AESTHETIC CRITICISM

WRITING ABOUT ART

OUTLINE OF THE DISCUSSION
1. FUNDAMENTALS OF ART CRITICISM
2. AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF ART
3. AESTHETIC THEORIES
4. PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION
5. CRITICIZING ART
FUNDAMENTALS OF ART CRITICISM
• Art criticism is responding to,
interpreting meaning, and
making critical judgments
about specific works of art.
• Art critics help viewers
perceive, interpret, and judge
artworks.
FUNDAMENTALS OF ART CRITICISM
• Critics tend to focus more on
modern and contemporary art
from cultures close to their own.
• Art historians tend to study
works made in cultures that are
more distant in time and space.
• When initially introduced to art
criticism, many people associate
negative connotations with the
word "criticism."
FUNDAMENTALS OF ART CRITICISM
• Art criticism is an organized system for studying a
work of art.
• Criteria (standards of judgment) are used to evaluate
a work of art.
• Aesthetics is the philosophy or study of the nature of
beauty and art.
• The aesthetic experience is your personal interaction
with a work of art.
AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF ART
1. Literal Qualities
2. Design Qualities
3. Expressive Qualities
AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF ART

Literal Qualities
Literal qualities focus
on the realistic
qualities that appear
in the subject of the
work. Art should
imitate life.

Thomas Eakins, The Gross Clinic. 1889. Oil on canvas.

AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF ART

Design Qualities
Design qualities look at
how well the work is
organized – how well
the elements of art and
the principles of design
are used.
Joan Miro, Dutch Interior I. 1928.
Oil on canvas. 36 1/8 x 28 3/4"
(91.8 x 73 cm).
AESTHETIC QUALITIES OF ART

Expressive Qualities
Expressive qualities
communicate the ideas and
the moods of the artwork.

Francis Bacon, Head VI. 1948.

AESTHETIC THEORIES
• A theory is a simple explanation Different Aesthetic
of how and why things and events Theories
are the way they are.
1. Realism
• In art, we use different theories
as a basis of understanding 2. Expressionism
different artworks. 3. Formalism
• Each theory has its set of criteria 4. Instrumentalism
which emphasizes what art is all 5. Anti-
about. These criteria will be our essentialism
guidelines in criticizing art.
AESTHETIC THEORIES
Realism
• Also known as imitationalism
• Realism claims that the major
criterion of art would hold
that the world or nature is the
standard of truth and beauty
and that the artist can do no
better than try to accurately
portray the universe in its
infinite variety. Chuck Close, Mark. 1979. Acrylic on canvas.
AESTHETIC THEORIES
Realism
• Also known as imitationalism
• Realism claims that the major
criterion of art would hold
that the world or nature is the
standard of truth and beauty
and that the artist can do no
better than try to accurately
portray the universe in its
infinite variety. Chuck Close, Nancy. 1968. Acrylic on canvas.
 AESTHETIC THEORIES
Expressionism
• Also known as emotionalism.
• Expressionism is concerned with
the effective communication of
feelings, moods, emotions, and
ideas of the artist to the artwork
and from the artwork to the
audience.
• Expressionism is more concerned
with how the inner lives of the
artist is shown in the art work and
how their feelings and experiences Edward Munch, The Dead Mother. 1899-1900. Oil on
cause them to make such artwork. canvas. 39 3/8 x 35 3/8 in. Kunsthalle, Bremen.
AESTHETIC THEORIES
Formalism
• A theory of “art for art’s sake”
• Asserts that form is the only
criterion by which art should
be judged.
• Art should not have anything
to do with morality, religion, or
politics.
• Formalism places emphasis on
the design qualities of the
artwork as the basis of
assessment. Paul Strand, White Fence. 1916. Photograph.
AESTHETIC THEORIES
Formalism
• It claims that we should focus only
on the formal properties – i.e., the
"form" not the "content".
• Those formal properties might
include, for the visual arts, color,
shape, and line, and, for the
musical arts, rhythm and harmony.
• It does not deny that works of art
might have content,
representation, or narrative.
Instead, it denies that those things
are relevant in our appreciation or
understanding of art.
Paul Strand, White Fence. 1916. Photograph.
AESTHETIC THEORIES
Instrumentalism
• Art serves values larger than
the aesthetic and issues
bigger issues than art.
• Art should be used as a tool to
shape socio-political attitudes
and as a catalyst for social
change.
• Instrumentalism claims that
art should inflict change to a Francisco Goya. The Executions of May 3, 1808,
person or to society. Spain, 1814. Oil on canvas, 104 3/4" × 135 3/4".
Prado, Madrid.
AESTHETIC THEORIES

