Visual
Analysis
Definition of genre
Visual analysis is the basic unit of art historical writing. Sources as varied as art magazines, scholarly
books, and undergraduate research papers rely on concise and detailed visual analyses. You may
encounter a visual analysis as an assignment itself; or you may write one as part of a longer research
paper.
The purpose of a visual analysis is to recognize and understand the visual choices the artist made in
creating the artwork. By observing and writing about separate parts of the art object, you will come to a
better understanding of the art object as a whole.
A visual analysis addresses an artwork’s formal
elements—visual attributes such as color, line, texture,
and size. A visual analysis may also include historical
context or interpretations of meaning.
Be sure to read the assignment carefully to decide
which elements of visual analysis your professor
expects you to include. Some professors will look for
a formal analysis alone; others will expect you to
frame your formal description in terms of historical
information. You may be asked to offer one or more
interpretations of the possible meanings of the work.
If necessary, ask your professor or T.A. to clarify
expectations for the assignment.
Actions to Take
To write a visual analysis, you must look closely at an art object—or at a photograph of an art object—
and translate your visual observations into written text. However, a visual analysis does not simply record
your observations. It also makes a claim about the work of art.
Observe the artwork and write down your observations. Be precise. Consider the composition,
colors, textures, size, space, and other visual and material attributes of the artwork. Go beyond your
first impressions. This should take some time—allow your eye to absorb the image. Making a sketch
of the work can help you understand its visual logic.
Formulate a main claim. Your claim might do one of the following:
o Reflect on the overall organization of the work of art, e.g. “Paul Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-
Victoire [Figure 1] is composed of a number of repeated shapes and lines that serve to unify
the composition.”
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Henry M. Sayre, Writing about Art (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005) 58.
Figure 1: Paul Cézanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire (1885-7)
Duke Writing Studio 2
o Consider how formal elements impact the meaning of the artwork, e.g. “Rembrandt’s use of
chiaroscuro heightens the sense of drama in The Night Watch [Figure 2].”
o Relate this work relates to other works you have studied, considering how is it similar to and
different from these objects, e.g. “This Egyptian sculpture combines a highly conventional
symmetrical style with mild asymmetry and a degree of realism [Figure 3].”
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Support your main claim with visual details.
o Analyze the form of the artwork: line, color, shape, texture, and material are good places to
start.
o Target your description. Address only those elements relevant to your main claim.
o Organize your observations in a logical order.
You might, for example, follow a line through the painting, moving from the
background to the foreground, or from left to right. Consider beginning with
composition and moving to material, or vice versa. Many approaches are possible;
choose a structure that makes sense for your main claim.
In the following example, the author introduces the subject of the painting and then
describes the figure’s posture, gestures, and clothing: “Elongated and spectral, the
figure of an older man is seated at a table, painted red. He leans far to the left. His
narrow head is propped upon a skeletal fist; his other hand lies, its fingers slightly
spread, open on the table’s edge. He is wearing a cream-colored cap and a dark blue
jacket [Figure 4].”
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Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing about Art (New York: Longman, 1997) 79.
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Cynthia Saltzman, Portrait of Dr. Gachet: The Story of a van Gogh Masterpiece. Money, Politics, Collectors,
Greed, and Loss (New York: Penguin, 1998), xv.
Figure 2: Rembrandt, The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van
Ruytenburch (The Night Watch) (1642)
Figure 3: Ka-aper (c 2500-
2400 BCE)
Duke Writing Studio 3
o Explain why you have chosen to discuss these
specific elements. In other words, explain the
significance of your choices for your main claim.
You may decide to incorporate a quotation
from the artist to support your descriptive
choices. For example: “In the corner of the
painting, the barely perceptible outline of a
woman can be seen against a latticed
background. The vagueness of her presence
is necessary, as Bonnard noted in one of his
notebooks, because: ‘A figure should be part
of the background against which it is placed
[Figure 5].’”
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o Discuss the relationship among visual elements of
the art work: “The admirable calligraphy of the text
sharply contrasts the paucity of craftsmanship of the
sculpture [Figure 6].”
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Use vocabulary words mentioned in class. Foreshortening, linear perspective, and cross-hatching are
some examples. Be sure to incorporate only those terms appropriate to your object.
If your assignment asks you to identify the style or
movement associated with the artwork, you can explore this
connection by comparing the artwork’s formal elements to the
stylistic characteristics that you have learned in class. For
example: “Robert Adam’s library at Kenwood is quite classical,
not just because of the Corinthian columns and barrel vaults, but
also because it is symmetrical, geometric, and carefully balanced
[Figure 7].”
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You may be asked to situate your art object in its historical
context. Ask yourself what the viewer needs to know about the
time period in order to understand this artwork.
o This may include biographical data about the artist,
information about how the artwork was received in its time, or
important framing of the social, political, or economic contexts
of the time.
o As in your formal analysis, choose evidence that
supports your main claim.
Helpful Links
Writing in the Disciplines: Art History:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/arthistory.html
Overview: Visual Rhetoric /Visual Literacy:
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Laure de Buzon-Vallet and Claude Laugier, in Sasha Newman, ed., Bonnard: The Late Paintings (Paris: Centre
Georges Pompidou, 1984) 198.
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Denise Schmandt-Besserat, When Writing Met Art: from Symbol to Story (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007)
95.
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Penelope J.E. Davies, et. al., Jansen’s History of Art: The Western Tradition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
Hall, 2007).
Figure 4: Vincent van Gogh,
Dr. Gachet (1890)
Figure 5: Pierre Bonnard, Dining Room
overlooking the Garden (1930-1)
Duke Writing Studio 4
http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/overview-vis.original.pdf
Visual Rhetoric/Visual Literacy: Writing about Paintings
http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/painting.original.pdf
Visual Rhetoric/Visual Literacy: Writing about Photographs
http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/media_items/photography
Helpful Books
Suzanne Hudson and Nancy Noonan-Morrissey, The Art of Writing about Art (Belmont, CA:
Thomson Learning, 2002).
Henry M. Sayre, Writing about Art (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005).
Amy Tucker, Visual Literacy: Writing about Art (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001).
Figure 7: Robert Adam, Kenwood: Middlesex Library (1767-9)