CONTEXTUAL, FEMINIST

& PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS

OF
VISUAL ARTS
HUM082 Reading Visual Arts
 CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Contextual analysis looks at the The content or meaning of an artwork

making and viewing of the work in its varies greatly between different
context: it studies the atmosphere and artworks.
ideas, often from a particular time or
culture, which the artwork itself It is possible that the same artwork could
includes and reflects. have different interpretations by different
people
SOME TYPES OF
CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS:
Analysis of religious context
Analysis of historical context
Analysis of biographical context
FEMINIST AND Feminist analysis is a subset of biographical
analysis.
GENDER STUDIES It studies the role of women in an artwork as

ANALYSIS:
its subjects, creators, patrons, and viewers.
This is inspired by the feminist movement.

Photo of Guerilla Girls Poster

PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
This type of analysis investigates an artwork
through consideration of the state of the
artist’s mind.

Sometimes such interpretations make use of

important psychological studies, such as
those of Sigmund Freud or Carl Jung.
A brief historical background about
Psychology and the discipline’s connection
to content analysis:
Content analysis is a research tool used to determine the presence
of certain words, themes, or concepts within some given qualitative
data
After World War II, the use of content analysis spread to different
disciplines
Media were analyzed for political symbols, cultural symbols,
trends, and portrayal of social groups.
4 Areas where psychologists used content
analysis:
Inference of motivational, mental, or personality characteristics.
Use of verbal data gathered in the form of answers to open-ended
interview questions, focus group conversations, and verbal
responses to various tests.
Concern towards processes of communication, in which content is
an integral part.
Generalization of measures of meaning over a wide range of
situations and cultures.
Some interpretations of
THE SCREAM from a
psychological perspective:
As a child, Munch endured the death of his mother and
sister.
Munch is said to have suffered from physical illness and
depression.
Entries from his diary are said to indicate his interpretation
of an actual event.
Some scholars also suggested that Munch experienced an
intense sunset. (there was a volcanic eruption years before
Munch made the painting)
Others believe he experienced agoraphobia (fear of open
spaces).
Some things to keep in mind when
doing analysis:
The process of analyzing art can be interpretive in nature.

Referring to existing studies or researching as much as

possible about the background of the artwork and its artist
can help when analyzing content of artworks.
References:

Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health,Retrieved from

https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research/population-healthmethods/content-
analysis)
Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology 2nd ed. by Klaus Krippendor (2004).
Gateways to Art by De Witte, Larmann, and Kathryn Shields (2015)

Thank you ☺