LESSON 3
Analyzing Artistic Style
Have you ever studied or compared fingerprints? No two people have exactly the
same ones. Every person, rather, has his or
her own unique prints.
This same observation holds true of
artists. Each artist works in a manner that is
at least slightly different from any other artist.
Such differences form the basis of the second
phase of the art historian’s job. That stage is
analyzing.
ANALYZING
A
WORK
During the describing stage, the art historian scans a work for a signature. Sometimes there is none. Then again, a signature
is not always required. Sometimes the artist’s
Figure 6–6 Signac painted this tree soon after the
death of his friend George Seurat. Seurat had started the
Pointillist style, and Signac continued to use it for many
years. Some say this tree is a memorial to his friend Seurat.
Notice how the artist has created a solid form using only dots
of color.
Paul Signac. The Bonaventure Pine. 1893. Oil on canvas.
65.7 81 cm (25 7⁄8 31 7⁄8). The Museum of Fine Arts,
Houston, Texas. Gift of Audrey Jones Beck. © 2003 Artists
Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP Paris.
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Chapter 6
Art History and You
distinctive stamp, or style, is right there in the
work. Style is an artist’s personal way of expressing ideas in a work. The art historian’s task
during this second stage is to note the work’s
style, or to analyze it.
Look back at the painting by Frederic
Remington on page 114 (Figure 6–2). An art
historian might note that the work has a lifelike or realistic style. The same might be said
of the painting that opened this chapter in
Figure 6–1. Which of these two works is the
most convincingly lifelike?
ART MOVEMENTS
Sometimes a group of artists with similar
styles who have banded together form an art
movement. One such movement had its beginnings late in the 1800s in France. It was
known as Pointillism. This is a technique in
which small dots of color are used to create forms.
The painting in Figure 6–6 is by one of the
movement’s cofounders. His name was Paul
Signac (seen-yak). Look closely at this work.
The most prominent object is the large tree,
which fills most of the canvas. Notice the colors of the dots used to make up the clusters
of leaves. They include purple, orange, green,
and red. Now try holding the book about a
foot away from your face. What do you notice
about the painting? Did the color of the leaf
clusters appear to change, along with their
form? This change in perception is one of the
hallmarks of Pointillism.
Change in perception is also a defining
feature of the painting in Figure 6–7. This
painting also features trees as its subject. It,
too, was done by a French painter. This artist,
who lived and worked around the same time
as Signac, was Claude Monet (moh-nay).
Monet was cofounder of an art movement
known as Impressionism. This is a style of
painting that attempts to capture the rapidly
changing effects of sunlight on objects. Do you
see similarities between Monet’s work and
that of Signac? It should not be surprising if
you do. Pointillism was an outgrowth of the
Impressionist movement. Study Figure 6–7.
Notice that this work, too, looks different
when viewed from a distance. As in Signac’s
work, objects seem to acquire shape and
form. Now look at the Monet painting up
close. Instead of dots, Monet and his colleagues used dabs of color. The painting in
Figure 6–3 on page 115 is by one of Monet’s
close associates. His name was PierreAuguste Renoir (pee-air oh-goost ren-wahr).
He, too, was a cofounder of the Impressionist
school. What similarities and differences do
you detect between his work and Monet’s?
Recognizing Impressionism
Drawing from Direct Observation.
Take another look at Figure 6–7.
Imagine you are Monet getting ready
to paint this work. Look at the image
and make a quick pencil sketch of this
landscape.You will select a variety of
appropriate art materials and tools to
interpret your subject when producing a
drawing traditionally. Use crayons or oil
pastel to add color to your sketch.
Imitate Monet’s Impressionist style by
using short choppy dashes and dabs of
color. Begin in the center of the objects
and work outward. Use complementary
colors to make hues look dark. How did
you illustrate your ideas from direct
observation?
P o r t f o l i o
Look again at the examples of
Impressionism in this chapter. List
characteristics of these paintings that
are similar. Look at your sketch. Does it
contain those characteristics you listed?
Put a star beside those that are found in
your sketch. Place your list with your
sketch, and keep them together in your
portfolio.
Check Your
Understanding
Figure 6–7 This is one of a series of paintings
depicting poplar trees. Monet sat in a small boat and worked
on several pictures at once. He exchanged one canvas for
another as the light changed during the day.
Claude Monet. Poplars. 1891. Oil on canvas. 93 74.1 cm
(365⁄8 293⁄16). Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The Chester Dale Collection, 1951.
1. Define analyzing, as the term is used by an
art historian.
2. What is style as it relates to art?
3. Describe the features of an artwork done in
the Pointillist style. Now describe them in
the Impressionist style.
Lesson 3 Analyzing Artistic Style
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