How to Analyze and Interpret Art

A work of art has a life of its own that extends beyond the moments when people are standing in front of it. This life includes conversations, reading about it and discussing it, flipping through art catalogs and viewing other works of art at a distance. These other experiences are important because they shape one’s impression of a piece and give it context, but there is nothing like standing in front of a painting to experience its visual impact and to see how an artist has conveyed the subject matter through its form.

Often, the first thing we do when viewing art is to judge it, whether it is good or bad. This judgment is based on our personal experiences and preconceived notions, but it can also be influenced by the fact that art often speaks to us on a more emotional level than other forms of communication. This is why it’s important to teach students to step back and analyze a work of art before jumping to a knee-jerk reaction. The best way to develop the skills needed for this analyzing is to have students follow a format each week that has them describe, analyze and then interpret a piece of artwork. This allows students to take their time to examine the visual and design elements of a piece and slows down their tendency to jump to a knee-jerk reaction.

The “describe” phase has students listing the different traits of a work of art, such as line, color, variety, harmony and balance. This will help the students understand how the artist used these traits to create a certain effect in a piece. For example, if the artist uses a lot of line widths and directions in a painting, students can compare these to other pieces of art to determine if the artist is using contrast in line to create harmony or imbalance.

Once the students have analyzed a piece of art, they can turn to interpretation to figure out what the artist was trying to say through it. Oftentimes, this is easier for students to do because they can draw on their own experiences and intuition in forming analogous or “looks like/feels like” interpretations. They can also draw on the knowledge they have of history and art theory to help them think about how a piece of art might relate to its era and culture.

In addition to teaching about the styles of various artists, it’s important to incorporate art history into your curriculum. This can be done through architecture units or by incorporating historical masters with contemporary, living artists to make the connection for students. For example, when studying the Egyptians, pair a lesson on their ancient pyramids with a Jen Stark painting to discuss lines and how she makes her paintings look so realistic. This will help students make a meaningful connection between past and present art, as well as create higher engagement.