Guided Viewing: The Visual Elements
Visit the Musee Thyssen-Bornemisa, in Madrid, on Google Art Project (by clicking the hyperlink). Explore the collection and look at the different works of art on display. From the collection, select two works of art: one by Paul Cezanne or Edgar Degas and one by an Italian Renaissance artist.
Remember this is an assessment so don’t allow yourself to get stuck on one question. Try your best, ask questions when necessary and answer as best as you can. The elements of art are objective – trust your eyes – it is about what you see. You are just describing what you see. Don’t overthink it.
Cezanne or Degas Work
Italian Renaissance Work
Who is the artist?
What is the title of the work?
When was the work created?
What media is the work in
(e.g., sculpture, painting)?
What medium was used (e.g.,
clay, bronze, oil, acrylic)?
What is the scale of the work? (How large is the work?)
Provide dimensions.
Is the work representational?
Naturalistic? Abstract?
Stylized?
Nonrepresentational? Give
details that demonstrate your
answer.
Elements of Art
Look at the way each painting uses line, shape, light, color, texture, and other
elements of art.
a. What are your initial observations about the elements?
b. Describe how the works differ based on their respective use of line to bring the subject to life?
c. How does the color palette in each painting affect its mood? Do the drastically different styles play into this as well?
d. As a technique, how does the use of space in each painting work alongside elements like line, light, and color?
e. Do you see time and motion in either painting? If so, how does the artist depict it?
Content
Given the way in which the visual elements are employed in each painting, what is
each artist trying to convey? A work can have more than one meaning or several
layers of meaning.
a. How do the visual elements work together to create those layers?
b. In what ways do they (the visual elements/content) complement each other?
1. Cezanne or Degas Work
2. Italian Renaissance Work
Initial Thoughts
Recall your initial reasons for selecting the two works.
a. What were your first impressions?
b. Do the uses of the visual elements in these two paintings reflect how they are commonly used in time periods they come from? How so? How have your impressions changed after you looked at the two works closely?
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