The art discourse community:
- a socio-rhetorical group of people who share common goals directly related to art; certain mechanisms of communication (e.g., art magazines); specific vocabulary, grammar, semantics, rhetoric; specific GENRES
- genre: type of texts that share the same communicative purpose
The Critical Essay = a genre whose communicative purpose is to offer a personal opinion on a specific subject. Therefore we can consider it subjective writing. Nonetheless, subjective does not mean total lack of evidence for what we claim.
The Formal Analysis
- a type of critical essay
- to analyse = to take a thing apart; to decompose it in order to see what its components are and how they work together as a whole => to analyse a work of art = to deconstruct it into smaller elements such as : subject-matter; formal elements; principles of design; style; purpose, etc.
- purpose: to describe, interpret and/or evaluate a work of art, that is, to analyse a work of art
- prerequisite: direct access to the real work or to a good reproduction
- each such important element is then analysed in order to see what role it plays in the whole
- the standard move-structure of a text belonging to the subgenre of formal analysis:
MOVE I: Introducing the work and the artist
MOVE II: Transition:
- usually offers a personal first response to the work
MOVE III: Analysing de-constructed elements:
MOVE IV: Concluding:
- offering a final interpretation +/- evaluation of the whole work, based on the previous analyses
TASKS:
- study the texts:
1. The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Jeanne Cenami by Jan van Eyck, written by Erwin Panofsky
The text you are supposed to read is really Panofsky's text (which can be found in the book Anda-Elena Cretiu: Discourse and Communication in Visual Arts, Casa Cartii de Stiinta, 2014, or in
Genre-Structured Discourse in Art Texts, Presa Univ. Clujeana, 2003) (in our library). The links below are only commentaries on the text and may help you better understand it.
Erwin Panofsky and his interpretation of art woks
another version of the text
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait
2. Ten Lizes by Andy Warhol by Anca Teodora Pora
- comment on the analyses made by the authors, that is, on the descriptions and interpretations and/or evaluations offered; did they convince you?; c
- a socio-rhetorical group of people who share common goals directly related to art; certain mechanisms of communication (e.g., art magazines); specific vocabulary, grammar, semantics, rhetoric; specific GENRES
- genre: type of texts that share the same communicative purpose
The Critical Essay = a genre whose communicative purpose is to offer a personal opinion on a specific subject. Therefore we can consider it subjective writing. Nonetheless, subjective does not mean total lack of evidence for what we claim.
The Formal Analysis
- a type of critical essay
- to analyse = to take a thing apart; to decompose it in order to see what its components are and how they work together as a whole => to analyse a work of art = to deconstruct it into smaller elements such as : subject-matter; formal elements; principles of design; style; purpose, etc.
- purpose: to describe, interpret and/or evaluate a work of art, that is, to analyse a work of art
- prerequisite: direct access to the real work or to a good reproduction
- each such important element is then analysed in order to see what role it plays in the whole
- the standard move-structure of a text belonging to the subgenre of formal analysis:
MOVE I: Introducing the work and the artist
- step 1: identifying the work (some details about the title, author, theme, subject-matter, medium, dimensions, period of creation, current location, purposes of creation)
- step 2: identifying the artist: only that biographical information considered relevant for the work analysed
MOVE II: Transition:
- usually offers a personal first response to the work
MOVE III: Analysing de-constructed elements:
- step 1: analysing first element : describing the first element + interpreting the first element + /- evaluating the first element (e.g. a character in the work)
- step 2: analysing element 2 (e.g. the principle of the perfect symmetry)
- step 3: analysing element 3 (e.g. the dominating colour)
MOVE IV: Concluding:
- offering a final interpretation +/- evaluation of the whole work, based on the previous analyses
TASKS:
- study the texts:
1. The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Jeanne Cenami by Jan van Eyck, written by Erwin Panofsky
The text you are supposed to read is really Panofsky's text (which can be found in the book Anda-Elena Cretiu: Discourse and Communication in Visual Arts, Casa Cartii de Stiinta, 2014, or in
Erwin Panofsky and his interpretation of art woks
another version of the text
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnolfini_Portrait
2. Ten Lizes by Andy Warhol by Anca Teodora Pora
- comment on the analyses made by the authors, that is, on the descriptions and interpretations and/or evaluations offered; did they convince you?; c
an you find other possible interpretations to those elements?; are there other elements you would have chosen instead? Which? Why?
