How to do visual (formal) analysis in art history

Summary

In this video, Steven and Beth explore Giovanni Bellini's 'Madonna of the Meadow' at the National Gallery in London, focusing on visual analysis tools rather than historical context. They discuss the painting's scale, composition, pictorial space, form, line, color, light, tone, texture, and pattern, highlighting the artist's techniques in creating a sense of depth, intimacy, and realism. The analysis emphasizes the interplay of elements like the pyramidal composition, atmospheric perspective, and the use of primary colors, which contribute to the painting's visual impact and artistic mastery.

Takeaways

• 🖼️ The discussion focuses on Giovanni Bellini's 'Madonna of the Meadow' at the National Gallery in London, using it as a case study for visual analysis.
• 🚫 They intentionally avoid discussing iconography, symbolism, commission, patronage, and the painting's political, social, or economic context.
• 🔍 The conversation centers on observable elements such as scale, composition, pictorial space, form, line, color, light, tone, texture, and pattern.
• 📏 Scale is discussed in terms of the painting's size relative to the viewer and the figures' size within the artwork.
• 🎨 Composition is analyzed through the figure's positioning, the use of a pyramidal shape created by the Virgin Mary's drapery, and the balance between figures and landscape.
• 🌅 Pictorial space is created through overlapping, atmospheric perspective, and linear perspective, which includes the use of orthogonals leading to a vanishing point.
• 🏞️ The variety of forms depicted includes natural, figurative, and built forms, each with different levels of solidity and detail.
• 🖌️ Line is used to define form, separate elements, and create internal spaces within the painting.
• 🌈 Color is used to create contrast and connection, with emphasis on the Virgin's blue mantle, the sky, and earth tones, highlighting the primary colors and their relationships.
• 💡 Light and shadow are meticulously applied to create a sense of three-dimensionality and form through chiaroscuro.
• 🖼️ Tone is discussed in relation to light and darkness within colors, particularly in the rendering of flesh and the Virgin Mary's cloak.
• 🧩 Texture is varied across the painting, from the smoothness of flesh and clothing to the roughness of the ground and the feathery leaves, enhancing the painting's realism.
• 🌿 Pattern is identified in the Virgin Mary's robe and the organic repetition in the foliage, sometimes conflicting with the illusion of depth.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the discussion in the video script about Giovanni Bellini's painting?

The main focus is on the tools of visual analysis, specifically discussing aspects like scale, composition, pictorial space, form, line, color, light, tone, texture, and pattern.

Why did the speakers choose to discuss Giovanni Bellini's 'Madonna of the Meadow'?

The painting was chosen as a vehicle to highlight the tools of visual analysis, rather than discussing its historical or symbolic context.

What aspects of the painting are not discussed in the video script?

The script avoids discussing iconography, symbolism of the animals, the commission or patron, and the political, social, or economic context of the painting.

How does the scale of the painting influence the viewer's experience according to the script?

The scale of the painting affects the viewer's distance from the artwork, with larger paintings requiring the viewer to stand back and smaller ones inviting closer inspection.

What compositional technique does the artist use to create stability in the painting?

The artist uses a pyramidal composition, with the Virgin Mary's drapery spreading out across the bottom of the painting, creating a stable form.

How does the artist use the landscape to frame the main subject in the painting?

The artist places the Virgin Mary close to the foreground, towering over the horizon line, and uses the surrounding landscape to frame her, creating a pyramidal foreground in front of horizontal bands that recede into space.

What is the significance of the diagonal lines in the painting's composition?

The diagonal lines, such as the slope of the Virgin Mary's right shoulder and the child's body, echo each other and help to unify the composition.

How does the artist create an illusion of three-dimensional form and space on a flat surface?

The artist uses atmospheric and linear perspective, overlapping figures, and orthogonals leading to a vanishing point to create the illusion of depth.

What are the three main color groups present in the painting, as mentioned in the script?

The three main color groups are the brilliant blue of the Virgin's mantle and sky, the red of her undergarment, and the yellows of the flesh and fields.

How does the use of light and shadow contribute to the three-dimensionality of the forms in the painting?

The artist creates a consistent use of light and shadow, with shadow always in accordance with the light source, contributing to the forms' three-dimensionality through chiaroscuro.

What role does texture play in the painting, and how does the artist use it?

Texture is used to create a sense of veracity and contrast between different forms, such as the smoothness of flesh and cloth versus the roughness of the pebbles or the featheriness of leaves.

How does the presence of pattern in the painting affect the viewer's perception of depth?

