Learning to Look: The Value of Close Looking
Our close-looking materials offer an excellent first step in conducting a formal analysis, which involves examining elements of art and principles of design.
Yayoi Kusama, Where the Universe and Human Life Are, 2014, woodblock print color on paper, from a series of 7 (same blocks, different colors). (photo: © Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank)
Using our materials, explore important terms and concepts, including:
Visual analysis
Formal analysis
Composition (Foreground, middle ground, background)
Color
Line
Shape
Texture
Space
Design
Pattern
There are also other materials that help learners describe what they see using terms like linear perspective, tenebrism, and foreshortening. We also have a growing library of how to describe genres in art and tools to help you describe art in your neighborhood.
Go deeper:
See more of our videos in our ABCs of Art History series.
Learn more about world histories in art.
