02  Methods

Close Reading

Close Reading is a method in art history to focus with precision on every detail. As the first step, it can be helpful to create a star schema as clarification of boundaries within the investigation.

A topic never stands alone, it is always connected to a wider context – to history, society, artworks, theories, scientific findings, commercial innovations – and it is worth to explore those connections. As a starting point it can already be delighting to divide a topic into different categories such as religion, art, natural or social sciences. The aim is to rule out the extreme points and see where the points overlap, interlace and create an interesting tension. These tensions can be used as a starting point for further explorations.

To work visually is beneficial as it shows links and how images interlace with each other on a level that might have not been clear before.

Project: Looking into Fog
By: Stephanie Müller
Year: 2019

For my thesis topic, I used the star schema as orientation and argumentation. It helped me to find my own position within the theoretical discussion and revealed connections between own and foreign image material.

The slides show images that do not belong to me.