Some guidelines on describing an artwork
Subjective reaction
Points to be covered
- What do you think the artwork symbolizes?
- What is your emotional reaction to the artwork? Does it remind you of anything?
- What is your opinion about this artwork?
Some useful expressions you might want to employ
1. I believe that this artwork symbolizes...
2.
- The artwork makes the viewer feel… (adjective referring to the emotion experienced by the viewer)
- The artwork is (adjective referring to the type of emotion it provokes)
- This work of art provokes a sense of ... (noun: emotion)
- This painting reminds me of... (noun)
3. This artwork is (adjective indicating degree of appreciation, or noun phrase such as "a masterpiece").
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/visionshare/5973897005/in/photostream/ (posted by Visionshare on Flickr under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license)
Example
"The Scream is a true masterpiece, I believe that it symbolizes perfectly the anguish that dominates modern society. This painting is an extremely disturbing artwork, it makes the viewer feel anxious, and provokes a sense of vertigo and fear. Actually, Munch's artwork reminds me of one of the worst crises in my life."