There are different ways of, and approaches to, looking at artwork; the following '4R' approach is a useful one:
REACT - this is your first reaction to the artwork (how do you feel about it? What does it remind you of? How do you 'relate' to it?). You might well see a piece of artArt refers to a diverse range of human intellectual and expressive activities and the outcomes of those activities. Within this context art is further defined... in a modern gallery and say 'my dog could do better than that!' which is a perfectly reasonable initial response, but you need to go further and ask yourself why the art object is in a gallery in the first place - are other people seeing something that you're missing? Note down your first feelings and ideas about it.
RESEARCH - This is an important second step, involving a systematic examination of the artwork in two stages - firstly of the artwork itself and then the circumstances surrounding its production.
The first stage of the research involves looking carefully at the artwork, either as a reproduction or (much more preferable) in real life. Examine the visual and tactile elements, (colourChoices of colour and the relationships between colours have a huge influence on how a piece or art or design looks and feels and the..., patternA design in which lines, shapes, forms or colours are repeated. E.g. Regular, irregular, repeat, tessellating, symmetrical, natural, geometric, rotation, grid, rhythm, decorative, border. Pattern..., textureArtists and designers can use actual texture in their work or they can suggest how something feels using techniques that imply texture. There are two..., compositionThe combination of a selection of distinct elements to work towards creating a whole image or form. The arrangement of shapes, colours, textures, marks and..., shapeShapes are two-dimensional. Positive shapes represent solid objects and negative shapes show the surrounding space. Geometric shapes are perfect and regular. Organic shapes are irregular..., formForm refers to three dimensional objects. While shapes have two dimensions (height and width), forms have three dimensions (height, width and depth). The overall unity..., lineLines are used by artists and designers to describe objects, add detail or create expression. Lines define an artwork and reveal the artist’s techniques. Line..., space, toneThe relative lightness or darkness of a colour. E.g. Light, dark, tint, shade, black, white, grey, shadow, highlight, contrast, monotone, high key, low key. Tone...) and their relationship to each other. You should look at the artwork's content - what is it about? Look carefully at what it is made of - what kind of paintA coloured substance that can be thickened or thinned and spread over surfaces. Paint can be water soluble, oil or plastic based, and have opaque... seems to be used? Is it a collageA technique of producing an artwork by gluing or fixing different, often found or discarded materials onto a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional surface. The materials can... or montageThis term is from the French monter meaning to fix objects into or onto something. A montage is a two-dimensional art work made up from...? Is it a paintingPainting is the practice of applying paint or other media to a surface, usually with a brush. An art object made using paint (noun). or a sculptureSculpture is three-dimensional art made by one of four basic processes: carving, modelling, casting, constructing. The term installation art is used to describe large-scale, mixed-media...? How is it put together? Is it made of metal? If so what kind and why? Make a list of all the things which you can see, dividing the list into different categories, such as ‘subject matter’ ‘colour’ and ‘composition’.
The second stage of the Research part of this approach involves inquiry without the artwork. This is where really involved research comes in, and can get quite complex, but you can discover a great deal of interesting stuff. You could investigate the artist's intention, perhaps looking up things the artist has written (see for example Van Gogh’s letters). You should look at the relationships between the content and processA series of actions, changes or operations performed in the making or creating of a product or outcomes. The procedures that one goes through in..., and the various contexts (see the section on ‘drawingThe art of representing object and forms on a surface chiefly with the use of line and with pencils, crayons, pens and a variety of... upon the work of others’) in which the artwork was produced. If you are feeling brave and intelligent (!) you might want to consider the theoretical and philosophical issues which may have influenced it.
RESPOND - This third step is concerned with makingThe process of making or producing something. The making of meaning is a decisively integral component of art-making. Meaning-making in relation to the creation of... a considered response, based on what you have discovered through systematic inquiry (having found out about the artist and her/his circumstances, how do you now feel about the artwork?). This is an opportunity for you to talk or write in an informed way about the artwork, and to use an appropriate art specialist vocabulary, using some of the words found below.
REFLECT - An opportunity to think over and contemplate the meaning and nature of the artwork in the light of the above (what does it mean to you? How does it relate to issues which concern you?). It is important to let things sink in, to give yourself time to build upon what you have learned and to think about the artwork you have looked into. Art objects, after all, are often made to have and significant, deep and moving effect upon those who look at them. Art has been, and still is, considered to be very important for all cultures, since the beginning of time - have you ever thought why?