Unit A1 - Case studies: student responses

Case study 1: Duccio, Rucellai Madonna

"It's a very serene painting, very precious looking." "It's not very realistic, and it doesn't look as though the artist has bothered to make you believe in it." "It seems quite abstract, not quite real. I sort of like it, though."

Case study 2: Titian, Pietà

"It's a very sombre painting, quite depressing to look at." "It's peaceful yet full of movement at the same time." "The colours are very bland." "It's quite blurry, which makes it mysterious to look at."

Case study 3: Van Gogh, Bedroom at Arles

"The colours make you feel quite uncomfortable." "It's as though the whole room is coming up to meet you." "Even though nothing's happening, the objects seem dramatic somehow." "It looks as though the artist's painted it in a frenzy."

Case study 4: Pollock, Summertime Number 9A

"There's a lot of movement in the painting. You feel lost in the painting. It's impossible to keep still." "It's fascinating for some reason, you can't stop looking at it." "It's very intriguing." "It looks like something I could have done myself."

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This resource was created with the help of a University of Leeds Faculty of Arts Enterprise Knowledge Transfer Grant.