Criticizing, Evaluating, and Describing Works of Art (Essay Sample)

Criticizing, Evaluating, and Describing Works of Art
Student Name
Institution
Subject
Instructor:
Due Date
Art is a creative work that is created through imagination or skill expression and it imitates life. It can be either realistic or unrealistic and it represents both inner and exterior reality. When analyzing art, things to take note of include line, color, style, medium, and artist intention. They usually come in form of drawings, textiles, paintings, photography, multimedia art, sculptures, architecture, and performance art (Isrow, 2017). Elements of art are the visual components artists use in creating and composing a piece of art. They include, color, line, shape, forms, space, value, and texture. In this case, specific pieces of art are analyzed by identifying key elements of the work and what the work is all about.
Description
This painting shows many people seated in a bar and two barmaids at the reception. A bar at the Folies-Bergere is the last major painting by Eduardo Manet displayed at the Paris Salon in the year 1882. Its dimensions are 96 cm × 130 cm and it can be found in Courtauld Gallery London (Manet). This painting represents a detailed contemporary scene whose brushwork is impressive. It displays a frontal barmaid image looking out to customers by serving behind the marble-topped counter.
Analyzing
The painting value shows contrasting dark, dull and bright colors that look uniformly harmonious. The color values for people, clothes, and drinks shows it is night time as there is front, back and reflected light. Manet created space by having frontal and behind in the bar. It shows lines separating tables and people seated at the back in between pillars. It is often hard to identify the texture of the painting; however, this painting looks smooth, flat and polished. The shapes at the back hall look blurred and overlapping. The forms like drinks, snacks, lights, glasses and pillars are simplified,