The following are a selection of questions you could use to scaffold your critical analysis of an image. The following examples relate to looking at a painting, but you could modify these questions to support looking at a piece of sculpture or a building.
This is not an exhaustive list, add your own questions if you like:
The image caption may answer the following questions:
Who is the artist?
What is the title of the work?
What is the size of the work?
What is the medium (fresco, oil, tempera etc.)?
What is the date?
Where is the work now located?
Many of us forget to describe what we see:
How is the composition arranged (tight or loose)?
How is the subject painted (heavy or light brush work)?
How does colour evoke mood (atmospheric, dramatic)?
What details look familiar or unfamiliar to you?
Is there anything that stands out for you?
Does this connect with anything seen before?
Look closer for meaning through style and symbol:
Do you recognise the subject (content of the painting)?
What does the subject-matter tell you about its meaning?
Who commissioned the work (patron)?
Why was it commissioned (public or private commission)?
Who owned the work (did it change hands)?
Is it characteristic of the period (art historical style)?
Think about the context of the work and what has been critically written about it.
How does this effect the way we look at the composition?
What is the original historical context (period)?
How does context inform meaning (significant events)?
Do sketches inform the work (are there changes over time)?
Has the work been restored (any new discoveries)?
What has been written about the work (art history/ criticism)?
How does critical opinion inform meaning (art history/ criticism)?
