Schools of Criticism

By: Brielle Romney and Mandy Turner

What is criticism?

The explanation, interpretation, and evaluation of artworks typically through speech or written word

Criticism is NOT The expression of random feelings or

statement of personal preferences

Gabriel Cornelius von Max (1840 - 1915)

Four Styles of Artwork

“In using art criticism and art history strategies to understand paintings and sculptures, we need to determine what style of art is emphasized.

Being familiar with the four styles of art and their inherent qualities can help us evaluate a work’s artistic merit.

Art changes over the years and differs from culture to culture. If we use beauty as a measure, we may find that others disagree on just what beauty is and that the definition of beauty changes from culture to culture and century to century.”

“Artworks for Elementary Teachers” Ch 4, pg 89

Representational/Realism- Emphasis on realistic presentation of

the subject matter- Could be considered actual imitation of

nature

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_07.123.jpg

Albert Bierstadt

“The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak”

Abstraction-Emphasis on the organization of the elements and principles of art people, or landscapes

-Formal design: lines, shapes, colors

http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications/newsletters/17_3/images/p08c_sm.jpg

Jacob Lawrence

“Vaudeville”

Expressionism/emotionalism

- Emphasis on the intense mood, feeling, or idea related to the visual image rather than on the realistic depiction of people, objects

http://www.theintellectualdevotional.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/van-gogh-vincent-starry-night-7900566.jpg

Vincent van Gogh

“The Starry Night”

Surrealism/fantasy- Emphasis on the imagination and

the world of the subconscious - Objects often depicted in realistic

manner but makes unusual connections and relationships

http://staff.bcc.edu/faculty_websites/jyantz/DaliPersistenceMoMA.jpg

Salvador Dali

“The Persistence of Memory”

4 Types of Criticism• What do you see?

– Describe what we actually see, such as dimension, format, type of artwork, medium, paint, edges/lines, subject matter, etc.

– History: artist, name, title, time period, where artwork is housed, inspriation• How are things put together?

– Note how the elements of art were used in ordering and controlling the principles of art

– Look at the elements and principles of art that have given the artwork its content, meaning, and expression

– History: compare and contrast the artwork with other works by the same artist or other artists to determine its style and discover what is unique and especially important about the artwork

• What is the artist trying to say?– Respond to the artwork emotionally. Ponder and reflect on what is in the work

that evokes our feelings and sets the mood for the work. Look for evidence within the work of art that supports our opinions.

– History: figure out facts and resons for creating the artwork, and symbolic meanings in the time and culture

• What do you think of the work, and why?– Decide what type of artwork it is. Do you like it? How do you decide if it is

good or bad?– History: Look at artist’s influence on the other artists, recognition, tradition,

style, technical innovations, compositional originality, and use of new subject matter

Four Stages of Criticism•What do you see?•How are things put together?

•What is the artist trying to say?

•What do you think of the work, and why?

La Font de Saint-Yenne• 1st writer to acquire an individual reputation as an art

critic in 18th century• In 1746, he was the first to suggest that the Louvre

Palace in France should house artwork so that King Louis XV could “collect in some proper place the models of infinite price he possessed, in order to know them better, to class and preserve them, and allow the public gratefully to enjoy them. This was the first

time, in reality, that the Louvre was suggested as a proper place for the Palace of Art.” BAYLE ST. JOHN, “THE LOUVRE”

http://galatea.univtlse2.fr/pictura/UtpicturaServeur/Images/NePasOuvrir/5/A5515.jpg

La Font de Saint Yenne examinant la Fontaine des Innocents, 1753

Denis Diderot

• 18th century French writer credited with the invention of the modern medium of art criticism

• “Salon of 1765” was one of the first real attempts to capture art in words

• “When Diderot took up art criticism it was on the heels of the first generation of professional writers who made it their business to offer descriptions and judgments of contemporary painting and sculpture. The demand for such commentary was a product of the similarly novel institution of regular, free, public exhibitions of the latest art.”

