Formal Analysis:

The second step of the art critiquing process often begins with an analysis of the artworks formal elements and how they are the organised.

The formal elements of art are the visual building blocks of art creation. For example: Points, Lines, Shapes, Forms, Colour and Texture.
Formal qualities also describe the way these elements are composed within an image. For example: Rhythm & Movement, Balance & Symmetry, Proportion & Scale Use formal analysis to Identify which visual elements the artist stressed, organized or used to express a message or to create a mood.

Example: the image above has a stable and balanced composition created by the symmetrical position of the two proportionately scaled figures on either side of the image. The figures are linked together by the triangular shape of the building behind them. The contrasting movement of the clouds behind offsets the stability of the figures and the structure.

You do not need to exhaustively identify and describe all the formal elements of an image. Concentrate on the reason you chose the image in the first place. Deconstruct it to discover the elements that caused and or effected your initial reaction.