EXAMINING A WORK OF ART         BACK                                                                                       BACK         Identification of the Artifact         Several things need to be asked about the artifact:                      What is it?                      Why was it made?                      What was its use?                      Who made it?       Cultural/Historical Significance         Many times an artifact is an important visual document about the culture which          produced it.                      What is its significance?        Artist         When artists’ names are known, these are important for identifying styles, i.e.          Rembrandt, Picasso. In most cases, prior to the Renaissance, specific artists are          unknown. Thus culture or period names are used.         Date          In the understanding of a work of art, awareness of when it was made can be of          great value. Sometimes the approximate dates of the period are sufficient. In          comparing objects which may have certain traits in common, it is often of basic          importance to know if they were done at about the same time or if one was made          before the other. Chronological sequences are important.          Provenance          Knowledge of where an object was created can often be of great use in helping          to explain the forms and other characteristics. Sometimes art forms, ideas, or          traits are borrowed and become transplanted. When this happens changes may          occur. Often the environment plays a role in determining the specific form of the          object.          Material          The nature of the material (stone, wood, clay, metal, etc.) usually has a strong          influence on the particular form of an object. It is true that objects created in one          medium are sometimes closely duplicated in another, but knowledge of the kind         of material often helps in evaluation and understanding.        Size          Knowing the size can be important in comprehending the usage. It can also          correct the problem of reducing or enlarging every object to the size of the slide          projection screen.       Style          This is usually considered to refer to the visible traits dealing with how a material          or an object was treated or executed. Styles can be related to civilizations,          cultures, schools or individuals. The name of the period may sometimes serve as          the name of the style. Where possible, it is best to separate works into groups          designated by names of artists or schools. The recognition of the various styles of          art is one of the most important goals of this course. Certain types of composition          and technique will be readily recognized as characteristic of certain styles.         Composition          This refers to the ordered relationships among the various parts or elements of the          object. In the visual arts it means how the major elements - shapes, lines, colors,          volumes, etc. - are related to each other. You might ask the following questions in          regard to composition:          Does a free-standing sculpture possess axial symmetry or is it based on             a curving axis?          Is a building composed primarily of a low, long, rectangular block or blocks?          Are the parts arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically?          Do the figures in a painting fill the space fairly evenly or do they tend to             cluster at certain points?          Is there a governing geometric shape?        Technique          This refers to the way in which the artist used his/her materials. How are the          technical details treated? If the work is representational, is it drawn or painted in          a highly naturalistic or realistic manner, or do the details tend to become          conventionalized? Are they reduced to the same kind of curve or shape for the          sake of a more ordered or decorative effect?          BACK