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Art as a form of communication
Art as a form of communication
Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors, 1533.
Oil on wood, 209.5 x 207 cm.
Accessed 23/07/2021.
The structural frame is about how ideas are represented and meaning is communicated in visual arts.
Through the structural frame, art is seen as a system of communication where meaning is understood by interpreting the visual language of signs, symbols, and codes.
Sign – anything that represents an idea and communicate its meaning, like an image or word.
Symbol – a type of sign that viewers must interpret to understand its meaning.
Code – a group of signs that are combined to represent more complex ideas.
The Artist
Through the structural frame, artists use the visual language of signs, symbols and codes to represent ideas and communicate meaning.
The Artwork
Through the structural frame, artworks are interpreted as symbolic objects that communicate meaning through the use of visual language, including materials and techniques that represent ideas.
The Audience
Through the structural frame, audiences are able to understand visual language and the signs, symbols and codes that communicate meaning.
The World
Through the structural frame, the world is understood using visual language – sets of signs, symbols, codes and conventions that are understood by both artists and audiences.
Questions to ask in the structural frame
Questions to ask in the structural frame
Artist
How has the artist used particular materials or techniques to communicate meaning? Do these materials or techniques have their own meaning?
Does the artist belong to a particular art movement, group, or period? What features of the artwork relate to that style?
Artwork
What subject matter is represented in the artwork? What meanings are usually associated with that subject matter?
What ideas are represented in the artwork? What signs, symbols and codes are used to communicate meaning?
Audience
How might audiences 'read' the artwork to reveal its meaning?
Are there hidden or layered meanings that might only be understood by certain audiences?
World
How has the world been represented using visual language?
Does the artwork refer to other ideas in the artworld or from art history?
Activity 1 - The Ambassadors
Activity 1 - The Ambassadors
Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors, 1533.
Oil on wood, 209.5 x 207 cm
Accessed 23/07/2021.
'The Ambassadors' contains many layers of meaning hidden in the details of the painting. Refer to the video, or the interactive site 'Life, death and our place in the universe', to learn how to read the signs, symbols and codes in this artwork, and then complete the following activities.
Record your responses in a document to share with your teacher, including images of your artwork and any planning sketches or research material.
Critical and historical studies
Paste a copy of the artwork image and citation into your document.
What can you tell about the two figures in this artwork by considering their clothing, accessories, and the objects they are shown with? Write a short profile that explain each man's background.
Identify three details in the artwork that the artist has used to communicate symbolic meaning about the time and place the artwork was made in. Explain the ideas represented by each symbol.
Artmaking
Think about how you would represent yourself (or someone you know) by using symbolic objects. Make a list of at least five objects you would use, and explain how each object uses symbolism to communicate meaning about your chosen subject.
Create your own symbolic portrait using the objects you listed. Think about how you could combine costume, props, and setting to help communicate meaning about your portrait subject.
Your portrait could be completed as a drawing or painting, a photograph with carefully arranged objects, or a digital collage using Photoshop (or another image editor) to combine multiple images.
Photoshop is available for free to NSW school students via OnTheHub. An online tutorial on combining multiple images in Photoshop is available via Adobe's Photoshop Get Started course.
Activity 2 - Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting
Activity 2 - Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting
Angelica Kauffman, Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting, 1794.
Oil on canvas, 180 x 249 cm.
Accessed 23/07/2021.
'Painted when Kauffman was in her fifties, it dramatizes the quandary faced by the artist at the very beginning of her career: whether to pursue a profession in the traditionally male-dominated field of painting, or to practice music, for which she had equal aptitude. Music is personified at left and looks persuasively at Kauffman, holding her hand to gently pull her closer. Dressed in a pure white gown, the artist leans away from Music and gestures towards Painting, who fervently points towards a classical temple high on a hill in the distance: a symbol of the difficult journey ahead and of the intellectual reward of a career in the visual arts. Kauffman gazes at Music with both regret and resolve, having made her choice to follow Painting.'
Text from National Trust Collections, accessed 23/07/2021.
Refer to the artwork image and text to learn about symbolism in Angelica Kauffman's painting 'Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting', and complete the following activities.
Record your responses in a document to share with your teacher, including images of your artwork and any planning sketches.
Critical and historical studies
Paste a copy of the artwork image and citation into your document.
Identify the three figures in the painting. Explain the signs and symbols that describe each character. Think about their position, costume, body language, and the objects they hold.
How do background features in the painting contribute to its meaning? What might be symbolised by the two buildings on the left and right of the scene?
Write a short narrative that explores the conversation between these three characters. You might present your narrative in a comic format that features screenshots from the original painting, using the 'Narrative Comic' templates on the Storyboarding resource page.
Artmaking
Think about a decision you have had to make. What signs and symbols could you use to represent your choices? Could your choices be personified as human characters like in Angelica Kauffman's painting?
Create an artwork that visually represents your choice. Think about how you could combine costume, props, and setting to communicate symbolic meaning.
Your artwork could be completed as a drawing or painting, or a photographic work. You might take several photographs of yourself as different characters and digitally combine them using Photoshop (or another image editor).
Photoshop is available for free to NSW school students via OnTheHub. An online tutorial on combining multiple images in Photoshop is available via Adobe's Photoshop Get Started course.
References and images
References and images
Visual Arts 7-10 Syllabus, NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2003, accessed 23/07/2021.
The Ambassadors - Hans Holbein the Younger — Google Arts & Culture, accessed 23/07/2021.
Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors (updated!) - YouTube, accessed 23/07/2021.
Life, death, and our place in the universe: The Ambassadors — Google Arts & Culture, accessed 23/07/2021.
Self-portrait of the Artist hesitating between the Arts of Music and Painting 960079 | National Trust Collections, accessed 23/07/2021.
Storyboarding (nsw.gov.au), accessed 23/07/2021.
Welcome | NSW Students WebStore | Academic Software Discounts (onthehub.com), accessed 23/07/2021.
Merge and combine images | Adobe Photoshop tutorials, accessed 23/07/2021.
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