Module 2

THE ART CRITIC

An art critic’s task is to unveil the process or processes employed and

undergone by the artist to give the viewer a meaningful visual-aural experience.
The art critic helps the viewer dig and decode the world of the artist and
translate it to their language. The aim of criticism is simple-to understand, in this
case, the art-its cause and effects. It can be done in four ways: Description,
Analysis, Interpretation and Judgment.

Four Methods of Art Criticism

Description

It answers the question, “What do you see?”. This involves viewing a

work of art and taking a visual inventory of this part, noting what is immediately
visible. An artwork should be described as if you were talking to someone who
couldn’t see it.

Pretend the average person is blind. They can’t see anything. Not even
shadows. Just because they’re blind doesn’t mean they can’t use their four
other senses to feel your artwork. Suppose you were trying to describe your
painting of a bunch of stars. Instead of describing the color, describe how the
stars would feel.

To accomplish this, tell your prospect that in order to feel stars they
should put their hand out when it’s raining. Then, they can feel the little points
fall down on their palms. Because rain falls so quickly it has the effect of
‘twinkling’.
Figure 20. Prado Museum in Spain exhibits 3D paintings for the blind.
(https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2015/05/26/408543587/do-touch-the-artwork-at-prados-
exhibit-for-the-blind)

Analysis

It answers the question, “How did the artist do it?”. Discovering the
relationships among the parts by attending to the design principles within the
composition. It involves determining what the features suggest and deciding
why the artist used such features to convey specific ideas. Some of the things
that is usually analyzed are the following:

● What types of shapes are used in this artwork (i.e. rounded, curved, straight-

edged or geometric shapes)?

● Is there a mixture of different types of shapes or are all the shapes similar?

● Are some parts of the composition full of shapes and some parts empty, or

are the shapes spread evenly across the artwork?

● Are some shapes repeated or echoed in other parts of the artwork?

● Does the whole composition look full of energy and movement, or does it

look still and peaceful? How did the artist create this movement/stillness?

● What is the center of interest in the composition?

● How does the artist draw your attention to it?

● Determination of subject matter through naming iconographic elements, e.g.,

historical event, allegory, mythology, etc.

● Selection of most distinctive features or characteristics whether line, shape,

color, texture, etc.

● Analysis of the principles of design or composition, e.g., stable, repetitious,

rhythmic, unified, symmetrical, harmonious, geometric, varied, chaotic,

horizontal or vertically oriented, etc.

● Analysis of use of light and role of color, e.g., contrasty, shadowy, illogical,

warm, cool, symbolic, etc.

● Treatment of space and landscape, both real and illusionary (including use of

perspective), e.g., compact, deep, shallow, naturalistic, random

● Portrayal of movement and how it is achieved

● Effect of particular medium(s) used

● Your perceptions of balance, proportion and scale (relationships of each part

of the composition to the whole and to each other part) and your emotional

● Reaction to object or monument

 Figure 21. Trump Menstrual Blood painting by Sarah Levy. Why
did she choose Trump as the subject? Wh ydid she use blood?
(https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/26395/1/want-
to-buy-a-period-blood-painting-of-donald-trump)

Interpretation

When you interpret a work of art, you discover the meaning within the work by
focusing on content and expressive qualities. Interpret and assign meaning to
the work of art. By focusing on the following questions:

● What story is taking place? What is the setting, or the time and place depicted?

● What is the mood of the work? How do you know?

● What is this work of art about?

● What do you think the artist was trying to communicate through the creation of

this work of art?

Figure 22. “Tong its muna” – Emmanuel Garibay

http://www.artesdelasfilipinas.com/archives/47/the-quintessential-artist-storyteller-
emmanuel-garibay

Judgement
The task of evaluating a work of art requires a combination of objective
information and subjective opinion. Yes, it's true that art appreciation is highly
subjective, but the aim of evaluating a picture is not simply to ascertain whether
you like/dislike a picture, but why you like/dislike it. your assessment of a
drawing produced by a 14-year old child in a school playground, is likely to be
quite different from a similar drawing by a 40-year old Michelangelo. Similarly,
one cannot use the same standards when evaluating the true-to-life qualities of
a realist portrait compared with an expressionist portrait.

Essential Questions in Art Criticism

When was the Painting Created?

Knowing the date of the work helps us to gauge how it was made, and
the degree of difficulty involved. For instance, landscapes produced before the
popularity of photography (c.1860), or the appearance of collapsible tin paint
tubes (1841), had a greater level of difficulty. Oil painting produced before the
Renaissance, or after the Renaissance by artists of modest means, will not
contain the fabulous but astronomically expensive natural blue pigment
Ultramarine, made from ground up mineral Lapis Lazuli.

Figure 23. Lapis Lazuli is a blue gemstone, was used to decorate the tombs of Egyptian
mummies, cover the gates of Babylonian cities, adorn the rings, bracelets and necklaces of
Roman nobility and starred in exhibitions of ancient artifacts in museums around the world. It
was powderized to create blue pigments.
(https://www.gemselect.com/gem-info/lapis-lazuli/lapis-lazuli-info.php)

Is the painting abstract or representational?

