Close looking is an important skill to develop

Learning to look

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  • Elements of Art and Formal Analysis

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  • Describe What You See

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  • Genres in Art

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  • Art in Your Neighborhood

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The elements of art and formal analysis (or visual analysis)

Our close looking series offers an excellent first step in doing a formal analysis, which is an analysis of things like the elements of art and the principles of design.

colorful pieces of metal are woven together by El Anatsui

Important terms and concepts

  • Visual analysis

  • Formal analysis

  • Composition (Foreground, middle ground, background

  • Design

  • Pattern

Elements of Art

  • Color

  • Line

  • Shape

  • Texture

  • Light

  • Space

Videos to get started

Leonora Carrington self-portrait with hyena

Composition and Color in Leonora Carrington’s Self-Portrait

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a bronze mirror shaped like petals with figures on structures on it

Korean bronze mirror: Composition, texture, and shape

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abstract shapes in bright colors cover a canvas

Olga Albizu’s 900-50-80: Abstraction, Color, Line

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intricate designs in stone cover a surface with a cross in the center

Medieval stone slab: Texture, line, pattern

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a colorful mountain is in the center and flanked by a smiling sun

Yayoi Kusama: Color, design, line, pattern

Watch

Fundamentals: Language to Describe What You See

Important terms and concepts

  • Foreshortening

  • Tenebrism

  • Linear Perspective

  • Atmospheric Perspective

  • Horror Vacui

  • Contrapposto

  • En Plein Air

  • Impasto

  • di sotto in sù

  • and more!

a woman raises a hand while holding a sword
Tenebrism
The Ideal City, attributed to Fra Carnevale after a design by Giuliano da Sangallo, c. 1480–84 CE, oil and tempera on panel. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
Linear Perspective
the relief sculpture in the stunning Mexican Baroque church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Oaxaca City, Mexico—a tour de force of artistry in the Spanish colonial period (when Mexico was part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain
Horror Vacui
Painting of David Alfaro Siqueiros in a dynamic pose, pointing directly outward, set against a textured dark background.
Foreshortening
A bronze sculpture of a young boy who stands with his hand on one hip and looks out at us
Contrapposto
Stone carvings of multiple Buddha statues, with a large seated Buddha in the center surrounded by intricate carvings and smaller statues on a rock face.
Relief Sculpture
A knife sculpture with a raw mineral face, featuring an angular profile, eye of a different mineral, and prominent teeth, displayed on a stand in a museum setting.
Anthropomorphic
A painting of a mountain landscape with snow-capped peaks and a partly cloudy sky.
Atmospheric Perspective
Impressionist painting of a harbor scene at sunset with boats and industrial structures, reflected in water, surrounded by an ornate gold frame.
En Plein Air
A still life painting with a vase of roses is set against a green background
Impasto
A ceiling painting with a painted opening and people looking down
Di sotto in sù

Fundamentals: Language to Describe Genres and Subjects in Art

Important terms and concepts

  • Portrait, portraiture, self-portrait, equestrian portrait

  • Landscape Painting

  • Still Life

  • Narrative

  • and more!

Bronze equestrian statue of a man with curly hair and a beard, wearing draped clothing, mounted on a horse with a decorative bridle, inside a modern building with glass walls and metal beams.
Equestrian Portrait
A painting of a woman with a pale face, dressed in historical clothing, wearing a modest dress with a red belt, and a veil covering her head and part of her face. The woman is depicted with closed hands, holding an object, and is framed in a brown wooden frame on a blue wall.
Portrait
A framed still life oil painting of a colorful flower bouquet in a black vase on a wooden table.
Still Life
A landscape painting of rolling hills, mountains in the distance, a body of water, trees, and a blue sky with clouds, framed in an ornate gold frame
Landscape Painting
A classical painting of a woman in a white dress and headwrap, and a man in a gold and black costume with a feathered hat, engaging in a gentle handshake.
Genre Scene
A painting of a woman with a historical costume, wearing a white ruffled collar and a dark dress with pink sleeves, holding a paintbrush. In the background, there is another woman partially visible, wearing glasses and a blue headscarf, smiling and holding a paintbrush.
Self-portraiture and Judith Leyster

Fundamentals: The Art in Your Neighborhood

Important terms and concepts

  • Murals

  • Street Art

  • and more!

a person looks at paintings on a wall underneath arches
What is a mural?
Illustration with ancient Greek and Mesoamerican symbols, including a column, vase, head sculptures, and mask, with 'Coming Soon' text.
What is street art?

Related Resources

Explore Continents

Aztec Religion and Art Primary Source Activity
Aztec Religion and Art Primary Source Activity
$1.49

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