How To Write A Formal Analysis (2024)

FAQs

How to write an effective formal analysis? ›

Focus above all on the formal elements of the work, including line, medium, color, light, space, composition, and style. What feeling do they give to the viewer and what are their relationships to the rest of the work as a whole? Consider the context of the work: artist, time, historical background, location.

Begin with a general description of the work, and then move on to the more specific elements. Things to consider when writing a formal analysis (in no particular order): Record your first impression(s) of the artwork. What stands out?

The central components of a formal analysis are medium (materials), technique (how the object was made), “aesthetics” (style), and “iconography” (symbols & subject matter).

There are four aspects of a formal analysis: description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.

Step 1: Plan and prepare. Step 2: Write your introduction. Step 3: Write the body. Step 4: Write your conclusion.

A formal analysis is more than just a description of a work of art. It is an argument based on your own visual evidence that takes a stance and creates an interesting discussion from the formal clements of the work. How is a formal analysis different from other writing?

A formalist critic examines the form of the work as a whole, the form of each individual part of the text (the individual scenes and chapters), the characters, the settings, the tone, the point of view, the diction, and all other elements of the text which join to make it a single text.

Formal analysis is an important technique for organizing visual information. In other words, it is a strategy used to translate what you see into written words. This strategy can be applied to any work of art, from any period in history, whether a photograph, sculpture, painting or cultural artifact.

Conclusion: The conclusion may summarize your findings and relate back to the theme presented in your introduction; however, you should avoid simply repeating what you offered in the introduction. You may also include any new ideas, insights, or understandings you gained about the work through the analysis process.

What is not a part of formal analysis? ›

Strictly speaking, subject is not considered and neither is historical or cultural context. The purest formal analysis is limited to what the viewer sees.