VA Comp Assessment 2

Art Criticism
 Edward Hicks
A Peaceable Kingdom
 Description
What can you learn from the title of the
artwork?
I can learn from the title The Peaceable
Kingdom that the painting will show a lot of
things at peace with each other.
 Description
What subjects in the artwork can you recognize?
I recognize babies, trees, a river, Native
Americans, colonists, and a lot of animals.
 Description
Looking at the elements of design, describe what
qualities you see.
Line in the tree branches and animal fur
Shape in the clouds
Color in the peoples clothes and all of the
animals
Value in the leaves and the shadows on the
animals
Texture in the fur
 Description
What media and techniques did the artist use?
Paint and shading
 Analysis
Emphasis: Is there a dominant element or focal
point that you see first?
The lion and the bull draw my eye because
theyre the biggest animals and theyre right in
the middle of the painting.
 Analysis
Balance: Is there a special balance, or weight,
among the elements? What mood does it create?
Its unbalanced because all of the heavy animals
are on the right side and the people are farther
away so they seem lighter. This creates a lopsided
and strange mood and I dont notice anything on
the left because theres so much more on the
right.
 Analysis
Proportion: Do the proportions look normal,
ideal, or unusual? Why?
The proportions look unusual because the
people are a lot smaller than the animals, even
the calves, which makes them look like babies.
 Analysis
Pattern: Are elements repeated to create a
pattern? Where? Why?
There are patterns in the fur of certain animals,
and both the group of animals and the group of
people are standing in a semicircle. The
similarities in their groups could show how
everything is equal. The patterns in the fur dont
seem to have a significance, they just contribute
to the accuracy in the animals.
 Analysis
Rhythm or Movement: What visual rhythms or
paths of movement do your eyes follow?
Where? Why?
The clouds look like theyre moving because of
the way theyre shaded.
 Analysis
Unity and Variety: What elements bring
together, or unify many parts of the design.
Why? What elements add variety? Why?
The design is unified by color because theres a
lot of brown in the animals, trees, and ground.
The babies add variety because theyre
unexpected and are very different from
everything else in the piece.
 Interpretation
Is there symbolism in the artwork? What do you
think it means?
The symbolism is that different beings can live
together in harmony, as shown by the predators
posing with helpless, smaller animals and
babies. Also, the water in the background shows
that people can go with the flow and forgive
others when they fight or argue.
 Interpretation
What feeling do you think the artist wanted to
give the viewer when looking at the work?
The artist wanted the viewer to be hopeful for
peace among everything in times of war.
 Interpretation
Does the work remind you of other things you
have experienced?
One time I went to the zoo and saw a multitude
of animals living with people and other animals
in harmony and not being violent.
 Interpretation
How does the work relate to other ideas or
events in the world and/or in your other
classes?
The colonists and Native Americans relate to
history because it pertains to relationships
between the two groups. Since the title is
Peaceable Kingdom theyre probably making
peace.
 Judgment
What parts of the work make you feel it is a
success or failure?
The work is a success because Hicks drew the
background and the people very skillfully, but
its a failure because the animals dont have the
right facial expressions and look a little bit
different from normal animals. Also the babies
are weird.
 Judgment
What criteria can you list to help others judge
this work?
Accuracy to real-life animals
Technique
Texture
Details
 Judgment
How unique is the work? Why do you feel this
work is or is not unique?
The work is very unique because its an idea Ive
never seen before, but it looks like a picture that
could be found in a bible, so the style is not very
unique.
 Judgment
What are some improvements you feel the artist
could have made to the work?
The artist could have improved the work by
making the animals faces look more realistic
and by adding more detail to the babies (or
removing them altogether).