40 Killer Questions!

Use these questions to get yourself started when analysing an artwork. Remember to:

• Build them into sentences that make sense. • Try not to contradict yourself. • Don’t repeat yourself. • Leave out questions that have absolutely no relevance. • Concentrate on questions that you feel are more pertinent (for example – of your image is a colour abstract painting – there will be more mileage in questions relating to paint and colour, than symbols and narrative {story}) • Read through what you have written. Your teacher will not want to spend hours correcting typing errors and poorly constructed essays. • Short, concise sentences that have a clear point to make are preferable to long rambling ones broken up with several commas. Keep them short. Make them clear. • With the exception of Details (Q1-5), which sit along side a copy of the image at the start of the essay, all other sections should generate a large paragraph of writing each.

Details:
1. Title of work?
2. Artist?
3. Materials?
4. Size?
5. Location? (This could be artist’s website if not so famous)

Description:
6. Is it a landscape, portrait, or still life? (Or does it contain elements of each?).
7. Give a brief description of what the picture contains.
8. What do you notice about the composition (how the size and placement of various elements in the composition relate to one another).
9. Is there a clear fore, middle and background?
10. Is the painting balanced (perhaps roughly symmetrical?) or more dynamic?
11. Is this picture rooted in realism or is it abstract (or both) ?
12. Is the general look simple or complex?
13. Does it use a whole range of colours, a limited palette (a small selection of colours, or monochrome (only 1 colour – or black and white).
14. Is tone used to a greater or lesser degree? Are there dynamic areas that shift quickly from very dark to very light… or is tone very ‘even’ throughout the piece?

In Depth:
15. How have the materials been handled? (Gestural? Refined? Etc)
16. Is there a diverse range of texture? (Rough, smooth etc.?)
17. Are there any colour relationships worth mentioning? (Complimentary? Harmonious etc?)
18. Are the colours realistic? If not, why do you think this is?
19. If the artist has used clearly defined ‘lines’ (like you might find in a drawing) – what quality do they have? (Consistent? Irregular? Broken?)
20. Is colour applied in flat planes with little tone, or are they rendered with tonal gradients that describe 3D form?

Meaning:
21. Does the image try and tell a story?
22. Is the Artist dealing with a theme, concept or exploring an issue?
23. Is the work purely decorative? Is it for example –