Guide to Looking
When viewing art, allow a few minutes just to observe. Careful observation allows time to use all the senses, become engaged, and notice things missed at first glance. Make a list of everything observed: objects, colors, shapes, patterns, as well as the feelings that the work conveys to you.
Guiding Questions:
- What is the first thing your eye is drawn to when you look at this photograph? How does it “travel” across the image?
- What are the areas that show the most contrast (darkest and lightest)?
- How do the contrasts help keep your interest in the work?
- Why do you think the artist has chosen to photograph this scene?
- What do you wonder about it?
Suggested Activities:
- Take a photograph of someone at work. Think about the lighting and composition (where objects are placed in relation to each other). What is the message you want to convey about the person? The work?
- Imagine you are the person in the photograph. What would you be seeing, smelling, feeling, and thinking about? Write a description of it.
- Share your creations with us by uploading your finished work below!
For more information on this artwork, visit the Farnsworth Art Museum Collection website:
https://collection.farnsworthmuseum.org/objects/2320
Artist: Berenice Abbott
Title: Lumberjack, Great Northern Paper Company
Year: 1967