Talking and Writing about Artists
Talking and Writing about Artists, Designers, Craftspeople, Movements and Cultures.
Choosing your artists:
images- make sure they are suited to your assignment or project, eg in their use of media or
- always write down:
* the artists name (if known)
* the title of the work
* the date made
* what media the artist has used
* where the work is found, eg The Tate Modern
Answer the following questions:
What is the work you have chosen about? Describe the work carefully: what the story is and how it has been made.
What do you think the artist is trying to communicate?
What formal elements does the artist use in the work? eg is it mostly light and shadow?
Explain how the artist uses formal elements to show certain effects, eg is brilliant colour used to create a mood of a bright summer day or a feeling of happiness?
Explain how the artist uses materials and processes to show mood or effects eg, does the use of quick brushstrokes and contrasting colours create a sense of movement and drama?
How does the layout, design, composition or structure help to communicate a message eg:
- for a 3D piece: What feeling does the use of rough texture and thin, distorted limbs in a figure sculpture give the viewer?
- for a 2D image: What effect is created by using very big, dark shapes in the foreground of a picture and very small faded shapes in the background?
What do you think influenced the artist in their choice of subject or the way they used materials? eg:
- did the place they worked in (eg Africa), influence their use of shape, colour and choice of materials?
- was there a war going on at the time the artist was working? and how would this have affected the work? or was the artist tormented and unhappy in his/her life?