Lesson 5 - Form, Content, and Context

• The first key element that a spectator should consider in an artwork is its Form.
• Form is the surface of an artwork.
• As the saying goes “what you see is what you get,” form is just what it is- nothing else.
• Forms can either be two-dimensional such as drawings and paintings; or three dimensional similar to sculpture, architecture. 
• FORM - It answers these types of questions:

  • What is it made out of (the medium)?
  • What techniques are used?
  • How were the design elements and principles used?
  • What is the style (abstract, impressionistic, etc.)?
• Form is the physical manifestation of the artwork. 
• The form of a work of art or design refers to all of its visible elements and the particular way these come together as a whole.
• Form - These include the material or medium, the color, the use of line, texture, composition, dimensions, and the duration of work.
• Content is the subject matter of a work of art or design.
• Content - It is revealed through the formal properties of the work and may be evident on a number of levels.
• Content - It is about what is happening in the works, what meaning you derive from them, and whether or not they create a particular mood or reaction.
• Content - The formal elements of the work and its title can often help to read the content, as a recurring pattern, motifs, or symbols that may have special significance.
• Content is the essence of the artwork.
• CONTENT - It answers these types of questions:

  • What is the subject/theme?
  • What is the context?
  • What is the meaning/intention?
  • Why was this artwork created?
• Content - It is what the artwork is about.
• Content contains the subject matter that carries the message of the work.
• Context in the arts refers to the varied situations in which the works have been produced or interpreted. 
• 2 Kinds of Context:

  1. Primary
  2. Secondary
• Primary context is the personal type, for it concerns the sentiments of the artists – his beliefs, values, interest, attitudes, and emotions.
• Secondary context refers to the place and period in which the artist has made his work: the social, political, and economic environment he is in, and his purpose in creating the artwork.
•  Content is "what" the work is about, form is "how" the work is, and context is "in what circumstances" the work is (and was).