Representational

AbstractNon-objective

by: Colleen O’Donnell

Representational

The exact rendering by the artist of an object or scene without any alterations or

interpretations. This means that the artist does not alter or change the image from the

observation of real life, or only slightly alters it to increase

artistic expression.

Chuck Close, self-

portrait

Did this painting trick

you into thinking it was a photograph? This painting is an example of photorealism.

Does this painting make

you feel a certain

emotion?

What do you think the man in the painting

is feeling?

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World

What do you think the girl in the painting is reaching or longing for?

How does this painting make you feel?

Grant Wood, American

Gothic

What do the facial

expressions of the man and

woman tell you about how they

might be feeling?

What do their clothing and

the background tell you about

what their lives might be like?

AbstractThe objects seen in real life are altered by

personal style of the artist to express concept or emotion. Sometimes there is little resemblance to the original object that the forms are based upon, other times the work has only been altered

slightly to express more or to adapt to the artists’ individual style.

Vincent Van Gogh, Starry

Night

What is the main color that Van

Gogh used in this painting and how does it make the

painting feel to you?

How does the direction of the brush

strokes effect the painting?

Pablo Picasso, Three

Musicians

What clues can you find

in the painting to tell you that

these are three

musicians?

If you could guess what

type of music they play, what

would it be?

Salvador Dali, The Persistence of

Memory

What do you see?

What do you think?

What do you wonder

?

Non-ObjectiveAll elements in the work of art are metaphorical and are not meant to

literally resemble anything in real life. The artist is focused on the formal elements of art, considering line,

shape, color, value, texture, space and form. There is no resemblance to

objects in the piece.

Wassily Kandinsky, Composition

VII

If you could describe

the mood of this

painting, how would

you describe it?

What parts of this

painting do your eyes

keep going back to

again and again? Why

do you think this happens?

Mark Rothko

What do the bright colors

of this painting make you think of?

How would the mood of the painting change if the colors were green and

blue?

Piet Mondrian,

Composition II in Red, Blue, and

Yellow

What do the bold black lines do to

this painting?

How would the feel of

the painting change if the large

square was yellow? Or

blue?

Mary Rousseaux

Mary Rousseaux