How to Do a Visual Analysis in Art History | An Ancient Chinese Bronze Vessel

This video explains how to do a visual analysis (formal analysis) of a 5th-century BCE Chinese bronze vessel decorated with interlacing dragons in the National Museum of Asian Art. One of the best ways to deepen your understanding of a work of art is by spending some time getting to know it. This means slowing down and looking really, really closely at its formal qualities. What should we pay attention to as we look closely? What are the formal qualities of a bronze vessel?

This video is perfect for anyone wanting to develop the skill of describing and analyzing art.

Speaker: Dr. Cortney Chaffin Kim

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction to visual analysis in art history

0:36 What are the formal elements of a bronze vessel?

1:12 Size and material

1:45 Shape and anatomy

2:50 Decoration

5:46 Texture

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