ART INTERPRETATION

and CRITIQUING
Sam Luis Alfred M. Laggui
Grade 10 – Schist
ART INTERPRETATION
• It is the attribution of meaning to an artwork.
• It can be the same as or different from the intention
of the artist and differs from person to person.
• The meaning of an artwork (or what it represents)
can be emotions such as sadness and joy or concepts
such as death or love.
ART INTERPRETATION
• Different aspects of the artwork can be used to interpret
meaning, from the elements of art such as lines and hues
to the principles of art such as balance and proportion.
• What the artwork depicts, and in what manner,
influence one’s interpretation of an artwork.
• Typically, one’s biases and beliefs also influence one’s
interpretation. A painting of the sky maybe seen by one
person from a secular perspective, and by another from
a religious or spiritual perspective.
ART INTERPRETATION
• Sometimes, people not only interpret the meaning
or essence of an artwork, but also the literal
objects presented in it (that is, what it depicts).
• This is especially true of abstract art where the
artwork may be said to depict multiple objects at
once or none at all.
ART CRITIQUING
• It is the analysis, examination, and
evaluation of an artwork.
• It can be focused on the physical and
visual description of an artwork and
the objective judgment of its
execution. However, personal
opinion and interpretation also
usually influence critiques.
There are
4 Main Steps in
ART
CRITIQUING
Description
• Observe the artwork, ask the following
questions, and write the down the answers.
– What does the artwork depict?
– What style did the artist use?
– What materials were used?
Analysis
• Look at how the various elements and principles
of art were used to create the artwork and ask:
– How did the artist depict the subject?
– How do the various elements and
principles of art work together?
– How do the materials used
affect the final artwork?
Interpretation
• Ask yourself:
– Was the artwork a mere depiction of real life or the
artist’s imagination? Does it hold a deeper meaning?
– What was the artist’s message in making the artwork?
– What do you personally see and feel in the artwork?
– What is the artwork’s theme?
– Does it depict an emotion or concept?
Judgment
• Give your final judgment on the artwork by asking:
– What do you personally think of the artwork?
– Is it objectively a good artwork?
– Was the artwork successful?
– In what way was the artwork successful?
 In being famous? In sending a message? In evoking
an emotion? In accurately depicting something?
– What made the artwork successful?
My Own
INTERPRETATION
& CRITIQUE
on “The Starry Night”
by Van Gogh
Description
“The Starry Night”, as the title suggests, depicts a bright,
starry night. In the background are several stars and some
swirls, along with the moon (depicted stylistically) and Venus
(shown as a bright star near the lower left). Beneath the bright
sky is a hillside European village. The sky is especially bright
near the hills behind the village as the scene in the painting
takes place just before sunrise. In front of the village is the
silhouette of a cypress tree that seems to curve like fire. The
artwork is of the impressionist movement and was made with
oil paint on a canvass.
Analysis
It uses thick, broken lines to create texture. Those, along
with bold bright colors, are used to depict the various objects
in the painting, which are unified yet varied. The broken lines
in the sky connect to form swirls. Wavy lines are used for both
the hills and the cypress tree, the former being horizontal, the
latter vertical. Bushes near the village are filled in with curved
lines, while the roofs of houses are filled in with straight ones.
The sky contrasts with the village, and the cypress tree with
the rest of the artwork. Because of the materials used, the
colors appear vibrant and haven’t mixed over time.
Interpretation
The artwork shows, in a stylistic manner, the awe and
majesty of the night sky, and nighttime in general. It gives a
sensation of calm and peace through the village and the nature
surrounding it, as well as excitement and joy through the
seemingly animated sky. It romanticizes both the quaint yet
welcoming nature of rural European villages at the time, the
glory of the celestial objects in space as seen here on earth,
and as a whole, the beauty of the night.
Judgment
Personally, I feel that the artwork is definitely worth of
praise and appreciation. While not realistic in its depiction
of the night sky, it is still nonetheless an objectively good
artwork. The theme of the artwork and its execution are
wonderful. Van Gogh was successful in capturing the awe and
emotions of the scene, even in, if not because of, the stylistic
and impressionist style. While not his original goal, he was also
successful in that this (along with many of his other artworks)
has become well-known worldwide, even until today, more
than a century after he finished the painting.
 Thanks for
Listening!