ANALYSIS OF

ART SUBJECTS
Lecture
in ZHU 111 by
Dr. Allan C. Orate

There are three areas you need to

consider in analyzing the subject of art:

The WAYS the

subject is
presented
The KINDS of
subject
The LEVELS of

WAYS OF PRESENTING
THE SUBJECT

REALISM
ABSTRACTIONI
SM
NONOBJECTIVISM

www.leonardoda vinci.net

REALISM

42
c

The subject
is presented
as
it is
perceived
in reality
The painting shows a woman who
looks like a real woman in the world.

53
b

www.librarising.com

ABSTRACTIONISM
The subject
is presented
in distorted,
symbolic,
nonrepresentati
onal way.

In this cubist painting, the woman is

represented showing many views in a

www.winsonmar.com

NON-OBJECTIVISM

49
a

The painting
has no
subject
at all.

This is a painting that is purely formal,

without any representation. It is seen
only as visual elements

To analyze the
work of art, you
also need to
Portrait
consider the
Genre
Landscape
KINDS
Seascape
of subject:
Cityscape Still Life
Animal

Religious
Historical Dreams,
Mythology
Fantasy
No Subject
Legends
(Non-

46a
PORTRAIT
Shows
people
emphasizi
ng the
face

www.artsunlight.com

61a

www.wallpaper.org

GENRE Shows activities of people.

11a

www.ibiblio.org

STILL LIFE Inanimate objects in

14

www.theartwolf.com

LANDSCAPE

50a

www.wikipaintings.org

SEASCAPE

17

CITYSCAPE

www.commons.wikimedia.org

ANIMALS

www.faculty.umb.edu

22

www.en.wikipedia.org

HISTORICAL

RELIGIOUS

www.historyforkids.org

33

MYTHOLOGY

www.paintinghere.org

64

www.wikipaintings.org

LEGEND

18c

www.arthistory.about.com

DREAM
Surrealist paintings usually
AND
have this subject about
FANTASY the content of the artists

www.arthistory.about.com

NO SUBJECT Non-Objective

36a

You may analyze

the subject by
combining the way
it is presented and
the kind of subject.

26a

Realistic
Portrait

www.commons.wikimedia.org

12b

Abstract
Portrait

www.wikipaintings.org

53d

Abstract
Genre
Painting
www.pablopicasso.org

78d

Realistic
Still Life

www.docoart.com

The analyzes of art also

involves the SUBJECTCONTENT.
This refers to the art as it is
perceived by your SENSES,
felt by your HEART, and
thought by your MIND.

LEVELS OF ANALYZING
THE SUBJECT-C0NTENT
Visual Elements
Artistic Form
Representation
Emotional
Suggestion

What
is this?

Visual
Sense-data in the
Elements painting such as color

There
are five Artistic
levels
Form
of
analyzi Represen
ng this. -tation

(red) or shape (circle).

Visual elements seen in
combination like red
circle.
Reference of artistic
form to things in reality
like red circle
representing an
painting expresses
apple.
Emotiona The
feelings such as red
l
that means terror.
Expressi The painting expresses
Intellect
on
ideas such as apple that
ual
means sin according

www.wikipaintings.org

This painting by
Dali, The
Persistence of
Memory,
will provide you

VISUAL ELEMENTS

www.wikipaintings.org

You see
colors
like blue,
brown,
black.
You see
lines
such as
straight
and
curve.
And you

ARTISTIC FORM
You see
the
visual
elements
combine
d with
one
another,
such as
curvilin
ear blue
with

www.wikipaintings.org

REPRESENTATION

www.wikipaintings.org

You see
clocks,
tree,
table,
bottle,
fetus,
hill,
desert,
sea,
sky,
clouds.

EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION
You feel
sadness
or
lonelines
s as if
you are
in the
midde of
a barren
desert
surround
ed by

www.wikipaintings.org

www.wikipaintings.org

INTELLECTUAL MEANING
You think
about time
running out
as
symbolized
by melting
clocks, or
about death
as indicated
by the sunset
and the clock
set at 5:55