PROJECT: Deconstructive Analysis of Visual Design
| Written Deconstructive Analysis
Students will engage in writing a two deconstructive analysis paper throughout the course.
The examples will include historical and contemporary visual works that I will assign to students from our text.
In addition to the five exams given throughout this course (the lowest grade of one exam will be dropped), the average of both papers may assist you in replacing a second lowest exam score in your overall grade for the course.
Methods
Found visual examples will include historical visual works from the areas we have studied.
Always provide bibliographical source material, noting ARTIST/DESIGNER, TITLE/PRODUCT, YEAR, DIMENSIONS, MEDIA, and URL link source, other pertinent bibliographic information. Embed the visual image on your written paper.
Make a number of notes that thoroughly describe how the fundamental elements and principles of the design application are working in the image/object.
Each element should be expressed in the narrative form, at a minimum, one paragraph each.
Elements and Principles of design
to be described
line
plane
shape
space
volume and mass
color and hue, saturation, intensity, the temperature of the color
pattern + texture
scale and proportion
direction and movement
composition and organization
focal point and emphasis
unity and balance
contrast
visual weight
Is there a psychology of expression operating within the work being discussed? Explain.
If out of the ordinary, how is media being handled?
At a minimum, you need to explore 4 elements/principles of design.
In narrative form discuss each thoroughly. At completion, your analysis should be a minimum of 800 words.
EXAMPLE::
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| Da Vinci . Dachshunds . conte crayon on paper . c. 1510
The line moves in a variety of directions to express movement. There are strong verticality and diagonal lines, each add speed and focal point or emphasis, especially to the Dachshund in the foreground. Accumulation of mark on the largest dog's face creates a toned value area around the head bringing emphasis to this dog as well.
There is a strong geometric grid in the foreground (lower right) on the drawing. This adds a great contrast to the naturalistic, organic pose of the three dogs. Perhaps Da Vinci used these straight gridded lines to transfer the drawing onto a new substrate?
Cross Hatching lines are those that move in a diagonal on the dog's ears especially, to fill in an area to become darker, thus, producing value.
SCALE The three dogs in the drawing frame, adds different sizes of dogs - small (background), medium (middle ground), large diagonal Dachshund (foreground). These different sizes or difference in scale produces varying visual weights in the Da Vinci drawing. The scale also presents an illusionistic spatial field that is deep and not shallow.
SPACE > The deep (illusionistic) space drawn is due to scale of dogs. Space is also illustrated through the light and darkness of the dog's value, overall. The darkest lines (most accumulated) in the diagonal dog makes the dog advance forward. The other two dogs recede into the spatial field. This is also known as atmospheric perspective, a human-made spatial device that can be drawn or painted. We see a great deal of atmospheric perspective used during the Renaissance period. For instance, in Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the mountains in the far background not only are smaller than Mona herself but are not in focus and have a blue color to them.
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GO to the page on Student Writing Examples to see previous students' take on subject matter....
1. 80% of overall grade goes towards content & description of how the formal elements (above) are operating in the sculpture in the round. The essay is well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature.
Essay brings in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in this particular work of art.
(Each element will receive approximately 20%)
> Line actual line and implied line
> Depiction of space and shape scale
> Repetitive shapes found throughout the sculpture
> Texture - including natural and hieroglyphic forms
Akhenaten and His Family found on p. 71
Eighteenth Dynasty c. 1353-1336 BCE
Painted limestone
2. 10% of overall grade
i. Material and application and the process of tools. 5%
ii. Akhenaten and His Family with one found from our text from page XXIII to page70 (may be additive or subtractive techniques).
Include an image of the sculpture you are making your comparison with. 5%
3. 10% of overall grade towards the essay's mechanics of writing. The essay's structure is well organized, transitions are smooth, grammar is excellent, and includes the addition of an image with proper labeling. The essay is coherent and illustrates excellent technical control of the author.