Anti-essentialism
It proposes that the attempt to define art
must be abandoned as “art” is an open concept.
Open concepts “call for some sort of
decision on our part to extend the use of the
concept to cover this, or to close the concept
and invent a new one to deal with the new case
and its new property.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION
From Terry Barrett’s Criticizing Art (1994)
• Artworks have "aboutness" and demand interpretation.
• Interpretations are persuasive arguments.
• Some interpretations are better than others.
• Good interpretations of art tell more about the artwork
than they tell about the critic.
• Feelings are guides to interpretations.
• There can be different, competing, and contradictory
interpretations of the same artwork.
• Interpretations are often based on a worldview.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION
From Terry Barrett’s Criticizing Art (1994)
• Interpretations are not so much absolutely right, but more
or less reasonable, convincing, enlightening, and
informative.
• Interpretations can be judged by coherence,
correspondence, and inclusiveness.
• An artwork is not necessarily about what the artist
wanted it to be about.
• A critic ought not to be the spokesperson for the artist.
• Interpretations ought to present the work in its best
rather than its weakest light.
PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION
From Terry Barrett’s Criticizing Art (1994)
• The objects of interpretation are artworks, not artists.
• All art is in part about the world in which it emerged.
• All art is in part about other art.
• No single interpretation is exhaustive of the meaning of
an artwork.
• The meanings of an artwork may be different from its
significance to the viewer. Interpretation is ultimately a
communal endeavor, and the community is ultimately
self- corrective.
• Good interpretations invite us to see for ourselves and to
continue on our own.
CRITICIZING ART
• Art criticism is like playing detective.
You assume the artist has created a
message for you to uncover, and it’s
your job to discover that message.

• In order to “discover” the

message, there are four steps for
you to follow in order:
• Description
• Analysis
• Interpretation
• Judgment Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge.
1892/1895. Oil on canvas. 123 x 141 cm
CRITICIZING ART
DESCRIPTION
• Pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or
interpretation.
• It answers the question, "What do you see?"
• The various elements that constitute a description include:
✓ Form of art whether architecture, sculpture, painting or one of the minor arts
✓ Medium of work whether clay, stone, steel, paint, etc., and technique (tools
used)
✓ Size and scale of work (relationship to person and/or frame and/or context)
✓ Elements or general shapes (architectural structural system) within the
composition, including building of post-lintel construction or painting with
several figures lined up in a row; identification of objects
✓ Description of axis whether vertical, diagonal, horizontal, etc.
CRITICIZING ART
DESCRIPTION
• Pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or
interpretation.
• It answers the question, "What do you see?"
• The various elements that constitute a description include:
✓ Description of line, including contour as soft, planar, jagged, etc.
✓ Description of how line describes shape and space (volume); distinguish
between lines of objects and lines of composition, e.g., thick, thin, variable,
irregular, intermittent, indistinct, etc.
✓ Relationships between shapes, e.g., large and small, overlapping, etc.
✓ Description of color and color scheme = palette
✓ Texture of surface or other comments about execution of work
✓ Context of object: original location and date
CRITICIZING ART
DESCRIPTION
• This step is meant to slow your pace of
looking at the art. Instead of giving it a
quick glance and saying, “I like it” or “I don’t
like it”, this step slows you down to look at
the art and really see it.
• In this step, write the credit line and describe
what you physically see in the work of art.
• Don’t use emotional words at all in describing
the work of art. Instead of “I see a sad
woman”, you would say “I see a woman”.
• Don’t make assumptions in your description.
Instead of “I see a mother and child”, you
would say “I see a woman and a child”
Mary Cassatt, Baby Reaching for an Apple. 1893. Oil on canvas. 100.3
x 65.4 cm (39 ½ x 25 ¼ in). Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA.
CRITICIZING ART
ANALYSIS
• Determining what the features suggest and deciding why the artist used such
features to convey specific ideas.
• It answers the question, "How did the artist do it?"
• The various elements that constitute analysis include:
✓ 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.
✓ Discussion of how elements or structural system contribute to appearance of
image or function
CRITICIZING ART
ANALYSIS
• Determining what the features suggest and deciding why the artist used such
features to convey specific ideas.
• It answers the question, "How did the artist do it?"
• The various elements that constitute analysis include:
✓ Analysis of use of light and role of color, e.g., contrast, 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
CRITICIZING ART
ANALYSIS
• In this step, you discover how the work is
organized – how are the elements of art and
the principles of design used in this art work?
• How has the artist used line, shape and form,
space, color, value, and texture in his art?
• How has the artist created and/or used
rhythm, movement, balance, proportion,
variety, emphasis, harmony, and unity in her
art? Sir Jacob Epstein, The
Visitation. 1926.
• Another way to look at this step is to describe Bronze. 165.3 x 53.1 x
how the artist has directed your eye to the 49.9 cm (65 1/3 x 20 ¼ x
most important part, the next item in 18 ¼ in). Hirshhorn
Museum and Sculpture
importance, and so on, through the use of the Garden, Smithsoinian
elements and principles. Inatitution, Washington,
D.C.
CRITICIZING ART
INTERPRETATION
• Establishing the broader context for this type of art.
• It answers the question, "Why did the artist create it and
what does it mean
• The various elements that constitute interpretation include:
✓ Main idea, overall meaning of the work.
✓ Interpretive Statement: Can I express what I think the
artwork is about in one sentence?
✓ Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork
supports my interpretation?
CRITICIZING ART
INTERPRETATION
• What is the artist saying to
me? This is the step where
you explain or tell the
meaning or mood of the work.
• Interpretation is when you
use emotional words like sad,
happy, glad, carefree, calm,
relaxed, etc.

