Formal vs. Contextual:

Formal elements have to do with the composition of the image, like the analysis we

conducted on the painting of two boaters.

Contextual elements have to do with the rhetorical situation (author, audience, purpose,

constraints) and rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) the image or the author of the

image is employing (things you may have learned about in ENGL 104).

Both formal and contextual elements are necessary to discuss when writing a visual

analysis paper.

Practice: Analyze the painting on the last page of this handout for its formal elements:

Visual Analysis: