Formal Analysis
3-D
"Karma" by Do Ho Suh, Urethane paint on fiberglass and resin, 12.75' x 9' x 24', 2003 Intro, Body AND Interpretation** PLEASE READ the analysis of "Karma" below before writing your interpretation. Use at least one quote from this analysis in your interpretation and give credit to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. (i.e. "In an analysis from the The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston it states "........) Do-Ho Suh addresses issues of identity, memory, and relationships. Son of the famous Korean ink-painter Suh Se-Ok, Do-Ho Suh is a leading figure in the transnational avant-garde generation of Korean artists who came of age in the late 1990s, and his work eloquently represents a dual consciousness between East and West. An imposing sculpture, Karma extends from the ceiling to the floor: Two large legs, seen in mid-stride, walk across the gallery on top of hundreds of Lilliputian figures. Although at first Karma might seem like a commentary on authoritarian rule or military oppression, literally depicting the downtrodden masses, the large figure’s suit pants and dress shoes dispel this notion. Furthermore, the tiny figures seem to run ahead of the marching foot, anticipating his next step and reaching up in a gesture of support. Subverting typical expectations of power relations, the figures (both large and small) exist in interdependence, proceeding forward together. Karma invites the viewer to experience the gallery space in a new way. By projecting from the floor to the ceiling, by creating a sense of forward movement, Karma calls attention to the way people experience museum space, emphasizing the tension between an individual’s personal space and the larger space shared by the public. |
"The Party" by Andrew Salgado, Oil on canvas with spray - 71 inches x 75 inches, 2014
Painting 1
Intro, Body AND Interpretation Painting 2 & 3 Intro, Body, Interpretation, and Judgement** Complete judgement after reading Salgado's Artist Statement Below. Cite at least one quote from his artist statement and make that BOLD in your paper. “Through my treatment of form and content, I ask the viewer to consider the technical aspects of my paintings, but also the metaphorical role that media assumes in my work, and finally the relationship of my paintings to a greater narrative and mythology, in which each subject is related to ideas of psyche and convalescence. As a result, my work often uses personal history to approach universal themes, and a politics that I view as deeply personal, yet resoundingly human. I am interested in how the luxurious, silky qualities of oil paint predominate as the fundamental manner to approach the works. This work seeks to distance itself from a literal figurative foundation to engage with an exploration of color, reduction of forms, and triumph of substance as seductive, overt, and playful. By reducing the literalness of the image in preference of a sensual painted surface, I hope to create work that engages with a continuously forming language of painting and representation.” |
How to write the formal analysis:
Teacher
Print Help Sheets. Look at artwork as a group and have students fill out help sheets (take notes).
Print Rubrics to grade and attach to each paper.
Print each student a Checklist to fill out and turn in with the paper.