Example of Critical Analysis Process

This example captures what the student might experience in a preliminary analysis
of The Land (Landrights) by Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau. See ETFO Arts:
Introducing Visual Arts, Drama, Dance, and Music in the Junior Grades (ETFO, 2007).

Stages of Critical Analysis

(teacher prompts)
Initial Reaction
What is your first impression?
What does it remind you of?
Does it puzzle you?

Description

What do you see when you examine the

work closely?
What stands out for you?
What do you notice?

Students Observations
strong feelings expressions on faces
divided page why?
reminds me of other aboriginal artworks
tells a story what is going on?

right red side has 2 white-faced people (?) who

look upset
blue side seems to be many creatures all joined
together very calm
one point of intersection between the sides
the faces are looking right at each other

Analysis & Interpretation

What elements and conventions of the art
form are used in this work and how?
What do you think is the theme or subject
of the work?
What message or meaning do you think
the work conveys?

artist used thick, curvy lines, organic shapes,

closed space, strong colours over large areas
the shapes in the left side are round and fat on
the right side they are long and thin
the painting might be about aboriginal people
meeting white people
the aboriginal culture sees people and animals
all joined together in one ecosystem the white
people look wimpy, dont have any animals with
them

Expression of an Informed Point

of View
Has your point of view shifted from your
initial reaction how?
What made you change your mind?
Can you now explain your first reaction
more fully or precisely?

Cultural Context
Why might different audiences view a
work in a way that is different from the

the artist used the elements of art to convey a

point of view that everything is joined and
sustainable in the aboriginal culture but not in
white culture
looking at the picture and thinking about it
helped me to figure out some of the meaning
I need to know more about the artist who is
probably aboriginal, what story he is telling in

artists intention?
Is there something important that we
need to know about the artist in order to
understand his or her work?
Are there viewpoints or voices that are left
out or never heard in the works?

this picture, and why he painted it

sometimes our history is told only from a white
persons point of view this painting makes us
think about the aboriginal point of view