What does looking at art mean? Contemporary artist Alejandro Cesarco discusses this question while browsing Giacometti and other art presented together at The Met Alejandro Cesarco, What does looking mean? by The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Describing is a key skill for art historians and any museum visitor, learn how. Describing what you see: sculpture by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Whether setting the mood or celebrating the divine, artists play with light. Sometimes, they even sculpt with it. Light and shadow by Art Institute of Chicago
What makes paintings feel as deep as the view from a window or as flat as a wall? Surface and Depth by Art Institute of Chicago
Artists use various strategies to set up a dynamic relationship between artwork, maker, and viewer. The Power to Look by Art Institute of Chicago
We can approach an artwork as a physical object, a visual experience, a cultural artifact—or as all three. Introduction to art historical analysis by Dr. Robert Glass
Start by looking closely—really closely. Now let’s talk about scale, composition, space, form, line, color, tone… How to do visual (formal) analysis by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
As we look into the distance, we lose visual clarity. The specificity of color also decreases. Atmospheric perspective explained by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Renaissance artists relied upon this strategy to render the natural world. Get a tutorial at the School of Athens. Foreshortening explained by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Don’t stand so straight! Relax. Shift your weight. Bend a knee. Just respond to the world, like this spear-bearer. Contrapposto explained by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
These decorative systems once adorned Greek temples. It’s an ancient language, but we still speak it today. Classical orders of architecture explained by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
No Photoshop! Just a vanishing point, a horizon line, and some orthogonals—that’s the magic formula for reality. Linear perspective explained by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
This technique captures transitions from light to dark. As Titian knew, it creates the illusion of volume and mass. Chiaroscuro explained by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
Sculptors have had different goals at different times. Two recur: naturalism and abstraction. A brief history of the representation of ... by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
Respond to contemporary culture, or reclaim the past? Each artist decides how to approach the human form. A brief history of the representation of ... by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
This painting captures a particular moment in the artist’s studio—and a particular day in European history. Art historical analysis with Goya’s Third of ... by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris