Analyzing a Visual Art

A visual analysis essay is an entry-level writing assignment sometimes assigned in high school and early university courses. Communication and art history students use graphical analysis to analyze art and other visual messages. This article provides an in-depth guide to visual analysis essays, including a definition of the term and examples of how to write one. Keep reading for a handy visual analysis essay example.

Visual Analysis: What Is It?

The visual analysis process is to analyze a work of art (painting, photography, film, etc.) for the artist's intended meaning and method of execution. In addition, some results are analyzed for historical significance and their impact on culture, art, politics, and social consciousness of the time. This article will teach you how to perform a formal analysis of art.

Students majoring in Art History and Communications are more likely to write visual analysis essays. The visual analysis applies to painting, visual art, journalism, photojournalism, photography, film, and writing. The works in these media are often intended for entertainment or informational purposes. However, the visual analysis goes beyond that, focusing on form, themes, execution, and compositional elements.

The depth and historical significance of classical paintings make them a popular subject for visual analysis essays. Take, for instance, the famous Raphael painting Transfiguration. It appears to be an attractive image depicting a favorite scene from the Bible at first glance. However, the same can be said when examining this painting in more depth since it shows Raphael's excellent choice of colors, the relationship between the figures, and heavy symbolism. This more profound look at a painting, a photograph, visual or written art is the process of visual analysis.

Visual Analysis: What to Look for?

Writing visual analysis essays is a frequent challenge for all students, whether studying journalism or art. However, the basic principles can be applied to any medium, regardless of whether it's photography or painting.

It is most common to analyze art through painting as a medium, which emphasizes clarity. A writer needs to know a few essentials before he or she can analyze a painting.

1. What is the artist's name, and what is the era of art that they belonged to?

Traditionally, classical painters depict scenes from the Bible, literature, or historical events (such as the burning of Rome or the death of Socrates). Unlike classical painters, modernists innovatively reinterpret classical themes. Modern art was born as a reaction to classical painting, therefore analyzing modernist art in terms of classical art would be incorrect.

2. What was the purpose of the painter?

Michelangelo and other classical painters were often hired by the Vatican or by noble families. It was not just for fun that Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel; he was paid for it.

3. Who is the target audience?

Andy Warhol appealed to the masses with his art. Marcel Duchamp made art for art lovers seeking to evolve the art form.

4. What is the historical context of the art?

Before writing, you should do thorough research on the artist/painting. It is not possible to analyze surrealist paintings in the same way as Renaissance paintings. The key to understanding any surrealist painting is understanding the movement's essence.

You will write an effective visual analysis essay if you are familiar with these vital points. Nevertheless, visual analysis can go deeper than that - especially when dealing with historical works of art. Students examine how the work was done, the interplay of colors and themes, and their reactions and critiques of the piece.

As each work of art is unique, choose the art elements and design principles that you would like to discuss in your essay carefully. It is possible to apply the visual analysis to other media, including photography and painting.

Now that you know how to conduct a visual art analysis, it is now your turn.

Analyze the image below and use the guidelines discussed above.

Painting: The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt van Rijn (1633; oil on canvas).