Before you go, you may want to check out the website of the art museum or gallery you
are interested in going to, just to be sure that there is something that you would really like to do research on and write about that’s by a woman artist. Please remember that the art work can from any time period from the Renaissance through today, and it can be any type of art work –
drawing, painting, sculpture, photograph, installation, or whatever.
Once there and you find the art work that you wish to do this paper on, take some careful notes While observing it. Take some time in doing so. What is your first impression of it? What
stands out about it? What media is used (oil paint, watercolor, wood, marble, charcoal, film, etc.)? What are the important elements of this work?
What type(s) used? (Oil, wood, bronze, etc.).
Mood. Does it create one? If so, what type of mood? How so?
Line. What type(s) of line(s) are used? Do they repeat in the artwork? Are there outlines at all? Is the artwork abstract or representational? Is it two-, three-, or even 4-dimensional?
Texture. Is one type of brushstroke predominant (in a painting, but could be also applicable to sculpture)? If so, what is it like? Or does the texture vary within the artwork? If so, describe it.
Form. Does it have a formal structure? If so, what is it? (I.e., pyramidal configuration). Are different types of textures or are different colors or lines used to articulate the different formal sections that it has? If so, how is this accomplished by the artist?
Color. Describe the color(s) used. Are they primary ones (red, blue, yellow)? pastels? Are variations of the same color used or are different colors juxtaposed? Are the colors naturalistic or not? If a painting, is there any part of the canvas that is left blank (white), or is it completely colored?
Space. Is linear perspective used at all? Aerial perspective? Or none at all? Describe the way the space is defined in the artwork (see also Line, above).
Style. Describe which artistic elements you see that are characteristic of the stylistic type of this art work.
Miscellaneous. Anything else that is relevant to the artwork is acceptable here. Hope you enjoy your trip to the art museum or gallery!
