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Course: Tate > Unit 6
Lesson 1: ActivitiesNew to art? Get started with this activity
In this tutorial, we want you to think about how different art materials can create different impressions. But first, let’s start with the basics of looking at, thinking about, and talking about art. Any visual analysis begins with simply looking at and describing something. So take a look at the work of art below. Take a minute or two to look carefully, zoom in, and let your eyes travel all around the image.
Now using your powers of observation, describe and write down what you see. You can talk about this artwork however you like, but you might want to begin with these concepts:
- Colour: How would you describe the colours in this painting? Are they bright and vibrant or subdued? Or does the artist use a combination of both?
- Medium: Medium refers to the type of art, like painting or sculpture, as well as the materials an artwork is made from. What is the medium of this artwork? Can you tell which materials were used to make it?
- Subject: What is the subject of this work of art? Is this location familiar or identifiable to you? What does the title tell you?
- Or maybe there is some other way you would like to describe this work of art?
For further discussion
Now that you’ve visually explored this work of art, share your thoughts in the Questions area below. Then read the other responses, compare them to your own, and see if someone might inspire you to think about art in a new way.
Remember: art is always open to interpretation, so there are no wrong answers!
Want to join the conversation?
In my analysis of Bridge of Sighs, Ducal Palace and Custom-House, Venice: Canaletti Painting I will address three components as the module suggests: Colour, Medium, and Subject.
Colour: The colour used in this painting is rather visually arresting. I find that the stark contrast between the dark and colorful water and the light blue sky forces your eye up and down rather quickly as it seems difficult to decide what to rest your gaze upon. The water is highly reflective of the surrounding Venetian architecture and the ships in the harbour. I find my eye constantly exploring this canvas and even though the tower in the center is clearly the main focal point...I cannot rest there for too long.
Medium: The medium used here seems to be a canvas with oil and pigments or perhaps oil on wood of some kind. I would certainly guess that the former has been utilized based on the high level of reflectivity and gloss.
Subject: The subject seems to play upon a bustling day of the week whereby merchant men seek trade and newcomers are rowing there gondolas. I also noticed a small figure in the lower left that seems to be an artist perhaps with an easel before him...perhaps this is the artist imposing himself into this time and place and imagining what it would look like. Or perhaps this was how the artist actually "captured" this image as he saw it before him. It is hard to saw due to the timeless nature of cities like Venice...(4 votes)
Turner's Bridge of Sighs, after Canaletti.
The background is bathed in light, drawing you into the painting. The background is generally painted in cool colours (cobalt blue I should think) and white, with a blush of pink on the central building to the left of the tower.
Warmer colours fill the foreground giving depth and wonderful reflections create additional interest, together with the activity implied by the boats on the left and inherent in the gondolier on the right.(1 vote)