ART CRITICISM
Ron Tanzi
The four stages of Art Criticism based on E.B. Feldman'si analysis:
I.
DESCRIPTION
II.
ANALYSIS
III.
INTERPRETATION
IV.
JUDGMENT/
EVALUATION:
I. DESCRIPTION:
Listing what an art object seems to be made of
(forms and the visual elements that make the forms).
Looking at the relationships among the things listed
(composition and the principles of design).
Deciding what all your earlier observations mean
(use the visual facts from above).
Deciding the value of an art object
(what philosophy(ies) of art is (are) conveyed? and how successfully?).
The words we use to describe an art object are like pointers drawing
attention to something worth seeing. Use words that are neutral: avoid
subjective terms such as strong, weak, beautiful, harmonious, ugly, funnylooking, etc.. Terms that denote value judgments should be banned from
your vocabulary at this stage. It is better to generalize if you are unsure of
what something is specifically. For instance, a work may contain human
figures, but if it is unclear whether they are men or women, then say it has
human forms or images of people. Trying to be too specific at this stage
could throw off your final interpretation.
Start out in noticing a work of arts format. A painting may be in a vertical or
horizontal rectangle whereas a sculpture or work of architecture may be in a
pyramidal, cubic, or other polyhedral format. Then look at the overall
general image or major forms before getting involved with details (see the
forest before individual trees idea).
In both representational works, where we recognize images, and abstract
works, where we don't recognize images, we can describe and understand
what we are seeing through the language of the visual elements. The visual
elements, such as line, value (light to dark) or lighting, color, shape, mass
(or volume), space, and texture are the basic elements from which all art
is made.
For example, you may notice that one painting may be dominated by line,
shape, and color, and another painting by value and implied mass or volume.
In sculpture, mass and lighting may be important. And in architecture, for
example, you may notice that transparency is an important element to steel
and glass skyscrapers.
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I. DESCRIPTION (Continued)
A work may have expressive spatial elements being created by extreme
contrasts of textural relationships from rough to smooth. Notice if the
texture is actual or visual (or implied).
Also attempt to identify what media and tools were used and how they
were manipulated to create the work. Technique can be very important to
your final interpretation and should be thought of as being integral to your
criticism.
Try to be as precise as possible in describing a work of art without
judging or interpreting it too early.
II. ANALYSIS:
At this stage you are trying to find out what the forms or visual elements do
to each other; how they affect or influence each other; what are the
relationships?
When we discuss relationships in the visual arts, we are often talking about
what are called the design principles. Design principles are things like:
balance, unity, variety, repetition, rhythm, scale or size, proportions,
and emphasis. You may want to ask yourself how are the visual elements
being used to create balance, unity, etc. and which design elements have
more importance in the particular work you are analyzing.
For example, a work of art may have a composition that has an asymmetrical
balance, which is visually weighted by color and shape relationships. Notice
if colors of relative shapes are different or similar to each other.
How are size or scale relationships affecting the work?
exaggerated?
Is proportion
Be thorough in your description and analysis. The information you gather
will be extremely important to your interpretation.
INTENTIONS OF DESCRIPTIONS AND FORMAL ANALYSIS:
To make as complete an examination of the art object as is possible for the
viewer to make.
To slow down one's tendency to jump to conclusions.
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To help build skill in observation (a skill which is vital to understanding
visual art as well as for personal development).
To accumulate the visual facts that will form the basis for a critical
interpretation
III. INTERPRETATION: Now you've arrived at the stage when you have to decide what all your
earlier observations mean. This takes courage. Don't be afraid to make a mistake. You may find
yourself changing or adjusting your interpretation until it fits the visual facts. Be easy on yourself
and expect errors on your first tries. Just try your best to not change the visual facts or to ignore
them in order to make your interpretation seem correct.
SUGGESTIONS FOR INTERPRETING A WORK OF ART:
1.
See if you can come up with a single large idea or concept that seems to
sum up or unify all the separate traits of the work. NOTE: Don't describe
the object since you've already done that. Use words that convey ideas, but
refer back to the visual & design elements that justify your interpretation.
2.
Explain the sensations and feelings you have when viewing the art object.
What visual and design elements contribute to these feelings?
3.
Draw on your own experience, your intuition, and your intelligence in
forming analogous or "looks like / feels like" interpretations. Think of
music or literature that seems similar to the ideas you are observing in the art
object. These reactions may seem funny, illogical, or absurd, but sometimes
'way out' impressions can be sharpened to the extent that they offer some
fundamental insight about the work being viewed.
