Visual elements – colors, value, texture, movement, contrast, light, geometric or organic shapes, lines, time, motion, rhythm
Composition – balance, focal point, movement, direction, repetition, proportion, balance, symmetry
Space – how is the illusion of space created or not created
Style – realistic, abstract/representational, figurative, expressive, conceptual
What mood or feeling does the artwork convey to you? Why?
If you could, how would you enter, travel through and exit the artwork?
- Subject matter
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the artwork?
Based on your observations what is the artwork about?
What clues do you see that support your observation?
If you could step into the artwork, what would you hear, feel, do, say?
What is the concept, idea or narrative the artist is trying to convey?
Is there a hidden message?
- Historical Context
Who made it and why?
Did it have a function?
Would contemporary audience interpret or understand the work differently compared to the audiences who saw it when it was created?
Does the work reflect what is/was happening in society historically or politically?
- Additional Questions/Observations: Once you have answered all the above questions, make a list of your own questions (between three to four questions and answer them) and read any wall text or brochure information available about the work.
At Home: If you found the subject matter, style, material or specific cultural background interesting, please research more about what grabbed your attention.
Do you have a new understanding of the artwork based on your research?
Does the background information change any of your opinion or interpretations that you made at the museum?
Does it help answer any questions you might have had at the museum?
Would different audiences interpret the work differently?
Would contemporary audience interpret or understand the work differently compared to the audiences who saw it when it was created?
