Write a formal analysis of image 8.1 in your book: Self-Portrait with Straw Hat, by Van Gogh
The analysis should be 500-800 words long. Below is an example of the way it should be written.
Formal Analysis Assignment
30 Jun 2023
The Mask of Burkina Faso, from author Andrea Praefcake, is one of many masks created and worn in animist culture in the 19th-20th century. The masks are a symbol of spirits that are associated with objects in the natural world. This mask appears to be loosely replicating a bull or a cow. The bull’s face was carved out of light tan-colored wood, and the details were carved out from the base, giving it a low relief cut. The real texture of the carved wood is a mixture of rough and smooth. The rhythm of patterns and markings on the face of the mask are a dark rusty brown color, possibly created by burning or painting the wood. The dark eyes of the bull are bug-eyed and large, with a ring of circles carved around them. The eyes appear to be the focal point of the mask, as the lines and patterns are most prominent there. The structure of the bull’s face narrows into a snout with a large triangular opening at the end. Considering there are no other openings on the mask, this snout opening was likely so the wearer could breathe and see. The wooden horns atop the bull’s head look rusty from age and curve inward to create a “U” shape with two pointy ends. Two sideways triangles are carved into the bottom middle of the horns. These touching triangles may have been a symbol in their culture or simply for aesthetics. The bull’s ears are tucked right below the horns and have a pattern of jagged edges on the bottom. Possibly the most interesting detail of the bull mask is the hair that looks to be created from grass or animal hair. The rough, tangled hair is colored a burnt orange and falls far below the mask. The hair on the mask gives the bull a humanistic appearance. In the traditional setting, the mask would be only a part of a costume that was worn to perform rituals. The closed-form mask has a wild and eerie feel. It has been photographed against a white background. The light casts a clear shadow onto the wall behind it, furthering the mysterious and otherworldly features it possesses. The mask does not sit on a pedestal or have any structure holding it up but seems to balance and float in the middle of the photograph. Although the mask is proportional and was clearly created as a type of cow, it is not naturalistic. Instead, it is an idealized or symbolic mask because the bull was rendered to appear more spiritual than realistic. The Burkina Faso people believed that the animals had spiritual meaning, and the mask was used to perform rituals thought to bring good fortune. Although the skill it took to create the bull mask and its symbolism can be appreciated, the mask seems to emit an uneasy aura or energy. The carvings are intricate and detailed, likely taking hours or days to make. The bull’s abnormal appearance is creative but strange and could be used to scare a child. Nonetheless, the traditions surrounding the mask and its importance in the culture are meaningful and compelling.
Works Cited: Introduction to Art Textbook.pdf