Art Criticism

(Paraphrased from Art: Images and Ideas by Laura H. Chapman)

The second part is learning to analyze and judge art as experts do. This process is called art criticism because it requires critical thinking. Critical thinking is logical thinking. Every idea fits with every other idea.

When people look at art, they say “I like it” or “I don’t like it.” That is a natural way to respond. It is called expressing a personal preference or opinion.

A critical judgment of art is more than an opinion or preference. It is based on critical thinking-logical steps in thinking.

After reading this information and completing the activities, you will:

• Aesthetics & Criticism: Understand and use guidelines for perceiving, interpreting and judging art.

• Art History: Understand and be able to apply standards for judging art based on historically important art philosophies.

• Creating Art: Understand and be able to use your knowledge of aesthetic perception and art criticism while creating art.

Step 1. Description: What do you see?

Take time to look at the work and describe it objectively. Objective means that you can point out each object or thing you describe

Step 2. Analysis: How is the work planned?

Analyze the evidence. Look for relationships – similarities, differences or repeated patterns – in what you have seen. You should be able to observe all of the connections you find within the work.

Step 3. Interpretation: What are the main expressive qualities?

In this step, you formulate a hypothesis – a good guess – about the meaning of the work. A good interpretation explains the experience you get from the artwork.

Step 4. Judgment: What are the strengths and weaknesses?

A critical judgment can be made after you have interpreted an artwork. Judging art is always a matter of being fair and logical.

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