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Terry Barrett's Formula
Art educator Terry Barrett suggests that the meaning of an artwork can be understood by analysing and combining a few aspects of the artwork. We have adapted his thinking to create the following formula that will help us understand any artwork.
Subject Matter + Medium + Technique + Style + Context = Meaning
Subject Matter – What is shown in the artwork?
People, objects, animals, places etc.
What stands out as the main focus?
Medium – What is it made of?
What materials are used? (E.g. Paint, clay, digital, fabric etc.)
Does the choice of material affect how we experience the artwork?
What if the artwork was done in another medium?
Technique – How is it made?
How did the artist handle the medium? (E.g. Brushstrokes, carving, digital layering, etc.)
Is the artwork carefully detailed, roughly applied, smooth, or texture?
Do you notice any special effects or unusual methods?
Style - What does the artwork look and feel like?
Does it look realistic, abstract, expressive, decorative, minimalist, or something else?
How are the visual qualities, visual strategies, and/or design concepts used?
How does the style make you feel as a viewer?
Context – What background information do we know?
Who is the artist, and what do we know about their life?
When and where was it made? What was happening in society or culture at the time?
Was the artwork responding to a particular event, place, or idea?
How was it received by people then, and how is it seen now?
Let's apply the above to the artwork below.
Bedroom in Arles, 1888, Oil on Canvas, Vincent Van Gogh
Subject Matter: What is shown in the artwork?
The painting depicts...
A simple bedroom with a bed, two chairs, a table, a window, paintings on the wall, tiled floor, and simple furniture.
The large yellow bed on the right dominates the room, standing out as the main focus.
Medium: What is it made of?
The painting is made with...
Oil paint on canvas.
Oil paint allows thick, texture brushstrokes and bright, lasting colours.
Technique: How is it made?
The artist painted it by...
Applying thick, visible brushstrokes, with no smooth blending / The brushwork is rough and expressive with no attempt to achieve detailed realism.
Style: What does the artwork look and feel like?
The painting appears...
Expressive and slightly distorted. It is not fully realistic although it is representational.
Bright, contrasting colours (blue walls, red blanket, yellow furniture), strong outlines, simplified shapes.
The tilted floor and skewed perspective give the room an unstable feeling.
The painting is both cheerful due to the bright colours but gives an uneasy feeling due to its crooked angles.
Context: What background information do we know?
Van Gogh is a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who struggled with loneliness and mental health issues.
He painted this while living in Arles, France, in 1888.
At that time, the Post-Impressionists, including Van Gogh, were moving beyond Impressionism, experimenting with colour and expression.
The painting was not valued much in his lifetime, but now seen as a masterpiece that shows his emotional state.
Meaning:
The painting expresses Van Gogh's hopes and feelings. The subject matter (a quiet bedroom) suggests rest and comfort, but the distorted technique and expressive style reveal tension and instability. The bright colours reflect his longing for happiness, while the skewed perspective hints at his troubled mind. In context, it shows his desire to create a welcoming home for joy and stability during a turbulent time in his life.
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