The development of visual literacy

A foundational part of this course is the development of visual literacy. Students are introduced to and practice various methods of analysis as it relates to African American art. This assignment takes advantage of the Zimmerli Art Museum, allowing students to choose one of ten pieces of art in the museum’s collection for the goal of writing an analytical response. The pieces can be accessed on the eMuseum website (Links to an external site.).

• The Good Shepherd, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1902
• Adoration of the Magi, Romare Bearden, c. 1945
• Warriors, Barbara Chase-Riboud, undated
• Freedom Fighter, Calvin Burnett, 1969
• Water Wonder Woman from the Aquarium Series, Emma Amos, 1987
• III, Lorna Simpson, 1992
• Once We Were Warriors, Juan Sanchez, 1999
• The Right to Vote from the portfolio Letter from Birmingham City Jail, Faith Ringgold, 2007
• Components: Left Resonance, Jennie C. Jones, 2012
• How Do You Feel? from Mason Gross School of the Arts MFA Class of 2019 Print Portfolio, Malcolm Peacock, 2019

1. Choose one artwork to examine for your art analysis essay.
2. Summarize your initial thoughts and reactions to the piece
   1. Why were you drawn to it?
   2. What aspects of the piece stood out to you?
   3. Why did it capture your imagination and propel you to research it further?
   4. Your impressions can help you reach your thesis.
3. Next, revisit Jason Farago, “Taking Lessons from a Bloody Masterpiece (Links to an external site.),” New York Times, May 28, 2020. Pay attention to the way the author focuses on various aspects of the artwork, the details, relationship between parts, the coloring, the narrative, etc.

1. Work through the Art Analysis Worksheet on the other side of this page to analyze the artwork that you chose for this project. You should not consult any other primary or secondary source material at this time to complete these answers. No artist biography, no art reviews, nothing. It is only you and the artwork. You do not have to answer in full sentences, you can do bullet points. These questions should be completed and uploaded to Canvas by midnight on September 25, 2020. This exercise is worth 25% of the Art Analysis grade.

Art Analysis Worksheet

Identifying Information

• Think carefully about the title – why would the artist choose to name this piece in this manner?

• Talk about the subject matter: who or what is being represented?

Formal Analysis

• What colors are used in the work? Bright? Dull? Complementary?
• Describe the use of texture. Is the piece smooth and polished or rough?
• What about the size of the piece? How does that impact your perception of it?
• What stands out? Is there a focal point (an area to which your eye is drawn)?
• Explain any symbols (people, objects, colors, words, phrases). What do you think those symbols represent, or how did the artist intend for us to read them?

Creator’s Intent

• Who made the art?

• Why do you think the creator made this source?

Content of the Source

• What is the main idea of the artwork? Describe what you see.
• What biases or other cultural factors might have shaped the message of this source?
• What questions are left unanswered by this source?

Audience/Message

• Who is the intended audience?
• How might the intended audience shape the perspective of this source?
• What is the tone of the source?

Historical Context

• What is going on in the world, country, region, or locality when this was created?
• What other primary or secondary sources might help provide answers to this question?
• What else do we need to know to better understand this source?

Relevance of the Source

• What contributions does this make to our understanding of art history, the present art world, and/or the future of art?

• Connect the piece to contemporary, popular, and everyday culture. Does it conjure up a song, theory, historical event? For examples, see Art + Music (Links to an external site.) on the Zimmerli at Home website.
• Does your piece convey a social or political message?