How to Do a Visual Analysis in Art History: A Formal Analysis of Painting
Speaker: Dr. Heather Graham
What’s a formal analysis (visual analysis)?
In a small but richly detailed painting by Albrecht Dürer, Saint Jerome appears as a thoughtful hermit, alone in the wilderness and surrounded by symbolic objects. This video explores how Dürer tells Jerome’s story using visual elements like color, line, composition, and texture, a way of studying art known as formal analysis. Jerome stands out not by accident, but through clever design choices that guide our eyes and give the scene balance and meaning.
Albrecht Dürer, Saint Jerome, c. 1496 CE, oil on wood, 23.1 x 17.4 cm. The National Gallery, London. Photo: © Dr. Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank
Formal analysis is one of many ways that art historians interpret art. It allows us to engage meaningfully with imagery even if we don’t know much about a work’s subject matter or historical context. Formal analysis teaches us how to look with intention.
This video is perfect for anyone wanting to develop the skill of describing and analyzing art.
CHAPTERS
0:00 Dürer’s Jerome: A Hermit in the Wilderness
0:41 Looking Beyond the Story
0:59 The Artist’s Visual Language
1:55 Dürer's Composition
2:52 Anchoring the Saint with Lines and Shapes
3:34 The Unifying Power of Color
4:22 Creating Life through Surface Detail
4:44 Why Formal Analysis Matters
Learn more
Discover more close-looking materials.
Find more resources about the Northern Renaissance with our materials about the Modern World.