Rene Magritte, Golconde. 1953. Oil on canvas. 81 × 100 cm,

31.9 × 39.37 in. The Menil Collection, Houston, TX.
CRITICIZING ART
INTERPRETATION
• Interpretation is the most
difficult step because this is
what the art means to you, and
that may be very different from
what others might think.
• Your interpretation is going to
be based on your life
experiences, so it will be
different.
• Your interpretation is still based
on what you observed in the
description and analysis steps. Rene Magritte, Golconde. 1953. Oil on canvas. 81 × 100 cm,
31.9 × 39.37 in. The Menil Collection, Houston, TX.
CRITICIZING ART
JUDGMENT
• Judging a piece of work means giving it rank in relation to
other works and of course considering a very important
aspect of the visual arts; its originality.
• Is it a good artwork?
✓ Criteria: What criteria do I think are most appropriate for
judging the artwork?
✓ Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork
relates to each criterion?
✓ Judgment: Based on the criteria and evidence, what is my
judgment about the quality of the artwork?
CRITICIZING ART
JUDGMENT
• You determine the degree of artistic
merit.
• You decide whether you like it or not.
• Is this a successful work of art?
• In judging a work of art, you need to
look at your reaction to it. Sometimes
you can dislike a work of art and still
think it is successful.
• Artists sometimes deliberately try to
evoke a negative reaction.
• Again, there is no right answer!
Pablo Picasso, Guernica. 1937. Oil on canvas. 349 ×
776 cm, 137.4 × 305.5 in. Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid.
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach Morris Louis. Blue Veil, c. 1958–1959. Acrylic resin paint on canvas,
93.2" × 158.5".
7. Phenomenological Approach
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach
7. Phenomenological Approach Juan O’Gorman. Panel of the Independence—Father Hidalgo (Retablo de
la Independencia—Hidalgo), 1960–1961. Mural. Museo Nacional de
Historia, Castillo de Chapultepec, Mexico City.
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach
7. Phenomenological Approach Joan Miro. The Beautiful Bird Revealing the Unknown to a Pair
of Lovers, 1941. Gouache and oil wash on paper, 18" × 15". The
Museum of Modern Art, New York.
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach
7. Phenomenological Approach René Magritte. La Trahison des Images (Ceci N’est Pas une Pipe).
1929. Oil on canvas. 25 ⁄ ˝ × 37˝.
3 8
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach
7. Phenomenological Approach Artemisia Gentileschi. Judith and Holofernes, 1612–
1613. Oil on canvas, 62.5" × 49.5" Museo Nazionale di
Capodimonte, Naples, Italy.
CRITICIZING ART
Different Approaches to
Criticism
1. Formalist Approach
2. Marxist Approach
3. Psychoanalytic Approach
4. Structuralist Approach
5. Post-Structuralist Approach
6. Feminist Approach
7. Phenomenological Approach Rirkrit Tiravanija. Untitled, 2008 (the future will be chrome). Polished
stainless steel Ping Pong table, shown here with artists Jay Nelson, right,
and Annie Wachmicki, obscured, playing Ping Pong during a NADA
preview at the Ice Palace in Miami, Florida, on December 2, 2008.
Andrew Wyeth,
Christina's World.
1948. Tempera on
gessoed panel. 32
1/4 x 47 3/4"
The four color
Microsoft logo
represents four
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The green
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yellow represents
Surface.