Pattern, such as the repetition of leaf and grass forms, can conflict with the illusionistic depth, sometimes making elements like the green field appear to stand out, reminding the viewer of the painting's two-dimensional surface.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Analyzing Visual Elements in 'Madonna of the Meadow'

Steven and Beth discuss their approach to analyzing Giovanni Bellini's 'Madonna of the Meadow' in the National Gallery, focusing on visual elements rather than historical or symbolic context. They decide to concentrate on aspects like scale, composition, pictorial space, form, line, color, light, tone, texture, and pattern. They begin by examining the painting's moderate size and how it affects the viewer's distance, the female figure's scale, and the composition's stability created by the pyramidal shape of the drapery. They also discuss the figure's positioning in the foreground, the landscape's framing effect, and the use of horizontal bands in the background to create depth. The conversation highlights the artist's skill in unifying the composition through form and line, such as the correspondence of angles and the use of diagonal lines.

05:01

🖼️ Deep Dive into Pictorial Space, Form, and Color

The discussion continues with an exploration of pictorial space, acknowledging the flat canvas and the artist's illusion of three-dimensionality. They note the use of atmospheric and linear perspective, with the sky's color gradient and the receding diagonal lines in the plowed field contributing to the depth. The conversation then shifts to form, distinguishing between natural, figurative, and built forms, and the variety in their solidity and delicacy. The use of line to define form is highlighted, with examples from the painting. Moving on to color, they describe the painting's rich blues and earth tones, and how these contribute to the composition. The interplay of light and shadow, or chiaroscuro, is analyzed for its role in creating a three-dimensional effect. The summary concludes with an examination of tone, texture, and pattern, noting how these elements contribute to the painting's realism and decorative quality.

Keywords

💡Scale

Scale in the context of the video refers to the relative size of the painting and the figures within it. It is crucial for understanding how the artwork is meant to be perceived and interacts with the viewer. The video discusses how the painting's moderate size influences the viewer's distance from the artwork, with larger paintings often viewed from afar and smaller ones up close. The scale of the Madonna figure, smaller than life size yet filling a third of the frame, contributes to the composition and the focal point of the painting.

💡Composition

Composition is the arrangement of visual elements within an artwork. The video emphasizes the pyramidal shape created by the Madonna's drapery, which provides stability and draws attention to the intimate connection between the Madonna and the Child. The composition also includes the use of horizontal bands in the landscape, contributing to the depth and spatial arrangement of the painting.

💡Pictorial Space

Pictorial space is the illusion of three-dimensional space created on a two-dimensional surface. The video explains how the artist uses overlapping, atmospheric perspective (changes in color and detail with distance), and linear perspective (orthogonals leading to a vanishing point) to create a sense of depth and space within the painting.

💡Form

Form in art refers to the representation of three-dimensional objects or shapes. The video discusses how the artist depicts various forms, such as natural forms (trees, grass), figurative forms (Madonna and Child), and built forms (architecture), each with different levels of solidity and detail, contributing to the overall visual richness of the painting.

💡Line

Line is a fundamental element of art that can define the contours of shapes, create boundaries, or exist independently to convey a sense of movement or structure. The video points out the use of contour lines to separate forms, such as the Madonna's drapery from the grass, and the lines that define the architecture, contributing to the painting's composition.

💡Color

Color is a powerful tool in painting, used to create mood, contrast, and harmony. The video highlights the use of rich blues in the Virgin's mantle and the sky, contrasting with earth tones, and the strategic use of primary colors to draw attention and create visual interest.

💡Light

Light in a painting can suggest time of day, create mood, and define form through highlights and shadows. The video describes how the artist uses light to give a sense of a clear day, with light coming from above and to the left, casting shadows and creating a sense of three-dimensionality.

💡Tone

Tone refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color, affecting the painting's overall harmony and depth. The video notes the variation in tone in the Virgin Mary's cloak and the subtlety in the rendering of flesh tones, contributing to the painting's realism and depth.

💡Texture

Texture in art is the visual and tactile quality of a surface or material. The video discusses the contrast between the smooth textures of the flesh and clothing and the rough textures of the pebbles and leaves, which enhances the painting's realism and provides visual interest.

💡Pattern

Pattern is the repetition of a particular design or motif and can create a sense of order or decoration. The video points out the patterns in the Virgin Mary's robe and the organic patterns in the foliage, which add a decorative element and can sometimes conflict with the illusion of depth, reminding the viewer of the painting's two-dimensional surface.

Highlights

Focus on visual analysis tools rather than historical or symbolic context.

Discuss scale in relation to painting and figure size, and viewer's distance.

Composition is analyzed through the figure's positioning and drapery's role in forming a pyramidal shape.

Pyramidal composition creates stability and intimacy between the figures.

Foreground figures are placed to tower over the horizon, emphasizing their primacy.

Landscape elements frame the main subject and create horizontal bands in the background.

Artistic composition involves the arrangement of figure bodies and their corresponding angles.

Pictorial space is created through overlapping, atmospheric, and linear perspective.