3. Access the video material below. What elements are analyzed? Although no interpretations are assigned to the formal elements analyzed here, can you think of 2-3 partial interpretations and an on-the-whole one?
DEADLINE: November 10
Dracea Luca-Vlad
ReplyDeleteAnul 2
Foto-Video
1. “The Arnolfini Marriage” – Erwin Panofsky
Panofsky’s interpretation:
Panofsky sees the painting as a symbolic representation of a marriage, with details loaded with meanings: the hand gesture, the shoes taken off, the dog (fidelity), the lit candle (the presence of the divinity), the mirror (witness), the artist’s signature – all signs would support the idea of an official nuptial act.
Criticisms of the interpretation:
Documents were later discovered showing that the Arnolfini couple married after van Eyck’s death.
Some symbols may have simpler explanations (the shoes taken off = a domestic gesture, not a religious one).
The painting may also be a prestigious portrait, not necessarily a wedding.
My point of view:
Panofsky convinces through rigor, but sometimes exaggerates the symbolism. An alternative interpretation may be that the painting reflects social status or even an engagement, not an actual marriage.
2. “Ten Lizas” – Andy Warhol, commentary based on the text by A. T. Pora
Author’s analysis:
Pora interprets the work as a critique of celebrity culture and mass reproduction – Liz Taylor’s image becomes a commodity. Repetition suggests the emptiness of meaning, and the brilliant aesthetics mask the fragility of identity.
Partially – it is a plausible interpretation, but not the only one. Warhol is ambiguous: he can criticize, but also glorify celebrities.
Other possible interpretations:
A form of visual memorial – the preservation of a cultural icon.
A reflection on fragmented identity in the media age
3. The video
Elements analyzed:
Composition, light, color, texture, line – no direct interpretations.
2–3 possible interpretations:
The contrast of light can suggest the tension between appearance and essence.
The formal repetition can indicate the visual monotony of the modern era.
A possible general interpretation: the work expresses how the image becomes central in our perception of reality.
1.According to Panofsky, Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait is a visual document of a marriage ceremony. Every element in the scene carries symbolic weight: the joined hands represent union, the discarded shoes suggest a sacred space, the dog stands for loyalty, the single candle marks divine presence, and the convex mirror serves as a witness to the act. Even the artist’s signature reinforces the idea of an official event being recorded.Later research revealed that the Arnolfini couple actually married after van Eyck’s death, which challenges Panofsky’s theory. Many of the supposed “symbols” might simply reflect daily life like taking off shoes indoors as a common custom. Some scholars now believe the painting could instead be a formal double portrait meant to highlight wealth and respectability rather than document a wedding.
ReplyDeleteMy point of view,while Panofsky’s reading is impressive in its depth and logic, it sometimes feels overly symbolic. I see the painting as more of a social statement than a religious or legal one—perhaps celebrating engagement, prosperity, or domestic virtue rather than a literal marriage. The meticulous detail and luxurious setting seem to emphasize status and identity as much as personal union.
2.Anca Teodora Pora’s analysis of Andy Warhol’s Ten Lizes does a great job of explaining how Warhol used repetition and screen-printing to show how fame can turn a person into a product. I found her points convincing, especially her idea that the repeated images of Elizabeth Taylor reflect how the media strips away individuality. Still, I think there’s more that could be said. For example, the faded, uneven look of the prints might also suggest something deeper—like the fragility of fame or the loneliness behind celebrity life. I’d also focus more on Warhol’s use of color and texture, since the contrast between sharp and blurry areas adds emotional depth to the piece. Overall, Pora’s interpretation is strong, but adding these details could make the analysis even richer and more personal.
3.Elements examined,composition, lighting, color, texture, and line are analyzed, though no explicit interpretations are provided.The interplay of light and shadow might reflect the tension between surface appearance and underlying reality.
The repeated visual motifs could suggest the monotony or uniformity of contemporary life.A possible overall interpretation:
The work can be seen as highlighting how images dominate and shape the way we perceive the world.