I share with you an example of commentary of a work of art... This one is an example from Unit 1 and the method is valid for all the year.
How to interpret an object/ picture/ work of art...
You should follow these steps:
1- What is it? It is a sculpture, it’s a capital from a column inside a church. It belongs to San Pedro de la Nave, Zamora.
2- Who did it? or Which civilization? It is from the visigothic style in the Iberian Peninsula.
3- Which is its approximate date? It was made about the end of the 7th century.
4- How is it? (form, material, decoration, theme...) It is made from stone, it is part of a column, and the sculpture is on relief, adapted to the architectural element. This is a scene from the Bible, a religious theme, depicting the sacrifice of Isaac. It is very clear, designed for the people, who were illiterate in those days, to easily understand it.
5- What information from the past does it give us? (facts, government, population...) In the Visigothic kingdom, in the medieval era of history, churches were small, and used the decoration in order to teach people about christianity.
6- What was it used for? (function) Churches were a place to pray, and capitals were an element of the architecture, part of the column and therefore a support element. The real function of the decoration in this capitals was to show people the scenes of the Bible in a simple form.