Atmospheric perspective is used to depict distance by adjusting color intensity and saturation.

Linear perspective is evident in the receding diagonal lines of the plowed field.

Form is represented through a variety of natural, figurative, and built forms.

Line is used to define form contours and create internal spaces within the figures.

Color is used to create contrast and establish relationships between different elements in the painting.

Light and shadow are consistent, enhancing the three-dimensionality and form of the figures.

Tone variations within colors contribute to the painting's depth and realism.

Texture is used to convey different materials and surfaces, adding to the painting's realism.

Pattern is found in the ornamentation of the Virgin Mary's robe and the organic patterns in the foliage.

Patterns can create a decorative field and sometimes conflict with the illusion of depth.

Transcripts

- [Steven] We're in the National Gallery in London,

standing in front of Giovanni Bellini's

the Madonna of the Meadow.

This is a Renaissance painting from Venice.

But we wanted to talk about it,

as a vehicle to highlight the tools of visual analysis.

- [Beth] So here's what we're not gonna talk about.

We're not gonna talk about iconography,

how this painting fits in with the history of paintings

of the Madonna and Child.

We're not gonna talk about the symbolism that we might see

in some of the animals in the background.

We're not gonna talk about the commission

or who the patron was.

- [Steven] We're not gonna talk about the political,

social, or economic context in which this painting was made.

Instead we're gonna focus on the things we can see.

So we're gonna talk about scale, composition,

pictorial space, form, line, color,

light, tone, texture, and pattern.

- [Beth] Let's start with the issue of scale.

So here we can talk about the scale of the painting,

and the scale of the figures,

and what we see in the painting.

- [Steven] Well, we're in a gallery with paintings

of all different sizes, there are very large altar pieces,

and there are some very small paintings as well.

This is a moderately sized painting,

and that changes where we stand

in relationship to the painting.

When you stand in front of a very large painting,

you tend to stand back, we want to take it all in.

Whereas when you walk up to a very small painting,

we tend to come in very close, to see as much as we can.

- [Beth] We see a female figure

who's smaller than life size.

- [Steven] But she fills a third of the frame.

- [Beth] And that brings us to the composition.

Not only does she fill a third of the frame,

but the clothing that she's wearing, the drapery spreads out

across the bottom length of the painting.

- [Steven] Creating, in essence, a pyramid.

The base of a pyramid is broad.

- [Beth] And pyramids are a very stable form.

We also notice that the child in her lap is contained

within the pyramidal shape of her body.

So there is a intimacy that is created

between the female figure and the child.

- [Steven] The artist has placed her very close

to the foreground, so that she towers over the horizon line,

and is clearly the primary subject.

But there is also a significant amount of landscape

that surrounds her, that, in a sense, frames her.

Bellini has created this pyramidal foreground,

in front of a series of what are really horizontal bands,

that move back into space.

You see a band in the foreground of greenery,

then there's a band of pebbles,

then there's a band of tilled farmland,

and even the clouds create horizontal bands in the sky.

- [Beth] She's framed on one side by trees,

and on the other side by the vertical forms

of the architecture.

- [Steven] Another way we can talk about composition,

is to think about the way in which the artist

has composed the bodies of the figures.

Look at the lovely, gentle tilt to the Virgin Mary's head,

which corresponds to the angle of the Christ Child's head.

But I'm also struck by the volume in between the hands

of the Virgin Mary, who holds her fingertips together,

defining an internal space, that has the same kind of volume

as her own head and that of the child.

- [Beth] The diagonal line that forms the slope

of her right shoulder corresponds to the diagonal line

of her forearm, and the diagonal line of the child's body.

So we have this echoing of forms,

that helps to unify the composition.

- [Steven] Let's turn next to pictorial space.

- [Beth] We should acknowledge

that we're looking at a flat surface.

And that what the artist is doing

is creating an illusion of three-dimensional form

and an illusion of space on this flat surface.

Let's start with the figure,

she's seated on the ground with the child on her lap.

So we have, immediately, a sense of one thing

in front of another because of overlapping.

- [Steven] But in addition, the pictorial space

is defined by what we would call

atmospheric and linear perspective.

If we look at the sky at the top of the painting,

the sky that is closest to us, it has deep, rich blues.

And as the sky moves back in space,

towards the horizon, it becomes paler.

Look at the mountains in the distance,

how they've become paler and bluer.

This is a technique that's meant to replicate

the natural phenomena of looking at a great distance,

looking through more atmosphere.

Details become less vivid, color becomes paler,

things become bluer.

- [Beth] We also notice a little bit of linear perspective

if we look at the plowed field.

Where we see diagonal lines that appear to recede

into the distance, that lead our eye back into space.

- [Steven] Those lines are called orthogonals.

