Professional Learning

Frameworks

Cultural Iceberg Model

In 1976, Edward T. Hall developed the iceberg analogy of culture. The ‘iceberg’ model of culture uses the metaphor of the iceberg to make the complex concept of culture easier to understand. Like an iceberg, only the ‘tip’ of culture is visible (observable) to the eye while the bulk of what makes up cultural identity is submerged (unobservable). 

The Analytical Framework 

The VCE Art Study Design Analytical Framework is a means of interpreting and analysing the meanings and messages of artworks. When the Analytical Frameworks are applied collectively to interpret and analyse an artwork, students learn to appreciate how an artwork may contain a number of different aspects and layers of meaning. Throughout the study students develop their understanding and skills in using the Analytical Frameworks through the research of historical and contemporary artists from a variety of cultures.

The Analytical Frameworks contain:

• The Formal Framework – used to analyse how an artwork’s formal elements contribute to its meanings and messages.
• The Personal Framework – used to shed light on how artworks can reflect an artist’s personal feelings, thinking and life circumstances and how the viewer’s interpretations are influenced by their life experiences.
• The Cultural Framework – used to identify the influence on an artwork of the context of time and place in which it was made.
• The Contemporary Framework – used to interpret how contemporary ideas and issues influence the making, interpretation and analysis of artworks from both the past and present. 

Cultural Framework 

The Cultural Framework is used to identify the influences on an artwork of the time, place, purpose, cultural and political settings in which it was made. These influences may include historical, political, social, socio-economic, religious contexts as well as aspects of ethnicity and gender. Students should consider the following questions:

• How do the social, political, cultural or religious contexts of the artwork contribute to its meaning? How have historical or contemporary events shaped the intention of the artist or our understanding of the artwork’s meaning?
• How do gender values reflect the social context of the time the artwork was produced? How do these values compare to the values of today?
• How does the physical placement of artworks affect their interpretation?
• How does the cultural background of the viewer influence the interpretation of an artwork?