How to Write a Visual Analysis

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Whether you are an AP Art History student or a PhD candidate at a prestigious university, writing a visual analysis of a piece of artwork can be a difficult task. Simply stated, a visual analysis is a vivid description and discussion of your own observations of a work of art, including its appearance, medium and underlying concepts. Read on to learn how to write a visual analysis.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Step1

If possible look at the work without any distractions such as music, television, or talking people and try to focus completely on your sense of vision. Note down the main things you notice about the painting's appearance, such as its medium (oil on canvas, marble sculpture or ink drawing on paper), colors and subject.

Step2

Now it is time to dig deeper. Think about the artist and his theoretical and visual interests. Write down everything you know, particularly in relation to any artistic movements in which he may have participated. If you do not know anything about the artist, make sure to do a little research before writing your analysis.

Step3

Look at the artwork again, now thinking about the art in the context of the artist's background. Are there any visual characteristics to the work that identify the artist's hand?

Step4

Use your notes to write your fleshed-out visual analysis. Be sure to include the artist, title and date at the beginning of your analysis. Typically, visual analysis is quite formal in style and should be written in the third person, unless your professor specifies otherwise. Therefore, your own observations about the work would be written from the perspective of "the viewer" rather than "I." Make sure you use descriptive language to really bring the piece to life. When writing a visual analysis, the thesaurus is your best friend.

Step5

Proofread you analysis to check for any typos and most importantly, confirm that your thesis is maintained throughout.