They meet at a vanishing point,

which in the context of this painting,

is obscured by the Virgin Mary and Child in the foreground.

But which nevertheless creates a sense of logic,

and places us, the viewer, in a particular point in space,

in relationship to the image that we're seeing.

- [Beth] Let's turn next to the question of form.

- [Steven] Generally, when we speak about form,

we're thinking about the representation of solids in space,

and it's instructive to think

about the variety of types of form

that the artist is representing.

- [Beth] Well we have the natural forms, we have trees,

and grass, and fields, and mountains, and clouds.

We also have figurative forms,

the Madonna and Child in the foreground,

but we also have built forms,

we have the architecture in the background.

Some of these forms are rounded and curvilinear,

like the Virgin Mary and the the Christ Child,

or even the clouds.

And some of them are rectilinear like the architecture

in the background.

- [Steven] Some of them feel very solid,

like the figures in the foreground.

And some of the form is far more delicate,

look at the handling, for example,

of the leaves on the trees.

- [Beth] Those forms are established

just by touches of color from the artist's brush.

- [Steven] Now form is often defined by line.

- [Beth] And, in fact, there are contour lines used

to demarcate and separate forms.

So, for example, separating the Virgin Mary's drapery

from the grass that she sits on.

And we also have places where we have line on its own,

for example, in the branches of the tree.

Line is also sometimes the corners of forms,

I'm looking at the line that forms the edge

of the squared turret.

- [Steven] Next we wanted to talk about color.

- [Beth] One is immediately struck by the rich blue

of the Virgin's mantle.

But also the deep blue of the sky.

And that contrast with the earth colors,

the browns and the greens that we see in the fields

around and behind her.

- [Steven] There are essentially three main color groups.

There's the brilliant blue of the Virgin's mantle,

of the sky, of the mountains.

There's the red of her undergarment.

And then there's the yellows of the flesh,

of the fields, and of the architecture.

These are the three primary colors.

- [Beth] We see white in the shawl that she wears

around her head, and also in the clouds.

So Mary is connected with the heavens.

- [Steven] Color is in someways a function of light,

and here the artist has created a sense

of the broad light of a clear day.

- [Beth] The light from the sun seems

to be coming from the left, maybe a little bit forward

from the figures.

- [Steven] And high in the sky.

- [Beth] And we see the clouds illuminated from above,

there in shadow below, similarly with the Virgin Mary,

if we look at her right forearm,

it's illuminated from above, but in shadow below.

- [Steven] And so the artist has taken pains to create

a consistent of use of light and shadow.

That is, shadow is always in accordance

with the source of that light.

- [Beth] Look at Virgin Mary's face,

her right cheek is illuminated,

but the left side of her cheek is in shadow,

and we have the sense of moving tones

from light into darkness,

what art historians often call chiaroscuro.

And this helps to create a form

that looks three-dimensional,

that appears to exist in space.

- [Steven] But light and color

are both closely related to tone as well.

- [Beth] And tone refers to the amount

of light and darkness in a color.

- [Steven] And we can see that in many parts

of this painting, we can see it in the cloak

of the Virgin Mary, but it's probably most subtly handled

in the representation of flesh.

Looking at the beautiful rendering

of the Virgin Mary's face, and the smooth brushwork,

makes me aware of the variety of textures

within this painting.

And the contrast that the artist is creating

between the smooth textures of the flesh,

or of the cloth that the figures wear,

in comparison to the rough, pebbly surface

that we see in the middle ground.

- [Beth] Or we could look at the featheriness

of the leaves on the trees which are yet another texture.

- [Steven] Texture's a tool that artists can use

to create a sense of veracity,

as they define different kinds of form.

- [Beth] And texture is intimately related to the materials

that the artist is using.

Here, we know it's oil paint, which is well suited

to the depiction of different textures.

- [Steven] Let's talk next about pattern.

You might not expect to see pattern in a landscape,

which is filled with natural forms

because pattern is the repetition

of a form over and over again.

Often to create a decorative field.

- [Beth] Here, we see ornamentation

in the Virgin Mary's blue robe, we see some gold embroidery.

- [Steven] But if you look closely,

there is a soft, organic pattern,

especially in the foreground, in the foliage.

- [Beth] We do see the repetition of leaf forms,

and grass forms, that look almost like a carpet,

like a decorative field, than the unruliness of nature.

- [Steven] And one of the results of pattern,

is that it is often in conflict with pictorial space,

with the illusionistic depth that the artist renders.

And even here, it seems as if that green field stands up

a little bit, in a way that remind us

that this is in fact a two-dimensional surface.

So by looking at scale, at composition, at pictorial space,

at form, line, color, light, tone,

at the textures and the patterns,

we have an opportunity to look closely at the painting.

But these are only a few of the tools

that art historians use to discuss and explore works of art.