Art Criticism- The Formal Critique Process
Art Criticism is the process of studying a work of art. When you become involved in the process of art criticism,
you learn from the work of art. Critiquing an artwork is like playing detective. You must assume the artist has a
secret message hidden with the work. Your job is to find the message and solve the mystery. This formalist
approach to art criticism is broken into four consecutive steps: Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and
Judgement. As you go through the steps of description and analysis, you will collect facts and clues. When
you get to interpretation, you will make guesses about what you think the artist is trying to say. Finally, during
judgement, you will make your own decisions about the artistic merit of the work.
Resources:
Barrett, Terry. (1994) Criticizing Art: Understanding the Contemporary. Mountain View, California:
Mayfield Publishing Company.
https://www.uwgb.edu/malloyk/art_criticism_and_formal_analysi.htm
Step #1: Description
Pure description of the artwork without value judgments, analysis, or interpretation.
Answer the question, “What do you see?”
Your description might include the following items:
a) Context of object: original location and date, name of artist, etc.
b) Size and scale: Relationship to viewer and/or frame and/or context
c) Type of art: Architecture, sculpture, painting, digital, craft, etc.
d) Medium: Clay, stone, steel, paint, etc.
e) Technique: Slab-built (clay), impasto (paint), vector drawing (digital), etc.
f) Description of axis: Vertical, diagonal, horizontal, etc.
g) Elements of art used in the work (do you see lines, shapes, etc.)
h) Style (realistic, abstract, non-objective, etc.)
Step #2: Analysis
Determining what the features suggest and deciding why the artist used such features to convey
specific ideas.
Answer the question, “How did the artist create it?”
Your analysis might include the following items:
a) Determination of subject matter
b) Consideration of how the elements of art are arranged, and which ones are most evident:
i. Line (straight, curved, angular, flowing, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, contour, thick,
thin, implied etc.)
ii. Shape and Form (geometric, organic, overlapping, etc.)
iii. Light and Value (source, flat, strong, contrasting, even, values, emphasis, shadows)
iv. Color (primary, secondary, mixed, complimentary, warm, cool, decorative, values)
v. Texture and Pattern (real, implied, repeating)
vi. Space (depth, overlapping, kinds of perspective)
c) Consideration of the principles of design and compositional techniques:
i. Unity
ii. Contrast/Variety
iii. Balance (symmetry, asymmetry)
iv. Emphasis/Focal Point
v. Rhythm/Repetition/Pattern
vi. Scale and Proportion (weight, how objects or figures relate to each other and the
setting)
vii. Mass/Volume (three-dimensional art)
d) Treatment of space and landscape, both real and illusionary (including use of perspective):
Compact, deep, shallow, naturalistic, random
e) Effect of particular medium or media used
Here are some descriptive words to use in the formal analysis of art.
Line
blurred
broken
broken
controlled
curved
diagonal
freehand
fuzzy
horizontal
interrupted
meandering
ruled
short
straight
thick
thin
vertical
wide
Texture
actual
bumpy
corrugated
flat
furry
gooey
leathery
prickly
rough
sandy
shiny
simulated
smooth
soft
sticky
tacky
velvety
wet
Colors
brash
bright
calm
clear
cool
dull
exciting
garish
grayed
multicolored
muted
pale
polychrome
primary
saccharine
secondary
subdued
sweet
war
Shape/Form
amorphous
biomorphic
closed
distorted
flat
free-form
full of spaces
geometric
heavy
light
linear
massive
nebulous
open
organic
Value
dark
light
medium
Space
ambiguous
deep
flat
negative/positive
open
shallow
Step #3: Interpretation
Establishing the broader context for the artwork, or what the artist is trying to communicate, based on
the visual clues you collected in prior steps.
Answer the question, “Why did the artist create it, and what does it mean?”
Your interpretation might include the following items:
a) What do you think is the main idea or overall meaning of the artwork?
i. Interpretive statement: Attempt to express what you think the artwork is about in one
sentence
b) Supporting evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork supports your
interpretation? Be descriptive.
Interpretation can be the most difficult step in art criticism, because you must dare to be adventurous
in stretching the range of your thought processes and imagination. Do not be afraid to make an
interpretation that is different from other people’s.
Step #4: Judgment
Determine the degree of artistic merit.
Answer the question, “Is the artwork successful?”
Your interpretation should include two levels of judgment:
a) Make an objective judgment: Based on the goal of the artwork (its aesthetic theory).
Determine the theory that the artwork fits into, and use the criteria below:
i. Imitationalism: Criteria = Realistic appearance of subject matter
ii. Formalism: Criteria = Use of elements and principles of design
iii. Emotionalism: Criteria = Emotional response elicited by the artwork
b) How original is the artwork?
c) Make a subjective/personal judgment: Do you like the artwork? Why or why not?
i. Write in the third person only. Avoid using “I” statements, such as “I think this piece
has good energy because…” Instead, just say “This piece has good energy
because…”