastering of tone
and color in the painting" There is much mythology and interpretations relating to the
painting that mystify the $orld" .any art critics and art history buffs suggest that the
.ona 4isa is actually a portrait of da ;inci himself in feminine form" #n addition, most
&ie$ers see the meaning behind .ona 4isa<s smile &ery differently"
Additional info on .ona 4isa
According to 4ou&re Furator =ean*6ierre Fu/in, "The entire history of portraiture after$ards
depends on the Mona isa" #f you loo at all the other portraits G not only of the #talian
Henaissance, but also of the se&enteenth to nineteenth centuries G if you loo at 6icasso, at
e&eryone you $ant to name, all of them $ere inspired by this painting" Thus it is sort of the root,
almost, of occidental portrait painting""
#n a brea $ith the -lorentine tradition of outlining the
painted image, 4eonardo perfected the technique
no$n as sfumato, $hich translated literally from
#talian means "&anished or e&aporated"" Freating
imperceptible transitions bet$een light and shade, and
sometimes bet$een colors, he blended e&erything
"$ithout borders, in the manner of smoe," his brush
stroes so subtle as to be in&isible to the naed eye"
4eonardo $as fascinated by the $ay light falls on
cur&ed surfaces" The gau/y &eil, Mona isa!s hair, the
luminescence of her sin G all are created $ith layers of
transparent color, each only a fe$ molecules thic,
maing the lady%s face appear to glo$, and gi&ing the
painting an ethereal, almost magical quality"
"Today%s art critics call attention to the painting%s mystery and harmony," says Fu/in" "Iut the
first art historians to describe it emphasi/ed its striing realism, pointing out %the lips that smile%
and %the eyes that shine"%" Giorgio
;asari, for e(ample, $rote in his early biography of da ;inci,
ives of the "ainters2 "As art may imitate nature, she does not
appear to be painted, but truly of flesh and blood" 3n looing
closely at the pit of her throat, one could s$ear that the pulses
$ere beating""
The realism of his painting is a result of 4eonardo%s di&erse scientific obser&ations" -rom the
study of human anatomy he de&eloped a mathematical system for determining si/e in space,
perspecti&e that is incorporated in the $ay Mona isa!s torso, head and eyes are each turned a
little more to$ard the &ie$er" 1a ;inci also obser&ed differences bet$een the subject and
objects in the bacground, and used aerial perspecti&e to create the illusion of depth2 the farther
something is in the distance, the smaller the scale, the more muted the colors and the less
detailed the outlines"
"4eonardo has studied the sy, the elements, the atmosphere, and the light" He taes the
approach of a scientist, but translates it into the painting $ith superb delicacy and finesse" -or
him the painting doesn%t count" +hat counts is the no$ledge," obser&es Fu/in" "#n the same
painting $e mo&e from soft places lie the clouds to areas of e(treme intricacy and fine detail"
-or e(ample, around the necline of the lady%s dress $e ha&e delicate interlacing embroidery"
The contrast of these different areas creates a cohesion that is &ery rare in painting"" All this $e
no$ tae for granted" The Mona isa loos so natural, and so familiar, that $e forget ho$
inno&ati&e the painting $as at the beginning of the si(teenth century"
8&en the use of landscape as bacground $as a departure from tradition7 4eonardo sa$ creati&e
and fictional possibilities in it" "The bacground may be a representation of the uni&erse, $ith
mountains, plains and ri&ers" 3r possibly it is both reality and the $orld of dream" 3ne could
suppose that the landscape doesn%t e(ist, that it is the young $oman%s o$n dream $orld"" (Fu/in!