A painting can be wholly abstract (meaning, it has no resemblance to any

natural shapes: a form known as non-objective art), or organically abstract
(some resemblance to natural organic forms), or semi-abstract (figures and
other objects are discernible to an extent), or representational (its figurative and
other content is instantly recognizable). Obviously an abstract work has quite
different aims to that of a representational work, and must be judged according
to different criteria. For example, a wholly abstract picture makes no attempt to
divert the viewer with any naturalism and thus depends entirely for its effect on
its formal qualities (line, shape, colour and so on).

Figure 24. Saatchi Art by Dmytro Panchenko and Contemporary Representational Art by
Candice Bohannon

What type of painting is It?

 Paintings come in different types or categories (known as painting
genres). The established genres are: Landscape, Portraiture, Genre-Paintings
(everyday scenes), History, and Still Life. During the 17th century, the great
European Academies, such as the Academy of Art in Rome, the Academy of Art
in Florence, the Parisian Academie des Beaux-Arts, and the Royal Academy in
London followed the rule laid down in 1669, by Professor Andre Felibien,
Secretary to the French Academy, who ranked the genres as follows: (1)
History Painting - with religious paintings being perhaps an independent
category; (2) Portraiture; (3) Genre Painting; (4) Landscape Painting; (5) Still
Life. This hierarchy reflected the moral impact of each genre. Experts believed
that a moral message could be conveyed much more clearly through a history
picture, a portrait or a genre painting, rather than a landscape or still life.

Figure 25. Landscape oil painting (https://webneel.com/daily/1-landscape-oil-painting-scenery)

Figure 26. Portrait of an old woman- Hans Memling, (circa 1470)
http://www.worldsbestpaintings.net/artistsandpaintings/painting/221/

Figure 27. Books and a lamp, Vita Schagen

(https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Still-life-books-and-lamp-30x40cm/
770124/3569270/view)
Where was the picture painted?

Knowing where and under what circumstances a painting is created can

often improve our appreciation and understanding of the work concerned.
Surroundings can have a major impact on an artist's mood, and therefore on his
painting.

Figure 27. An artist’s environment has a big impact on the outcome of an artwork.
(https://www.agora-gallery.com/advice/blog/2017/07/20/how-to-create-a-professional-portfolio)

At what point was the artist in his career? What was his background?

Knowing whether a painting was created early or late in a painter's life can
often assist our appreciation of the work. Artists typically improve their painting
technique with time, achieve a high point sometime in mid-career, and then fade
in later years. Some artists, however, have died at the height of their powers.
Such artists include: Raphael (1483-1520), Caravaggio (1571-1610), Jan
Vermeer (1632-75), Thomas Girtin (1775-1802), Richard Parkes Bonington
(1802-28), Van Gogh (1853-90), Aubrey Beardsley (1872-98), Isaac Levitan
(1860-1900), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), Amedeo Modigliani
(1884-1920), Nicolas de Stael (1914-1955) and Jackson Pollock (1912-56).

Figure 28. Raphael. An artist’s maturity in his obra can be determined by his age when
he created the art work. Raphael was a major figure in art during the renaissance
period. He died during the height of his career.

Where was the intended location of the painting?

Obviously a painting designed to occupy a large space on the wall of a

16th century Spanish monastery dining hall (monumental, inspirational religious
picture) is going to be radically different from one intended for the study of a
prosperous textile merchant in 17th century Amsterdam (small-scale, polished
portrait, interior or still life). Likewise, a painting designed for the reception area
 of a hi-tech software in California (large modern abstract picture, possibly
geometric or expressionist) is likely to be different from one installed in the
boardroom of a private bank in the City of London (traditional 19th century
landscape). Of course, these suggestions are no more than stereotypical
possibilities, but they serve to illustrate the role and characteristics of site-
specific works of art.

Figure 29. The Coronation of the virgin, Tintoretto (http://www.eikowa.com/blog/italian-

renaissance-trail-masterpieces), was intended to be hung on a large hall due to its size.

Key Points
1. An artist is defined as an art practitioner who produces or creates works of art.
2. An art critic’s task is to unveil the process or processes employed and
undergone by the artist to give the viewer a meaningful visual-aural experience.
3. Art criticism can be done through description, analysis, interpretation and
judgement.
 Assessment

Name: _________________________________________________
Year and Section: ________________________________________

1. Research for a reputable art work from any painting era. Paste in the space
provided.
 If you are going to be an art critic, how are you going to critique it in terms of:

a. Description______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
___________________________________________

b. Analysis_________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

c. Interpretation_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

d. Judgement______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

2. Using your selected art work in number 1, answer the following questions:
a. When was the painting created?
b. Is the painting abstract or representational?
c. What type of painting is It?
d. Where was the intended location of the painting?
e. At what point was the artist in his career? What was his background?
f. Where was the picture painted?

References:

Ariola, Mariano M. (2008) Introduction to art appreciation. C&E Publishing

House, Inc.
Caslib, Bernardo Nicolas et. Al. (2018) Art appreciation. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
Glbert. R (2005). Understanding art. 11th ed. Cengage Learning
Sanchez, Custodiosa et. Al. (2002) Introduction to the humanities. Rex
Bookstore, Inc.