-Read this linked website before starting the annotations.
-Once you have read the background article on this artwork, look at it closely. What do you see? What fascinates you most? Look at the corners, and where they lead you visually. Look closely at the details, and the organization of the image within the work. Everything is there for a reason!
-Write at least 5 to 7 detailed observations about the work, on the work. These observations must focus on what you can see, such as line, color, light, handling of paint, material, composition, subject matter, iconography, or another visible element of the work of art. Your observations must be clear, but they need not be written in complete sentences. The annotations can be written onto the image, with arrows or lines indicating the annotation.
-Observations help us interpret a work of art. Your observations should offer some element of interpretation. For example, you may observe that a painting has a warm color palette, using lots of yellows, reds, and oranges. Interpret in a few words what effect that warm color palette may have on the viewer—does it make the space the artist has constructed appear romantic? inviting? mysterious? While your observations are indisputable (they are what you see), your interpretations should be sufficiently contestable, meaning they are up to interpretation (they are how you see).
-The file, an example, and helpful terms are attached as PDFs.