Writing interpretation paragraph

Writing interpretation paragraph

      I have been repeatedly saying that in art class room students should  know how to describe, analyze, and make interpretation about art object. Previously, I discussed about teaching students how to write descriptive writing and analysis writing. Interpretation writing comes at last after writing descriptive and analysis part.

      Students interpretate why the artist creates the piece and what it means. They find the main idea of the art work and support it with inside and outside art work evidence. When making interpretation, students should not be misunderstood or biased because it is not their favored style of art. Student must understand the Art is different from beauty or level of quality. Any creative endeavor artists do with their believes in art can be art. Even if nobody likes it or want to interpret it, it is still art. Students should have respect towards the work of the artist and carefully discover what is the artists' intention and why he intended it.

Barrett's Principles of Interpretation

1. Artworks have "aboutness" and demand interpretation.
2. Interpretations are persuasive arguments.
3. Some interpretations are better than others.
4. Good interpretations of art tell more about the artwork than they tell about the critic.
5. Feelings are guides to interpretations.
6. There can be different, competing, and contradictory interpretations of the same artwork.
7. Interpretations are often based on a worldview.
8. Interpretations are not so much absolutely right, but more or less reasonable, convincing, enlightening, and informative.
9. Interpretations can be judged by coherence, correspondence, and inclusiveness.
10. An artwork is not necessarily about what the artist wanted it to be about.
11. A critic ought not to be the spokesperson for the artist.
12. Interpretations ought to present the work in its best rather than its weakest light.
13. The objects of interpretation are artworks, not artists.
14. All art is in part about the world in which it emerged.
15. All art is in part about other art.
16. No single interpretation is exhaustive of the meaning of an artwork.
17. The meanings of an artwork may be different from its significance to the viewer. Interpretation is ultimately a communal endeavor, and the community is ultimately self- corrective.
18. Good interpretations invite us to see for ourselves and to continue on our own.

Barrett, Terry. (1994) Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing

Content area web sites

Cubism and Paul Cezanne   (11th grade, Art)

Cezanne's painting, Apple

       Paul Cezanne is a famous artist in Modern art History particularly for Cubism. He is usually taught after or with Pablo Picasso's. They are both considered modern artist falling in 1860s to 19870s. Students often have fear with learning art in middle ages or renaissance period because they have hard time relating themselves to its period and old style. In contrast, student can be more familiar and engaging to approach Modern art. Modernism developed as artists escaped from traditions and, old rules and tried their fresh, unique style and experiment freely. Therefore, during this period, many artists came up with interestingly different style of paintings involving various, open subject matters, style, and range of colors and shape. With  providing sufficient images in the beginning, teachers can introduce them the dynamic visual world of modernism and make it exciting.

     A movement I suggested for modern art was Cubism and I thought of Paul Cezanne right away. The first website has brief description about his life and style and majorly consists his painting of almost 1000. It is much easier and accessible to see paintings first and visually approach rather then learning from text. The rest of website below has information about Cubism, Cezanne and also some other cubist artists. The reason why I selected Cezanne was because I considered that his painting shows the best of example for cubism. However, once students understand the style of cubism, teachers can provide more sources about other cubist paintings. Children can find similarities and connections within the paintings and experience wide range of experiment of artists.  

*Cubism and Paul Cezanne
http://www.paul-cezanne.org/
http://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/art_movements/cubism.htm
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ens-cubisme_en/cubisme_en.html


*Video of Cezanne's use of Impressionism + Cubism 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm7XuMzC1II&feature=fvst

Writing analysis paragraph

Writing analysis paragraph 

Teaching writing in Art classroom is not exercised as often as in English class room like rest of my inquiry group member's. In art class, students should know how to describe, analyze, and make interpretation. They usually discuss out loud together or make their own brainstorm but they also need to be able to carry and organize these process into a form of writing. 

Previously, I discussed about teaching students descriptive writing. After students know the art vocabularies and know how to describe an object using those terms, they can reflect them on actual writing. When students understood the process of writing description, they are ready to learn writing Analysis. With the elements they found from the observation, they determine how those elements work in the art piece.  Students decide on were made, what effect they creates, how they contribute to the appearance or other extended questions. They can extend their question and make determination. Is he creating certain style by using specific choice of lines and colors? Does the structure system makes certain value? Is it warm or cold? Does the color he used makes the entire mood blue? Is it showing dramatic light and shadow? How does the  idea of certain thing composed with using only specific elements?  What is your perception to specific things. What are the impact and reaction to the object due to having certain elements?

Again, students are using the vocabularies to determine what and how the features convey certain ideas. Numerous questions cross their mind in analyzing thinking process. They find their own answer to each question and organize one by one in paragraph.  They determine the function and balance of the object according to the elements they found.

Writing an art analysis paragraph could be hard but very flexible and authentic exercise. It requires lots of thinking process and they set their opinion and purpose in their own analysis. Since art is very subject matter, the analysis of classmates could vary little or a lot due to their characteristic and perceiving subject matter. They is not right or wrong answer. Through analysis writing activity with their friendly art work, students can be engaging and thought provoking. 

Reference Cite

http://hsblogs.stanford.edu/arthistoryta/teaching-formal-analysis/ (MicrosoftWord/ PDF)

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/from-theory-to-practice/formal-visual-analysis.aspx

http://teachingmyselfthehistoryofart.wordpress.com/formal-analysis/

Helpful Video: How to Look at Art-Formal Analysis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l659OM2zaHM