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)