The Purpose and Value of Comparison

Comparison is one of the most powerful tools in art study. Setting two or more works beside each other reveals things that studying a single work never could. This unit prepares you for comparative work in general and, in the current guide, for the externally assessed Comparative Study in particular. This lesson explains why comparison matters and what makes a comparison meaningful.

What comparison reveals

When we look at one artwork, we see it on its own terms. When we place it next to another, differences and similarities leap out that we would otherwise overlook. Comparison sharpens perception: the warm palette of one painting becomes obvious only when set against the cool palette of another; a culture's convention becomes visible only when contrasted with a different culture's solution