ART CRITICISM

FOUR LEVELS OF ART CRITICISM

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.

• The discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art is criticize in the context of aesthetics or
the theory of beauty.

• A goal of art criticism is the pursuit of a rational basis for art appreciation.

REMEMBER: There are many different variables that determine one's judgment of art such as
aesthetics, cognition or perception. Art can be objective or subjective based on personal
preference toward aesthetics and form. It can be based on the elements and principle of
design and by social and cultural acceptance. Art can stand-alone with an instantaneous
judgment or can be viewed with a deeper more educated knowledge.
FOUR LEVELS OF FORMAL ANALYSIS
Description : pure description of the object without value judgment analysis, or
interpretation.
• It answers the question, What do you see?

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?“

Interpretation : Content – What is the artist saying?

• It answers the question, "Why did the artist create it and what does it mean?

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.
• It answers the question, “Is it a good artwork?”
The Child’s Bath
Mary cassatt
Description (What do you see in the artwork? Literal qualities (subject) and elements of art?)

• This is a painting showing a woman bathing a small child. They are in a

bedroom with a patterned carpet (green squares on a red background with a
flower in the center of each square), flowered wallpaper and a chest-of-drawers
that has a painted flower design on it.
• There is a washbasin on the floor in which the woman is bathing the child’s feet
and next to it is a water pitcher with a flower design.
• The washbasin and pitcher all have shiny, gold-trimmed edges.
• The woman is wearing a long dress with bold green, white and pinkish stripes
that covers all but her head and hands.
• The child has a white towel wrapped around her waist. Both people have black
hair and light, cream colors and bright pinks in their skin color.
• The woman and the child are looking down at the child’s feet in the basin.
• The room behind them is a much darker value than are the people and there
are fewer details in the background objects. Even the flower decorations are
painted quickly with very simple shapes.
Mary Cassatt “The Bath”
 Analysis (Composition – How is the artwork organized? How the artist used the principles of
design?)
• The artist has used value to emphasize the child and the woman’s face by making the
faces and the child’s body and towel much lighter in value than the rest of the
painting and by placing this lightest area against the dark values of the room for
greatest contrast.
• The basin becomes a second area of emphasis because of its large, round, simple
shape. Since both the woman and child are directing their attention to that area, that
also gives it added importance in the picture.
• The vertical shape of the pitcher acts like an arrow that directs the viewer’s attention
back toward the top of the picture.
• The curves made by the top of the pitcher, the woman’s knees and the child’s bent
elbow create a rhythmic movement that brings us back to the faces of the people.
• The picture is given unity (harmony) by the repetition of flower shapes on the floor,
pitcher, walls and chest; the repetition of gold lines in the trim of the basin, pitcher
and chest; and by the repetition of the reds, greens and bluish whites throughout the
picture.
Mary Cassatt “The Bath”
• Variety is created by using many different shapes to represent flowers and by the
difference between the flower patterns, the striped pattern on the woman’s dress
and the geometric block pattern of the floor.
Interpretation (Content – What is the artist saying? What does the painting
mean?)

• This painting is a representation of a quiet, personal moment between a

mother and child.

• Both mother and child seem very calm as they turn their attention to a very
intimate, day-to-day activity.

• They are sharing a time to relax and talk-maybe about things that have
happened during the day or about things that are going to happen.

• They may be sharing a routine to get ready for an afternoon nap. The colors
give a warm, soothing glow to a little snapshot of daily life. It’s almost as if
the artist invites us to share in this warm, tender moment.

Mary Cassatt “The Bath

Judgment : Is the artwork successful? Why or why not?
• This is a very successful painting for several reasons. The artist’s
main concern is in presenting a mood (emotionalism) that she does
through her choice of subject and through her choice of colors for the
painting.
• The artist is obviously skilled in using the elements and principles as
the painting is very well organized.
• The painting is arranged so that it points the viewer to those things
that the artist considers to be most important to her message.
• She uses the visual qualities to help make a stronger emotional
statement.
• The painting also shows much skill in painting a realistic subject. The
figures are very well proportioned and many realistic details have been
painted into the face and hands of the people.
• Yet, the background of the painting shows little concern for exactness
and detail. The artist uses her ability to paint figures realistically in a
very formalist way to help point the viewer’s attention to the
expressive quality of the work.
• This painting is successful because the artist uses the painting
Mary Cassatt “The Bath
medium with great skill, because it is well designed according to the
principles of design and because it successfully communicates an
intimate moment between two people.
CRITIC THIS WORK USING FORMAL ANALYSIS, ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ARTS

Answer on a 1 whole
bond paper /yellow paper

Last Trip
Mark Justiniani
Oil on Canvass
 ACTIVITY NO. 1: Prove the painting is an example of Philippine art

RUBRICS

10 Gave 3 specific elements and main principle of art as well as explaining each, gave the title and name of
the artist of the work
11 Gave 3 specific elements and main principle of art as well as explaining each, gave the title or the artist of
the work
12 Gave 3 specific elements and main principle of art in the painting that identifies the work as a Philippine
art well as explaining each
13 Gave 3 specific elements and principle of art but fails to fully explain properly.
14 Gave 2 specific elements and principle of art as well as explaining each.
15 Gave 2 specific elements and principle of art but fails to explain properly.
16 Gave 1 specific element and the principle of art and explaining each.
17 Gave 1 specific element and the principle of art but fails to explain properly.
18 Attempted to give an answer but without cohesion and proper understanding of the task.
19 Attempted to answer the question but failed to give any insight.
0 No answer
CRITIC THIS WORK USING FORMAL ANALYSIS, ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF ARTS

“Andres Bonifacio “
Carlos "Botong" Francisco