Approach designed to express how an image looks 2. This relies
on what they call the good eye which is basically connoisseurship
of the visual. 3. Not fully methodological, nor is it fully
theoretical, but lies somewhere in between.
4. Connoisseurship Connoisseurship involves the acquisition of
extensive first-hand experience of works of art with the aim,
first, of attributing works to artists and schools, identifying
styles and establishing source and influence, and second, of
judging their quality and hence their place in a canon. 5.
compositional interpretation has been developed through art
history (relates to paintings mostly) 6. It requires contextual
information such as what a painter was inspired by and influenced
by at the time that they created their own painting. 7. claims to
look at images for what they are instead of what they do or how
they were/are used.
8. Case study of Compositional Interpretation on a Rembrandt
Exhibit by Adrian Searle
When looking at the images we see the paint and the age of his
paintings and the physical aspects become part of the work to be
interpreted. 9. Rembrandt created many self portraits in which he
dressed up for. He would take on a variety of characters from a
beggar and a ruler. 10. The images feel honest to Searle who
considers that Rembrant might have seen his face as a vessel of
universal characters 11. Searle sees candour and humility in the
paintings, as Rembrandt is not a good looking man and shows himself
aging. 12. The last line of his review is ...I realize you can't
view Rembrandt, Rembrandt reviews you
13. Conclusion
There is acknowledgement of the shortcomings of simply looking
at the image for what it is. (such as the various interpretations)
14. Compositional Interpretation looks carefully at form and
content 15. Is more useful in conjunction with other methods of
analysis. (what is literally seen, along with reception, meaning,
and content)
