Basic 5 · Creative Arts · Appreciating and Appraising
Finding Meaning in Our Own Artworks
In this topic you will use the agreed guidelines to examine and derive meaning from your own artworks.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Apply the four steps to your own artwork
- Explain the meaning and message of your work
- Set targets for improving your art
What you already know
- Guidelines for appreciating visual art
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- Visual Arts & Performing Arts
- Sub-strand
- Appreciating and Appraising
- Indicator
- B5.1.4.6 – Use the agreed guidelines to examine and derive meaning from own artworks
Introduction
Artists look back at their own work to understand it better and improve. This is called self-appraisal or reflection. Now you will examine your own artworks from the term.
1. Self-Appraisal
Self-appraisal: Examining your own work honestly to find its strengths and areas to improve.
Choose one or two artworks from your portfolio. Apply the same four steps you used for others' work: describe, analyse, interpret and judge. Be honest but fair to yourself.
2. Guided Questions
| Step | Questions for my own work |
|---|---|
| describe | What did I make? What materials did I use? |
| analyse | How did I use line, shape, colour and texture? Is the work balanced? What stands out? |
| interpret | What does my work mean? What message or feeling did I want to show? Did it come out clearly? |
| judge | What are its strengths? What would I change? Did I achieve my aim? |
3. Deriving Meaning
Meaning comes from the subject, the symbols, the colours and the context. For example, a pupil painted a baobab tree with many children under it. On reflection, she explained that the tree stands for the family, giving shelter and strength, and the bright colours show happiness. Thinking about meaning helps you understand your own ideas and communicate them better next time.
4. Sample Self-Appraisal
"My artwork is a collage called 'Market Day'. I used fabric scraps, seeds and paper. The women in the centre are larger to show their importance, and the bright cloth contrasts with the brown ground. My work shows the hard work and colour of Ghanaian markets. Its strength is the variety of textures. I would improve the background, which looks empty, by adding stalls."
5. Setting Targets
- Write two strengths of your work.
- Write two things you will improve next time.
- Set a target, e.g. "I will practise shading to make my figures look solid."
- Keep your self-appraisals in your portfolio to see your progress.
New words
- self-appraisal
- Examining your own work honestly.
- reflection
- Thinking carefully about what you have done.
- meaning
- What an artwork expresses or stands for.
- context
- The situation in which a work is made or seen.
- target
- A goal for improvement.
- progress
- Improvement over time.
Summary
- Self-appraisal helps artists improve.
- Use describe, analyse, interpret and judge on your own work.
- Meaning comes from subject, symbols, colours and context.
- Set targets and track your progress.
Class activity: My Art Journey
- Choose your best artwork of the term.
- Write a self-appraisal using the four steps.
- Set two targets for next term.
You need: Learners’ own artworks, Label cards cut from manila paper, String, Clothes pegs
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Examining your own work honestly is…
- A. self-appraisal
- B. exhibiting
- C. copying
- D. framing
Show answer
Answer: self-appraisalIt helps you improve.2. Which question belongs to the "interpret" step?
- A. What does my work mean?
- B. What materials did I use?
- C. How much did it cost?
- D. Who bought it?
Show answer
Answer: What does my work mean?Interpret explains meaning.3. A goal for improvement is a…
- A. target
- B. label
- C. venue
- D. prop
Show answer
Answer: targete.g. practise shading.4. Artists can learn from their own past work.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueThrough reflection.5. Self-appraisal means only praising your work.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseIt includes areas to improve.6. Thinking carefully about what you have done is ______.
Show answer
Answer: reflectionIt leads to improvement.7. State two things you should include in a self-appraisal.
Show answer
Answer: Strengths of the work and things to improve (or meaning, materials).Any two.8. Why should you keep your self-appraisals in your portfolio?
Show answer
Answer: To see your progress over time and check whether you met your targets.Tracking growth.
Homework
- Write a self-appraisal of another artwork and set one target.