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Describing a painting

How to describe a piece of art

To describe a work of art, it is useful to follow a precise outline that will help you structure your analysis and clearly express your observations and ideas. Here are the recommended steps:

Identify the work

Start by giving basic information about the work. This includes the name of the artist, the title of the work, the date it was created and the place where it is exhibited. This identification provides the context of the work and helps to better understand the period and the artist's intentions.

The different parts of the work are described  

Describe what you see in the painting. This includes visual elements such as colours, composition, shapes, light and the different objects or characters represented. This description should be objective and detailed, with no personal interpretation at this stage.

Interpreting the work

Finally, try to make sense of the work. What is it trying to express? What emotion or message does it seem to convey? This is where you can share your impressions and opinions, basing your ideas on the elements described above.

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Your turn !

You are free to choose one work from all those in the exhibition.

Prepare your description in this order so that your explanation is clear and well structured.

You can use the structures and sentences suggested below.

Describing a painting

Expressions for the introduction :

  • This is a painting by...
  • This painting was done by...
  • Look at this work called...
  • The artist is famous for...
  • The painting represents...
  • It was painted in...
  • It's a picture of...

Expressions to describe the painting :

In the foreground :

  • In the foreground, there is...
  • You can clearly see...
  • Near us, there is...  

In the background :

  • In the background, you can see...
  • Further away, you can see...
  • In the distance, there is...  

Characteristic feature :

  • An interesting detail is...
  • An important element of the image is...
  • You can't miss...

Colours and contras :

  • The colours used are...
  • There is a contrast between...
  • The dominant tones are...

Emotions felt :

  • Looking at this work, you can feel...
  • The image conveys a feeling of...
  • It creates an atmosphere of...