ART CRITICISM

1
ART CRITICISM

• DESCRIBE
• ANALYZE
• INTERPRET
• JUDGE

2
DESCRIBING AN ART WORK

• Note key facts--the size, medium, and the process
  used to create the art work.
  Info can often be found in thecredit line
• Identify subject matter, objects, and details
  within the art work. Not all works have
  subjects(Non-Objective Art).
• What elements are used in the art work?
• Be objective.

3
Jaques-Louis David. Napoleon. Oil on canvas.
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ANALYZING AN ART WORK

• While analyzing art a critic focuses on the
  composition.
• Composition--the way the art principles are used
  to organize the art elements.
• Remain objective.

5
Wassily Kandinsky. Squares with Concentric
Circles.
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INTERPRETING AN ART WORK

• The art critic focuses on the content.
• Content includes the message, idea, feeling, or
  mood expressed through the art work.
• Interpretations vary from critic to critic.
• An interpretation is subjective.

7
Salvador Dali. Metamorphosis of Narcissus.
1936-37. Oil on panel.
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JUDGING AN ART WORK

• Is this a successful work of art?
• The answer depends on the critics aesthetic
  view.
• Aesthetic View--an idea, or school of thought, on
  what is important in a work of art.

9
Juan Gris. Breakfast. 1914. Cut and pasted
paper, crayon, and oil over canvas. 31 7/8 x 23
1/2. The museum of Modern Art, New York, New
York.
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THREE COMMON AESTHETIC VIEWS

• The Subject View--a successful work is one with a
  lifelike subject.
• The Composition View--success is determined by
  the artists use of the elements and principles
  to create a visually pleasing design.
• The Content View--a successful artwork
  communicates a certain mood or feeling.
• Art critics do not limit themselves to a single
  aesthetic view.

11
How might your aesthetic view influence your
opinions about each of these artworks?