1. Visual Interpretation Using Formal Elements & Principles
Bronzino, Hals, Guston

2. Bronzino, Untitled (Man with Book), 1535
Step 1 Think of adjectives that
you believe would describe
this character.

3. Bronzino, Untitled (Man with Book), 1535
Step 2 We have just made judgements/interpretationsabout how this subject is being depicted.
How do we prove these statements? What elements and principles of the composition provide us
with support?

4. Frans Hals, The Merry Drinker, 1627
Step 1 Think of adjectives that you believe
describe this character.

5. Frans Hals, The Merry Drinker, 1627
Step 2 What elements
and principles
support your
descriptions?

6. Philip Guston, Head and Bottle, 1975
Your Thesis: Like the Bronzino, the Guston features a subject that is self-absorbed and distanced from the viewer, but like the Hals, it is a sympathetic image. Prove it.