Module 3
Art Criticism and
Aesthetic
Judgment
Based on the
book, Art Talk by
Rosalin Ragans
Henri Matisse. Purple Robe and
Anemones. 1937. Oil on canvas. 28
¼ x 23 ¼” The Baltimore Museum of
Art, Baltimore, Maryland. The Cone
Collection. , formed by Dr. Claribel
Cone and Miss Elita Cone of
Baltimore, Maryland.
Lesson One:
In this lesson we will learn how to
critique a work of art.
• Art Criticism: Learning from a Work of Art
• Words to Learn
– Criteria
• Standards of judgment
– Aesthetics
• The philosophy or study of the nature and value of
art
– Art criticism
• An organized approach for studying a work of art
Why study art criticism?
• Art criticism is a sequential approach for
looking at and talking about art.
• Art will mean something different to every
viewer based on his/her life experiences.
• Learning art criticism will help you interpret
works of art.
• This will make your aesthetic experience,
or your personal interaction with a work of
art more meaningful and more memorable.
The steps of Art Criticism
• Description
– The facts of the art
work
• The subject line
• The subject, objects
and details
• The elements of art
used in the work
• Analysis
– Discovering how the
principles of art are
used to organize the
art elements
Alma Thomas. Iris, Tulips, Jonquils, and Crocuses.
1969. Acrylic on canvas. 60 x 50”. The National
Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. Gift
of Wallace and Wilhemina Holiday.
The steps of Art Criticism
• Interpretation
– Explain or tell the
meaning of a work
of art
• Your interpretation
must be based on
the visual facts and
clues you collected
during your first two
steps. Your
interpretation can be
based on your
feelings, but your
feelings must be
backed up by
observation of what
you actually see in
the artwork.
Jose Clemente Orozco. Barricade. 1931. Oil on
canvas. 55 x 45”. The Museum of Modern Art,
New york, New York. Given Anonymously. Estate
of Jose Clemente Orozco/SOMAAP. Mexico/
Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
The steps of Art Criticism
Leo Twiggs, Blue Wall,
1969 - Batik and paint on
cotton mounted on board
- 22 x 29 3/8 inches
(frame) Collection of the
artist
• Judgment
– Determining the degree of artistic merit
• You make the decision as to whether or not the artwork is successful
– Decide if you like the work
– Based on an aesthetic theory, decide whether or not the work is
successful
» A work might be very successful aesthetically, but you might not
want to live with it.
Art Criticism
Example
Claude Monet
The Stroll, Camille Monet
and Her Son Jean
1875
Lesson Two
• Aesthetics: Thinking About a Work of Art
– Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy
concerned with the nature and value of art
– Instead of being called “beautiful” a good
work is “successful”
– Not all successful work is beautiful!
The Bed
by
Robert
Rauschenberg
Aesthetic Theories and the Quality
of Art
• The aesthetic qualities that are discussed
most often by aestheticians (specialists in
aesthetics) are the literal qualities, the
design qualities, and the expressive
qualities.
• The literal qualities are the realistic
qualities that appear in the subject of the
work
Aesthetic Qualities
• The design qualities are how well the
work is organized
– Is it balanced?
– Does it have rhythm?
– Is there variety?
– Is the work unified?
Aesthetic Qualities
• Expressive Qualities are those that
convey ideas and moods.
– Look at the content of the work
– Does it evoke emotion?
Imitationalism
• Focusing on the
realistic
representation of
the art: does it
look like
something you
would see in real
life?
Tourists 1970
Duane Hanson
Formalism
• Formalists place
an emphasis on
the design
qualities: the
arrangement of
the elements of
art.
Piet Mondrian
Composition with
Grey and Light Brown
1918
Emotionalism
• Emotionalists
require that a work
of art must evoke a
response of
feelings, a change
of mood, or
emotion.
The Scream Edward
Munch
Functionalism
• Functionalists
examine the
purpose of the
object: does it
function
properly?
Courtesy of Harvard
Magazine
The objects in this
work are easy to
recognize-trees,
mountains, and night
sky-but the colors
are not what you
might expect. Why
do you think the artist
used these colors?
What does he
appear to be saying?
Ernest Ludwig
Kirchner. Winter
Landscape in
Moonlight.
1919. Oil on
Canvas. 47 ½”
x 47 ½”. The
Detroit Institute
of Arts, Detroit,
Michigan.
Art History: Learning About a Work
of Art
• You can develop your appreciation for a
work of art by gathering information about
the artist and the time period in which the
work was created.
• This is a four-step approach.
• The four steps make up art history
operations.
Art History Operations
• Description: When, where and by whom was
the work done?
• Analysis: What is the style of the work and can
the work be associated with an art movement?
• Interpretation: How did time and place affect the
artist’s style, in terms of subject matter,
composition, and content?
• Judgment: Is the work considered to be
significant in the history of art?
Individual
Style
• Individual style is
the artist’s personal
way of using the
elements and
principles of art to
express feelings
and ideas.
Man Striding
1960
A depiction of Giacometti’s long forms
and irregular, rough surfaces.