"Genome" Your Own Artworks

Use The Art Genome Project’s list of genes to “genome” an artwork, i.e. to define and understand an artwork's significant characteristics. These genomes can also be a great starting point for discussing similarities and differences in artworks. Genes fall into the following categories: Medium, Technique, Material, Style/Movement, Geographic Regions, Content, Concepts, and Formal Qualities. 

Encourage student artists to use genes to explain and discuss their own works. Being able to talk about art using a detailed vocabulary is an essential skill for all working artists. 

Genes can also be used to understand artists. See how genes describe the gestural qualities of Jackson Pollock's splattered and dripped paintings, the cubist abstractions of Pablo Picasso, and the bright and vivid canvases of Wassily Kandinsky.