75-150 Word Essay

When analyzing art, you should look for the various elements to help determine its structure, meaning and value.  The traditional seven elements are as follows:

Line

Shape

Form

Space

Color

Value

Texture

These two resources give details about each one:

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/reference/f/elements.htm

http://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/elements_art.pdf

Using these elements, compare and contrast Aaron Douglas’ Song of the Towers, 1934 with Grant Wood’s American Gothic, 1930.

You can review the images in our text, or click the links below to visit the work online.

Song of the Towers (from Aspects of Negro Life), 1934

American Gothic, 1930

Spend time looking carefully at each work. Write down a list of words that describe each work – include nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.  What is similar about these works? What is different?  You do not have to identify all seven elements in the paintings, but you should be able to identify at least two