UNIT AIM: A - B - C (/24)

CRITERION B: critical investigation

"The process portfolio is not a formalised study into artists from a range of cultural contexts, rather it encourages students to engage critically with the work of other artists to help inform their own artmaking practice. Candidates are encouraged to consider artworks with common compositional, technical or conceptual concerns to their own studio practice and employ in-depth critical analysis to help solve compositional, technical or conceptual problems emerging in their own artmaking. Criterion B in the process portfolio is formative in nature, and requires students to engage critically with the work of other artists as they engage in studio practice to inform and enrich their artmaking. Background biographical or cultural information has little or no relevance to this criterion. In order to fully match the descriptors for this criterion candidates may have to rely upon some bibliographic sources of information, but it must be noted that while in the previous visual arts course the assessment criteria were rewarding the quality of referencing, now this is dealt with as a more general matter of academic honesty. The criterion B focuses on the quality of the critical investigation and examiners are looking for evidence of candidates being aware of the impact that the critical investigation had on their artistic practice."

From occ_d_6_visar_fcl_1605_1pc_e.pdf

Critical analysis of specific works of art created by other artists is essential to enrich and nurture the candidate’s art practice. High achievement in this criterion shows detailed formal analysis and purposeful investigation into artists’ practices, in addition to well-connected critical understanding leading to the creation of original work.

Less effective submissions show some investigative skills but continue to present irrelevant (or inconsequential) documentation, which does not directly support the development of their own artistic processes. This critical research needs to go hand in hand with the development of the candidate’s own practice so that the information generated is not accidental or imitative but rather genuinely communicates increasing awareness of how these investigations influence their own unique and developing art-making practice.

The investigation of the work of other artists was too often an exercise done after the fact in order to address the criteria and not as a developmental research. Critical investigations were heavily textual, rarely had a practical element to them and lacked meaningful connections to own work.

From d_6_visar_sur_2205_1_e.pdf