Art Criticism: How to Criticize a Work of Art
Art Criticism: How to Criticize a Work of Art
A four step process
This is what I give my students as a guide to art appreciation:
1. Description- What do I see? Study the work in detail carefully. Describe the work in full detail. Be factual. Mention everything you see.
2. Analysis- How is the work organized? Look for and talk about the elements and principles of art and design that seems to dominate the work.
Look at how the artist has used The Elements of Art
• Lines- real and implied, curved and straight, direction of movement
• Shapes, Space, Forms- Are the shapes geometric or free-form? Where is the horizon? Where is your point of view as the viewer? (Above, below, in the work, or outside)
• Colors- Warm, cool, bright, dull, soft, bold, etc.
• Value- light: reflecting much light; dark: absorbing much light.
• Texture-Both the medium and the objects portrayed: rough, smooth, shinny, dull
Look at The Principles of Design
• Rhythm- Are there repeats of elements or images?
• Movement- Is there an illusion of action? How does the eye move around the work?
• Balance- Formal or Symmetrical, informal or asymmetrical
• Proportion- The size relationships between one part to the whole or one part to another part
• Variety- Visual difference and contrast within the work
• Emphasis- What part is dominant, and what part is subordinate?
• Unity- Does the work hold together?
3. Interpretation- What is happening? This is more than storytelling. As in literature, you need to interpret and generalize from data given. You need to find the metaphor or allegory in the work. What is the artist trying to communicate? Use your intelligence, imagination and courage to explain and tell the meaning of the work. This is based on the facts you have observed and your own life experiences. You can express your feelings, but they must be backed up by the observations you have made about the work.
4. Judgment- What do I think of the work? Does the work hold together visually? Does it communicate with the viewer? Judge whether the work succeeds or fails. You give your opinion backed by the three steps above. To make a judgment, you need to be honest with yourself. You need to know why you feel the way you do.
Three Theories of Judging Art
Imitationalism -Some people believe that art should imitate what we see in the real world.
Formalism – Some people believe that the most important part of a work is in the use of the principles of design and the elements of art. A work is successful if the texture, color, lines, etc are organized properly.
Emotionalism – Some people believe that the most important part of the work is the mood the artist communicates.
Perhaps it is best to use all three theories when judging a work of art.
Adapted from many sources, including Arttalk by Rosalind Ragans
dinghysailor1
thanks trace this is a really helpful framework and useful to share
cheers again ;)
JLDunn
Thanks Trace! You must be a wonderful teacher….
Mien
wow interesting,
Thanks Trace
Maureen Bloesch
yuppers!
Leslie Wood
Thank you for posting this!! It is truly helpful in understanding as well as appreciating art. :)
Jen Wahl
Thanks, Trace! It’s nice to have a guide on how to properly “criticize” art.
Virginia McGowan
excellent Trace.
Gini
Marion Cullen
Excellent and very comprehensive information Trace, especially for those willing to give it a go for the first time.
I believe many people are detered by the word “critisize’ as it implies, especially to the uninitiated, that the intention is all about pointing out negatives or flaws. It is important to discern, (if attempting to critique others work), that critique/critisism does not mean finding flaws for the sake of finding flaws, but rather means to deconstruct and analyze, & therefore needs to be constructive, this includes pointing out successes. :-)
George Lenz
sounds thorough… but I hate the word criticism … critique is better…also, art is in the eye of the beholder… to me that is the highest way art is appreciated…if they like it enough to buy it….well, you see what I mean…jmo…peace…
Mark Peterson
Good imformation for critiquing, and to consider when creating….
GailD
Great. I’m going to print this.
Patricia L. Ba...
Wonderful!
mmills3080
this is great. Gives me a lot to consider when composing and/or editing my work!
Bev Woodman
Thank you for this guideline – it will help me no end.
redhawk
Thank you for this information on critiquing art work. I can now crititque my work before uploading.
Deborah Milligan
thanks trace. I have to open a friends art exhibition in a few weeks and this will be incredibly helpful as I prepare my speech. good on you.
ryenart
Thank you very much for taking the time to share this, Trace!
Mark German
Helpful piece.
twmurph
Very well thought out and expressed. I reallly found this helpful.
SuperHermes86
You talk clearly and precise, is sure a shape of art, the art to be easily understood by others.
I like the conclusion, delivered with a penchant for the third paragraph.
Emotion, to a work of art, is not the quality of stone sculpture, the beauty of the paper for a book …
Maybe it takes a bit of it to provoke emotion.
For me art is emotion …
Of course it is necessary to have the knowledge to judge the artist’s work, but it is only a work.
We judge a work, made well, badly made….
Without emotion there is no work of art, only to intellectual torture
Sorry for my poor English.
Serge
Votre discoure clair et précis, est certaine une forme d’art, l’art d’être compris facilement.
j’aime la conclusion, avec un penchant prononcé pour le troisième paragraphe.
l’émotion, devant une œuvre d’art, c’est pas la qualité de la pierre pour une sculpture, la beauté du papier pour un livre…
Peut être qu’il faut un peu de tout cela pour provoquer l’émotion.
Pour moi l’art est émotion…
Biensure il est nécessaire d’avoir les connaissances pour porter un jugement sur le travail de l’artiste, mais cela ce n’est sur que le travail.
Sans émotion il n’y a pas d’œuvre d’art, seulement de la torture intellectuelle.
Serge