unit 4. art describing
TRANSCRIPT
How to Describe a Piece of Art (without using the word
‘awesome’)
Ooooooooh!
• We have many words in the Spanish and English languages that can describe a piece of art besides ‘awesome’ or ‘cool.’
• First, let’s briefly (to spend a short amount of time) going over the differences in the different types of pictures you can see at an art exhibit.
Pretty Picture
• ‘Picture’ (imagen) is a generic (common, general)term that can be used to describe a photograph that was taken or something a person created on paper.
• ‘Photograph’ (fotografía) is an image taken with a camera and captures something from real-life.
• ‘Drawing’ (dibujo) is a type of art where the artist used pencils or crayons to express themselves.
• ‘Painting’ (pintura) is a picture created with painting oils, watercolours, or any other type of painting material.
Drawing Example
Hand withRelecting Sphere(1935) by MC Escher
It is a drawingbecause it wascreated using a pencil.
Painting Example
The Starry Night(1889) by Vincentvan Gogh
This is anexample of a paintingbecause van Gogh usedpainting oils tocreate thispicture.
Photograph Example
Afghan Girl(1984) takenby Steve McCurry
This is a photographbecause itwas takenby a camera using a real-life subject.
Picture Examples
These are all examples of pictures. As you can see, picture means manydifferent things!
Aaaaaah!
There are many different things you can comment (say) on when describing a picture.• Colours used or the absence (missing) of colour. Is the
painting colourful (uses many colours) or monochromatic (different shades of one colour)? Are the colours light, dark, vivid (bright), or dull (dim/boring)? Does the artist use contrasting colours?
• Expressions shown by the characters in the picture or how it makes you feel (remember, we learned that certain colourscan make us feel a certain way. What feelings do blue, green, and purple give? How does yellow, orange, and red make you feel?)
• Does the picture look very clean or sloppy (messy)?• Is it simple or very detailed and complicated?
Type of Painting
• Still-life shows inanimate (things that are not alive) objects
• Portrait is a painting where a person posed(sitting/standing, knowing that someone is drawing/photographing you)
• Self-Portrait is when a person draws themselves• Landscape depicts (shows) natural scenery• Urban Landscape depicts scenery but in the city, with
buildings and streets • Abstract is where the picture uses colours or forms that
are not found in real-life.
Describe!
What can you say about these photosdescribing their color and subject? Are they still-life, portrait, orlandscape?
Describe!
What categories (different types) do these pieces of art fall under? How else can you describe them?
Crockery on a Table (1900) by Henri Matisse
Composition X (1939) by Wassily
Kandinsky
United (1988) by Matt Weber
Adjectives
• We can use all kinds of adjectives to help us describe a photo.
• Some words we can use to show we really enjoy the painting are:
– Breathtaking, Dazzling, Endearing, Extraordinary, Fascinating, Gorgeous, Inspiring, Intriguing, Magnificent, Marvellous, Moving, Pleasant, Radiant, Scenic, Spectacular, Splendid, Stunning, Thrilling, Unforgettable, Wonderful
Describe!
What can you say about these photosdescribing their colors´ expressions, clean/sloppy, and simple/detailed?
Flowers
The next few slides are all going to be pieces of art involving flowers, but they can all be
described in different ways!
Artist: Roelant Savery
• Still life (1624)• Uses a contrast of
dark colours in the back with lots of lighter colours in the middle
Artist: Mary CassattLilacs in a Window(1880)
How does it differ to the previous painting?
Artist: Pablo Picasso
Flowers in a Grey Jar and Wine-Glass with Spoon (1908)
More Artwork
So now that you see even something as simple as flowers in a vase can vary from artist to artist, here are some other pieces of artwork for you to describe.
What are your impressions (feelings and ideas) of the following pictures?
Artist: Piet Mondrian
Composition with Red, Yellow, Blue, and Black (1921)
Artist: Salvador Dalí
The Persistence of Memory (1931)
How does this painting compare to the previous one?
Artist: Andy Warhol
Marilyn Diptych (1962)