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Writing about Paintings and Images

Getting Started with Visual Analysis

Metro State Writing Center, drafted spring 2026

Here’s a good resource and a simple set of notes to take about a visual art work. Use it to set yourself up for explaining clearly your insights and analysis grounded in evidence from the piece itself. You can do it in any order, but completing the entire set will yield the best results.

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Resource

UNC Writing Center, Writing in Art History

Basic information about the art piece

  • Artist name, title of the piece, date created, dimensions/size
  • Materials and methods: water color, oil, collage or painting, photo, quilt etc.
  • Location: URL and source of image or location where you viewed the work

What do you see?

What is the subject and what kinds of objects are present?

  • Is it a landscape, a room, animals, people, shapes etc.
  • Are the figures realistic or abstract?
  • Which element(s) are prominent or subtle/what stands out, what is hidden?

How is the piece laid out?

  • Is it two- or three-dimensional? Is there a sense of depth or does it seem flat?
  • How does your eye move through the composition?
  • How do the figures and elements relate to each other? Is the layout symmetrical or asymmetrical?
  • Is there a source of light? What role do shadows play?
  • Are there lines? Are they thin or thick, straight or curvy, geometric or natural? Do the lines add structure or cause a sense of movement?

What are the colors and techniques?

  • Which colors stand out?
  • Are they pastel or bright? Are they warm colors or cool?
  • Are the colors unexpected for the subject of the painting?
  • Is the painting’s texture smooth or rough?

What do you think and feel?

  • Are there figures from history, folklore, mythology, celebrities, or with a personal connection to the artist?
  • What do you know about the artist and/or the artistic movement?
  • How does the painting make you feel?

How does what you see influence what you think and feel?