Art Criticism Poster
Visual Arts 11
What it is: You will be creating a poster which explains, interprets and
analyzes a work of art.
Begin by selecting an artwork. You will be working with this work of art
for a few days, so please choose something you are sincerely interested in.
Don’t choose something just because it looks easy to draw!
Examine your chosen picture and complete all of the following
questions:
1. Draw the image on large drawing paper (11 x 17 inches) and glue this
onto your poster paper. Pay careful attention to the details that you
see. Use pencil crayon to create colour or pencil for a black and white
version.
2. What drew you to this particular artwork? Why did you choose it?
(Two or three sentences)
3. Give us the Title of the artwork; the Name of the Artist; the Date it
was done; the Medium (the material it was made out of) List the facts.
4. Take an inventory of the picture; name everything you see (this will
be a list as well).
5. Describe the picture; pretend you are talking on the phone, and you
want the person on the other end of the line to form a mental picture
of what you are looking at. Talk about what is in the picture; what
kinds of things do you see? What colours and shapes has the artist
used? Where are things located in the picture? Describe the artist’s
style – how have they painted the picture? (Long paragraph, or a few
short ones – this will be the longest written part of the project).
Describe the way the artist used the medium (thick brushstrokes).
6. Analyze the picture; is the artist telling a story? Is there some meaning
behind the picture? Why do you think the artist might have painted it?
(Short paragraph). What is the mood or feeling of the artwork? Is the
artist trying to tell a story? What is the theme or topic the work
explores (Main idea or topic): Natural world, dream world, artist’s
imagination, Quote what an art critic says about the artist from a
textbook or from an art webpage.
7. Decide for yourself: What is the most important part of the picture?
Does the artwork have a focal point? Do you find your eye drawn to
one place each time you look at the picture? (Note: On the final
project you will be drawing or painting this – small, in either pencil
crayon or watercolour.)
8. Write down one question you would ask the artist, if she or he were
here with you. You may wish to know more about the subject matter
of the work – who, what, where….maybe you have a question about
how the work was made – a question regarding skills, techniques,
materials etc. Your question must be related to the work of art (one or
two sentences)
9. Finally, Judge the artwork; is this an interesting, entertaining, well
done, fascinating or important work of art? Give three reasons why
you feel the way you do. (two or three sentences minimum)
Once you have done all the rough work, organize your information into a
large POSTER (see example for actual size). Type your information and
make sure it is formatted to 18 pt. for easy viewing. Remember that your
poster must have some visual appeal – think of your poster as a work of
art, and use colour, design and fun lettering as you see fit.
Optional question: If you cannot find information on any of the above
questions substitute with the following:
 Compare and contrast this work of art with an artist from the same
time period.
 Compare and contrast two works of art by the artist you chose.
What similarities do you see between the two works? What are the
differences you see in the two works? What do you like about both
works and what do you dislike?