Writing Art Criticism

Ch. 3 Describing Art

What we will do today

Literature Review (Criticizing Art Ch. 3)

Introduction to Photography

Describe Art: Photography

Sally Mann

Ansel Adams

Writing Art Criticism: Describing Art

“Describing is a kind of verbal pointing a critic does so that features of a work of art will be noticed and appreciated” (Barrett, 2013)

Two flows of information

Internal information

External information

For Instance…

In this photograph, I see trees, grass, dirt, a body of water, but of what kind, I am not sure, the sky, possibly, and some sort of structure on the hill, but it is unclear to me on first glance what the structure is.

When describing a work of art, especially one as “formal” as this, it is best to start your description at a very basic and obvious level. I call this the first layer. we must identify and peel away this layer to begin to see even more of the art. Repeat this process several times, as you may continue to notice new and interesting aspects of the art you are attempting to describe.

Writing Art Criticism: Describing Art

Internal Information

Barrett groups this flow of information into three categories:

Subject matter

Refers to the people, objects, places and events in a work of art

Different from ideas within a work of art

Medium

The material, etc…by which the art was created

Form

Composition, arrangement and visual construction

External Information

Facts which surround the art and have the ability to influence how it is seen

Personal Experience is a source of external information

What I expect when describing art

Focus only on what you can describe

Keep it simple and direct at first

Complicating your description can muddle your interpretations

Your description is only yours, let the language in your writing reflect that…Avoid the following:

This multimedia…piece shocks us with its high color and design contrasts. Bright vertical pointed oranges draw usinto the focal point of this large-scale work, which engages our attention and calls for serious thought or meditation…” Requiem critique by David Anthony Garcia from Criticizing Art

Research and explore other descriptions to see if you might have missed something then go back and “see” it for yourself before including it…just to make sure it is there!

Ansel Adams

Half Dome, Blowing Snow, Yosemite c. 1955

Sally Mann

Family Pictures, 1984-1991

Steve McCurry

Afghanistan

Sally Mann

Southern Landscapes, Georgia, 1996

Gregory Crewdson

From: Twilight