AR1
Analysis and interpretation of works of art or design from different contexts.
Breaking down the criteria
Analysis - discussing the art elements and design principles
Interpretation - the concept of meaning communicate by the art elements and design principles
Context - the time, era, place, culture, etc. that the artwork was made in
Analysis - discussing the art elements and design principles
Interpretation - the concept of meaning communicate by the art elements and design principles
Context - the time, era, place, culture, etc. that the artwork was made in
To ANALYSE means to take a close look at something, take it apart, examine how it has been put together, examine what effects this has had on the outcome and the impact of the decisions made.
You could:
EXAMPLE COMMENTS (ANALYSIS)
Just like Sumkin initially creates his designs with pen on paper, I have hand-drawn and tonally rendered the symmetrical image of two cars and a separate design of a cow. Inspired by his method o working, I have scanned these individual elements into the computer and then used Photoshop to piece the overall design together.
The sizes of his subjects are realistically proportioned and their placement in the design is calculated.
Using watercolours paint wasn’t suitable for this idea as the design is quite intricate and the water has caused the inked outlines to bleed.
The reason why I chose this primary colour was because I wanted the viewer to really feel encouraged by the message, ‘Don’t worry be happy.’ However, the colours are far too bright, making me actually feel unsettled rather than uplifted.
You could:
- Explain how the elements and principles have been used in design works to create certain visual effects/mood and the impact of the visual decisions made on the audience. This could be from an aesthetic (visual appeal, sensory or sensory-emotional impact) and/or functional (practical use) point of view.
- Look at the properties of methods, techniques, materials, media, technologies used e.g. Does the selected media suit the ideas? What is the relationship between the materials and processes used and the idea or theme chosen?
- Describe the step-by-step process explaining the reasons behind the choices made e.g. the next step was to test different colour schemes as the use of black and white did not convey the playful mood which is evident in the designer’s work.
- Provide reasons why you think some experiments were successful and others were not.
EXAMPLE COMMENTS (ANALYSIS)
Just like Sumkin initially creates his designs with pen on paper, I have hand-drawn and tonally rendered the symmetrical image of two cars and a separate design of a cow. Inspired by his method o working, I have scanned these individual elements into the computer and then used Photoshop to piece the overall design together.
The sizes of his subjects are realistically proportioned and their placement in the design is calculated.
Using watercolours paint wasn’t suitable for this idea as the design is quite intricate and the water has caused the inked outlines to bleed.
The reason why I chose this primary colour was because I wanted the viewer to really feel encouraged by the message, ‘Don’t worry be happy.’ However, the colours are far too bright, making me actually feel unsettled rather than uplifted.
As there are only 750 words, you need to be clever in the way you present your analysis. Drawing over the top of artworks and using dot points to explain is essential to be able to show depth with minimal word count.
Original Image by Sydney Long
Analysis with minimal words:
Some dot points could accompany this image, such as:
- The first focal point is surrounded by negative space. The clean shapes of the birds heads and the contrast make me look there first.
- There is a subtle complimentary colour scheme of muted purples and yellow hues.
Another example:
This break down shows the balance of the composition. There is a lot of visual weight on both sides, but there is a wave of movement taking the eye from the left side to the right. The eye then moves up the women and the tree line takes me back to the birds.
To INTERPRET means to make sense of artwork and art processes.
You could:
You could:
- Examine what the designer’s intentions are and how these have influenced his or her work.
- Explain your own design intentions and examine its impact on your work and how this has influenced your visual decisions.
- Examine ideas explored by you and the practitioner - try and make sense of them.
- Explore and create meaning behind artwork and processes e.g. what steps do you think the designer followed to achieve a particular result?
- Look for influences (political, social, historical, religious) and inspirations.
- Take notes of how you feel - e.g. towards your own work, the practitioner’s work, processes tried, etc.
- Explain and justify (provide reasons) why you have made certain decisions in your artwork.
- Investigate why or why not your work does or does not resemble the work of the practitioner? Look at what you could have done to achieve a greater likeness in your own designs.
EXAMPLE COMMENTS (INTERPRETATION)
I want to make the final design look more dirty and natural to say to the audience that Foren-sics, death and crime are a nasty business.
Inspired by his travels, Sumkin creates designs that mix different cultures - Dutch and American influences are evident in this design where he has appeared to merge ideas of the commercialised city and farm life.
It appears that Zerefos used pastel colours to convey the idea of life’s beauty and tranquility.
I want to make the final design look more dirty and natural to say to the audience that Foren-sics, death and crime are a nasty business.
Inspired by his travels, Sumkin creates designs that mix different cultures - Dutch and American influences are evident in this design where he has appeared to merge ideas of the commercialised city and farm life.
It appears that Zerefos used pastel colours to convey the idea of life’s beauty and tranquility.
Student Examples:
- This page clearly shows the context of the artist. Where they are from, what style they work in (Cartoon) and connections to art movements (Surrealism, Abstract art and Bohemian art)
- There is also clear analysis and interpretation in a quick, dot point format.
- They have used a good layout for the page with large headings, smaller sub headings, dot points, images and references.