4.
Draw on any artistic experience you may have with materials and processes.
Draw on any knowledge you have of art history and of artistic style which
may point to issues or problems artists have dealt with before.
IV. JUDGMENT/
For the beginner, judging or evaluating a work of art excellent or poor may
EVALUATION: seem too subjective. With so many variables to consider, this can leave
one more confused than conclusive. For example, skill in technique may be important in
judging a traditional work, but unimportant in judging a contemporary work of art.
Intention can be important to the works of certain artists, but less so to artists preferring to work
intuitively or to tap into the subconscious. How is this resolved in judging a work of art?
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IV. JUDGEMENT (continued)
The reasons for judging a work of art excellent or poor have to be based on a
philosophy of art, not on an individual's personal authority. If you are
resourceful you will ultimately develop your own philosophy of art as a basis
for judging the merit of any work that interests you. But for now, utilize the
following three philosophies of art which Feldman has identified as seeming
to be useful for justifying critical judgments:
1. Formalism -
stresses the importance of visual organization.
2. Expressivism -
stresses the importance of the emotions in
communicating with a convincing and forceful
manner.
3. Instrumentalism - stresses the importance of the didactic purpose of
the work as in conveying a religious, political, or
significant social message.
1. Formalism:
The experience of art is devoted to the contemplation of the relationships of
the parts to the whole in a work of art and each part should enhance the
quality of the parts around it.
Changing any single element would not be possible without spoiling the
whole work of art.
Emotional content should be even or neutral.
The pleasure the viewer experiences should come from the art object itself:
its colors, surfaces, shapes, etc. and not from the subject matter or symbols
used (which are secondary or even completely unimportant.)
Feelings and ideas should depend only on the way the artist shapes his
materials.
A formalist masterpiece is a work of art that comes as close as possible to
having perfect visual organization and technical execution.
2. Expressivism: A work of art should arouse the viewer's emotions and communicate ideas as
if they were of major significance. The experience of the work of art is
focused on the depth and intensity of feeling. Art should make everyday life
more meaningful and profound.
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2. Expressivism (continued)
An excellent work of art could even be ugly.
The formal and technical organization of the work is good when it is able to
affect the viewer's feelings.
The work should not look calculated; it should seem to be the inevitable
result of what the artist has seen or felt deeply.
3. Instrumentalism:
Art should serve purposes that have been determined by persistent human
needs working through powerful social institutions. Art should serve the
interests of the church, the state, business, or particular social and political
ideologies.
Art is at its best when it helps to advance some cause that will, presumably,
advance the interests of humanity.
Art that depends on art or grows out of art is decadent.
The technical and imaginative skills of the artist need to be organized by an
idea that is greater or more important than the private emotions of the artist.
Formalist and Expressivist elements should be subservient to the message or
didactic purpose of the work of art.
The excellence of a work of art should be measured by its capacity to change
human behavior in publicly visible ways. Great political art, for instance,
results in greater displays of patriotism or allegiance to a political party, etc..
Many works of art will seem to utilize more than one philosophy but most works will have one
dominant philosophy. When you are able to recognize the dominant philosophy it is much easier to
judge the success of a work of art by its ability to convey the ideas or emotions of its chosen
philosophy. Remember that a work can be successful even though you may not personally like the
forms, emotions or ideas being conveyed.
Philosophies of art are similar to approaches or methodologies Art Historians use to examine works
of art or a whole time period of an artist’s career.
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SOME FINAL THOUGHTS AND ADVICE:
Do not start the examination of a work of art by asking whether or not it meets your
conditions of excellence. That is the last question you should ask. Begin with
identification and description and work your way through analysis and interpretation.
By then you will know which type of judgment, which philosophy of art, is most
appropriate for the work you are examining. It is better to use these philosophies
interchangeably, according to the character of the art object, than to stick rigidly to
one philosophy alone and thus lose discovering some excellence the work may have.
The goal is not necessarily to demonstrate how consistent you are in your final
judgments, but to increase the sum of values and satisfactions you can get from art.
If you have been able to let a thing (an art object) enter your life and become part of
you, if your mental and emotional powers have transformed that thing, that work of
art, so that it is yours in a very unique and special sense, then you have discovered
what it is like to have an aesthetic experience.
"A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover those two or three great and
simple images in whose presence his heart first opened."
i
Albert Camus
Based on Becoming Human Through Art by Edmund Burke Feldman, Prentice-Hall, first published
in 1970
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