Thomas E. Crow [published in Diderot on Art I, p.x.]

https://eee.uci.edu/faculty/losh/virtualpolitik/Denis-Diderot.jpg

Donald Kuspit• Editor to 5 publications• Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement

Award for Distinguished Contribution to Visual

Arts Excerpt from his book “The Matrix of

Sensations”:Here is the key point: The traditional assumption that every appearance is grounded in objective reality, guaranteeing its own objectivity, is undermined by the discovery of this matrix of sensations. Above all, it is undermined by its digital articulation. Careful perception of the matrix of sensations, culminating in the realization that they have a digital rationality, consistency and precision to them -- that they are not as indeterminate and inexact as they seem to be when they first come into consciousness -- subverts everyday perception, causing an epistemological crisis.

James Yood• Educator, critic, essayist and media commentator on visual arts for over 20 years• Currently faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in the School of Art History, Criticism and Theory. • An interview with CAR associate Tom Burtonwood What is the role of an art critic?

A good textbook definition of criticism is that it is expert opinion printed in an independent venue. The critic should describe, interpret and evaluate, and try to give the artist a verbal voice

What to critics contribute to the art community?We can help conversations get started, and we're part of the peer group that begins the process of evaluation, of historical reckoning.

http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/media-arts/node/9768

Robert Hughes• Studied arts and architecture at Sydney University,• Became acquainted with "Push" -- a progressive

group of artists, writers, intellectuals and drinkers. • This association led to his commission to write a

history of Australian painting while an undergraduate and he dropped out of the university.

• Among many other publications, art critic for Time magazine since 1970

• “The greater the artist, the greater the doubt. Perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/robert_hughes.html

http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/hughes-visions.html

A Comparison of Past and Present Methods of Developing

Appreciation Through Critical Skills and Art History PAST

• Rarely went beyond immediate reactions to a work of art• Instruction was primarily verbal and tacher centered• Instruction relied primarily on reproductions of fine art• Based primarily on painting, because of its “storytelling”

qualities• Used literary and sentimental associations as basis for

discussion. Concentrated on such elements as beauty and morality to the exclusion of formal qualities and social issues

• Neglected the contributions of women artists and representatives of growing minority populations, such as African American, Hispanic, and Asian

• Spent much time in anecdotal accounts of artist’s life• Concentrated on a “great works” approach, to the exclusion of

“lesser” works that have a special contribution to make

PRESENT• Defers judgment until the art object has been examined• Instruction may be based on verbalization, contextual and

perceptual, investigation, studio activity, or combinations of these• Utilizes a wide range of instructional media• May encompass the complete range of visual form from fine arts to

applied arts, etc.• Bases discussion on formal qualities of the artwork. Recognizes

beauty and other sensuously gratifying qualities as only one part of the aesthetic experience; also recognizes abrasive and shocking images as legitimate expressions of psychological and political motives.

• Utilizes references to the past; shows respect for artistic efforts of all epochs. Strives for gender balance, and not western-exclusive

• Minimizes life of the artist and concentrates instead on the work in its societal context

• Adopts a broader view of art objects and can include craft, illustration, media, or industrial arts, as well as comic books and fine arts. Plays down “great works” approach

Leonardo da Vinci “Ginevra de’ Benci realism

• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/2202196689_4c9b56953a_o.jpg

• Vasily Kandinsky “Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 1” Abstraction

• content.cdlib.org Jose Montoya “Court Appearance” expressionism/emotionalism

• http://chagall.gogh.org/bbs/data/chagall_gallery/Green_Violinist_(Violiniste).jpg

Marc Chagall

“Green Violinist”

Surrealism/fantasy

Language Arts

• Criticism itself is a form of language arts. It is a way of explaining, interpreting, and evaluating artwork by writing or speaking. Writing is obviously a form of language arts, as it encourages you to organize and put your thoughts into words, expanding vocabulary, and allows new thoughts to come in as you explore. When we ask children to verbalize, to use linguistic as well as visual forms of expression, we are using skills developed in the language arts program. Critical activities are the meeting ground between art and language arts, and it is because of the students’ familiarity with the latter that they take so readily to applying language to the understanding of artworks.