Macaulay Brooklyn Museum

by: Andre Hoolihan, Syeda Kamal, and Shavana Singh


We analyzed paintings based on their historical context, subject matter, and formal matter. If we had more time, we would have spoken more about the formal matter and subject matter, and taken a look at maybe a few more paintings. We didn’t get a lot of in-depth analyses, and we also didn’t have any historical context for “Dark Tree Trunks.”
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The New One (Aaron Gilbert)

by: Zoe Fanzo, Trang Huynh, Tasmina Khair, Daisy Tetecatl, Maria Volpe


For this painting, we focused on the subject matter, discussing facial expressions, bodily positions, and object placement. We brought up possible religious metaphors and possible context behind the painting, bringing in even murder and death. However, we didn’t do much formal analysis, as we didn’t notice any immediate or significant use of technique, but we discussed the bland color scheme as opposed to the bright bar of soap in the center of the picture, the aforementioned baptismal metaphor. I think we did as much as we could in the time that we had, as none of us have ever done anything like this and we had minimal knowledge of the painting, as the description didn’t really say anything.
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Shepherdess of Rolleboise

by: Stephanie Geier, Sandra Kumwong, Josh Brancale, Xiao Dan Guo


The Shepherdess of Rolleboise combined a gray palette with a rural setting to highlighted the struggles of peasant life. The subject of the painting is a young, rosy-cheeked girl looking off the canvas, as if she was contemplating her current situation, against a dark, cloudy background. The painting was analyzed in terms of its subject and formal features. We discussed the details of the environment and the subject’s physical appearance in order to infer the tone of the painting. We did not not analyze the social or historical context of the painting at the museum. However, once discussed again, we researched the cultural significance of the painting in broader terms and recognized the value placed on the social realities of peasant life during the time period (1860’s-70’s) in Europe and America.
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GREEK SLAVE

by: NAHIYAN KABIR, REAZ RAHMAN, CHRITINE WONG


As a group we tried to seek the patterns within the statue and reach a conclusion about the greek slavery.
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Peaceful Kingdom Painting

by: Samantha Ortega & Kavita Sawh


We did an analysis on the form of the painting, including the creation of depth and dimension through the usages of an elevated platform of scaled subjects. We also discussed the usage of colors and the blending used in the landscape of the painting. We spoke of the subject matter and how it was meant to depict potential good relations between Native Americans and colonists and comparing it to potential good relations among wild animals. The painting also juxtaposes the animals and the environment to create a shock value and attraction to the piece. What we lacked to talk about is historical context, we assumed it was a colonial era painting but did not investigate nor did we speak in depth about it.
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An Untitled work about “Untitled”

by: Stephen Giangrande, Olivia Bridges, Zhaolin Tong,


Our analysis is primarily formal properties. We mainly talk about what we see in the painting, and try to give a reason about why it is that way – why the colors were there, and why the shapes were placed that way. It was an abstract piece so we couldn’t go too in depth about certain properties, so we mainly focused on how it made us feel. We didn’t do any historical analysis, even though we tried to relate it to the great depression, but the timing didn’t match up. If we had more time it would’ve been interesting to relate it to the artist’s life and time time period that he lived in.
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Two Ivans and Oksana

by: Lucia Lopez, Mary Yanez


In this video, we listen to the conversation held by the group observing Two Ivans and Oksana by Viola Pushkariova.  The type of analysis that the participants used in the conversation was a very visually based one.  The imagery of the painting itself was analyzed, from the diagonal of the man and children to the brushstrokes used to paint the mans wrist.  The color palette of the painting is also discussed in the conversation, such as the color of the children’s rosy faces and what that implies or the soft color tone of the painting overall.  These observations were used to draw conclusions and ideas about the subjects, such as the man being tired or the children being raised well.  In addition, the historical context of the painting was discussed as well.  It was a painting made in a Soviet country during the years of communist dominance, and it is reflected in the piece.  The discourse mentioned common characteristics of painters such torn countries of that time, and used that to help dissect the piece.
The kind of analysis which was lacking is what the painting could have meant to the people looking at it, rather than the painter and the message Pushkariova was trying to convey.  A crucial part of what makes art so significant and is pertinent to understanding a given piece of art is to consider how the audience of the art reacted to it.  Little thought is given to the potential reactions of viewers of the piece, which possibly deprived this analysis of a poignant topic to discuss.
Given more time, it would be nice if there was a chance to look further into the context of the painting, as well as the painting techniques which were used.  Both subjects were mentioned in the video, but only briefly; there is a desire to learn more about it.  Perhaps, learning the specifics of the world that was surrounding Pushkariova when this was painted as well as find out the exact style and method of bringing this work to life would imbue it with more meaning than had been discernible at first glance.
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Two Ivans and Oksana

by: Batsheva Ettinger, Daniella Jakubowitz, Yocheved Gourarie


In our analysis, we discussed the composition of our chosen painting, how Viola Pushkarova drew his viewers into a narrative, as well as the painting’s context in Communist Russia. Pushkarova’s process and attention to detail evoked both feelings of pity and happiness as we internalized his intent and perspective. We neglected to discuss symbolism and, given more time, might research daily life in Communist Russia as well as symbols that Pushkarova may have incorporated in his work.
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Untitled (2009) by Kananginak Pootoogook

by: Jane Chen, Joseph Schauer, Tsz Yan Jamie Fung


We analyzed the drawing by subject, the activities, and how they made us feel. We tried to analyze the artist’s technique and tools and how they contributed to the overall atmosphere of the piece. We also tried to analyze it historically based on the limited biographical information we had on the artist. He was most likely an Inuit, and thus we assumed the painting portrayed a part of life from the culture. If we had more background information about Pootoogook, we might have better understood his intent when working on the piece.
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Untitled by Charles Biederman

by: Emily Weiss, Borys Shturman, Keti Tsotskolauri


We analyzed the functional and subjective aspects of the painting. We focused on what we saw and the techniques the artist used, but we didn’t really know the historical context. However, we explored the emotions of the painting and concentrated on different perspectives.
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