How Can You Evaluate and Interpret a Work of Visual Art?

The analysis of art tends to be a complex construct as one has to pay attention to every detail. A piece has to be analyzed from the artists viewpoint and the viewers viewpoint in order to make meaning of the piece. It involves critiquing a piece of art in regards to responding to it, analyzing its meaning, forming judgments on the piece in addition to making distinguishing its uniqueness. The uniqueness in this sense entails comprehending how it is different from other pieces (Mura, 2015). When evaluating a piece of art, four aspects come into perspective that include; description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.

The description in this case entail describing a piece in regards to how it appears to be without any form of judgment or analysis (Lowengard, 2014). In other words, what can one see? It is important to note that a description contains various elements. One of the elements is the type of art that includes aspects such as if a piece is a painting, sculpture, architecture and so forth. The other element entails the medium of the art in terms of if a piece is made from stone, steel, clay, tools or paint. The scale and the size of work also come into view in regards to the context of the piece or the frame. Description also includes the shapes present in a composition in terms of figures and the objects, the description of the axis in terms of being horizontal, diagonal or vertical and the line in terms of whether it is soft or jagged. It also includes a description of the color scheme, the texture and the context of the object (Lowengard, 2014). For example, the provided image can be described to be a painting illustrating a metaphorical situation that cannot be easily explained. The sun appears to be projecting tongues of fire as the moon stares at it. There are also paintings of sculptures and a pyramid that appears to be split in half. It also includes a woman standing on top of stone with the inscriptions Carmer Rivera and holding a flag from Spain. It also includes flowers and weeds being supported by roots at the left side of the women and machinery on the right side being supported by wires. It also includes the flag of the United State. The flag of the U.S. is on top of a factory that appears to be exhuming fumes. The color scheme is irregular in the sense that the author incorporates both dull and bright colors. The context of the painting can be viewed to a destruction of the old and making way to the modern world. The women appears to be displeased and hence showing that she is not happy with the change.

The second aspect when it comes to interpreting a piece of art is the analysis. It includes making assumptions on the meaning of the features and the reason for the artist to use the features; the information he or she wants to convey to the public. It entails identifying the subject matter, choosing the most distinctive features, analyzing the composition and providing a reaction to the painting (Menezes, 2014). In the provided image, the painting can be approached to be a form of metaphor or an allegory in the sense that the artist is trying to give an explanation of the events taking place in a particular period of time. The presence of a factory and a destructed pyramid possibly depicts a transition to civilization. The women is holding a flag, and from her dressing, one may conclude that the context is during the nineteenth century. Her standing on top of a monument depicts power and hence possibly illustrating female empowerment. The moon depicts sadness while the son is releasing tongues of fire which possibly means the challenges during the entry of modernism. The presence of the U.S. flag possibly indicates that the change is emanating from the West.

The third aspect that rises when evaluating a piece of art is the interpretation. It entails analyzing the reasons as to why the artist made such a painting. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the main idea, interpretation and the evidence (Menezes, 2014). A viewer may interpret the main idea of the painting as the development of industrialization in the western world during the nineteenth century. It may also be interpreted as a period of change in terms of womens rights and urban development. The evidence is illustrated by the presence of a destructed pyramid and an industry and some forms of buildings. Also, the replacement of the roots from plants by the wires also depicts change.

When it comes to judgment, the element to consider is whether a piece of art is good or rather is of good quality (Menezes, 2014). From the provided painting, it can be viewed that the painting is of good quality in regards to its features and the message presented by the artist. In synopsis, when evaluating a piece of art, four aspects come into perspective that include; description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.

References

Lowengard, S. (2014). Analyzing Art and Aesthetics Edited by Anne Collins Goodyear and Margaret Weitekamp (review). Technology and Culture, 55(3), 739-740.

Menezes, P. (2014, July). Analyzing Art Works as a Way to Social Knowledge. Part II. In XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014). Berlin: Isaconf.

Mura, G. (Ed.). (2015). Analyzing Art, Culture, and Design in the Digital Age. New York: IGI Global.