Art criticism

• What is art criticism?

• What are the two main approaches to art
criticism?
• What are the themes and purposes of art
• What is the role of the artist?
• Reference; Gilbert and Mc. Carter. Living
with Art.
 Cont.

• In the previous lectures, you have familiarized

yourself with the material that makes up
visual art forms.You have learned about the
structure of art,the elements and principles of
design.With this knowledge,you are
reasonably equipped to start analyzing and
appreciating visual art forms.
 Cont.
• This involves taking a little time to pay more
attention to a new work of art. An attempt is
usually made to answer certain questions,
which bring us to a clearer understanding of a
work of art. It involves what you know about
design to describe, analyze and interpret art.
Such questions as ‘Is it any good?, Do I like it?,
Is it interesting? Is it effective or ineffective
may be answered alongside many others that
may come to mind.
 cnt
• Criticism is not necessarily saying negative
things about a work of art. Personal
judgments may result from criticism, but
criticism implies more than
judgement.Criticism should be a detailed
process of analysis to gain understanding and
appreciation. Identifying the formal elements
of an art work is the first step.
 Cont.
• We describe an art work by examining its
many facets and then try to understand how
they work together to create meaning or
experience. After that we try to state what
the meaning or experience is. Only when the
process is complete should we offer
judgement.
 Cont.
• Our knowledge of an art form can be shallow.
Our perceptual skills may be faulty, and the
range of our experiences limited. The
application standard may be especially
difficult if we try to judge an art work as good
or bad based on pre-established criteria that
may accrue from cultural
backgrounds,personal prejudices religious
inclinations and so on.
What are some of the factors that
influence our definition of beauty
or ugliness?
• Value judgments are intensely personal, but
some opinions are more informed than others
and represent more authoritative
judgement.Sometimes even knowledgeable
people disagree. Disagreements about quality
however enhance our experience about a
work of art especially when they lead us to
think about why the differences exist. In this
way we gain a deeper understanding.
 There are two broad approaches
to art criticism:
• The formal approach
• In this approach, one looks at a work of art
using the elements and principles of design as a
reference.Here, an attempt is made at
understanding why the artist made certain
choices in his/her composition without going
into the reasons why he chose the subject
matter or his cultural background. The final
judgment is made based on whether the
elements and principles have been effectively
used in the composition.
 The contextual approach

• In this approach. We look at a work of art

against the background of the culture or
individual that produced it. We try to
understand the cultural or personal reasons
that led to the production of the work of art in
question.
 Cont.
• understand the personality of the artist
himself.
• use the principles and elements of design to
further refine our judgment about this work
of art we are looking at.
• A contextual criticism of a work of art is fuller
than a formal one
 Cont.
• How to Criticize a Work of Art
• Doing art criticism is like playing detective. You
must assume that the artist has a secret
message hidden inside the work. Your job is to
solve the mystery and find the message.
• Art criticism proceeds in four logical steps.
These must be taken in a sequential order when
they are applied in critiquing a work of art. They
are
 Cont.
• ).Description
• ii). Analysis,
• iii).Interpretation
• iv). Judgment.
 interpretation
• Nine Models of Interpretation of an art work.
• Art History i.e. Looking for the historical place
of the art work.
• Symbolic - role an object holds in society
• Cultural - development of characteristics of an
object which can be related to particular
cultures - e.g. regional styles.
 Cont.
• Environmental – Interpreting a work of art in
terms of the role of the physical environment
on the art objects - e.g. natural resources
available, etc.
• Functionalist - Interpreting a work of art in
terms of the way an object is used
• Structuralist - Interpreting a work of art in
terms of how the object was physically made
• Behaviorist - Interpreting a work of art in
terms of interaction of the object and
behavior patterns of its creators or users.
 Cont.
• Community - Interpreting a work of art in
terms of interaction of the object and the
society which forms/reflects a common
viewpoint/character.
• 9.Social historical - Interpreting a work of art
in terms of the story of the object itself or
provenance.
 Theories of judging works f art
• People who study or judge art sometimes
use certain theories that say how a work
should be considered. Critics regularly use
three of these theories
• imitationalism,
• formalism,
• and emotionalism.
 Themes and purposes of art
• The themes and purposes of art will generally
range from,
• Art and Magic
• Art and religion
• Art and politics
• Art as a mirror of everyday life
• Art and nature
• Imagination and fantasy
 The role of the Artist.

• (a) Recording
• (b) Giving tangible form to the unknown
• (C) Giving tangible form to feelings
• d) Offering innovative ways of
 summary
• Role of the artist
• Recording
• Giving tangible form to the unknown
• Giving tangible form to feelings
• Offering innovative ways of seeing
What is art criticism?
What are the two main approaches to
art criticism?
What are the themes and purposes of
ar