l
I l
I
Art Criticism:The FeldmanMethod
Oullinebasedon EdmundBurkeFeldman,BggomingHumanTltroughArt EnglewoodCliffs,NJ: prentice-Hall,
1970, pp. 348-383.Outlinepreparedby PatriciaA. Renick,Professorol FineA-rt,Universityof Cincifi;ti Acenrdingto Febman' the four slagosof art criticismaro:
l. Descriplion-tisting
whatan arl objed seemsto irrclude.
the relationshipamongthe thingsthat ars listed.
!!, Analysis-describing
Interpretation-deciding
what all yourearlieiobservaiionsmean.
!!1,
the
!!. -Judgment--deciding vatueof an art object.
To Begln: Placethe arl objectso it is clearlyvisibleto everymemberof the group. Tell the group notto jump to
any conclusionsaboutthe work (thisls mostimportant).
l. Description
The wordsyou use in.des.cription
are likepointers-Theydraw altenlionto somethingworlh seeing.The words
lhat you useto describetheworkmustbe neulral. at tirisqtage,you shouldbanfrdmyourvocab-"ulary
termsthat
denole vql.uei.udgm.gnts.
They are loaded and teidio inftuenceyourjucigmenttoo eariyin the .
.Why?.
processof lookingat theworlt ln otherwords,do notuse suchlermsas stronq,beailitul,hanno-nious,
weak,
diso .r de r ly,ug|y,|unny-looking,e t c . . lf y o u a re n We ' f f ia wu t 6 t
assigna nameto it- Forexample,it
ngtbe ctear.whether
youare tookingat menor wornen.ln thiscase,you
s.hould9-a.[yoy see'sorne people.'f,qy
It ii wiseto be vhgueaboutsomedetaiiratheithento makean errorthal mighl
throwott thelinalintepretition.
What You Can Descrlbe
1 . Recoonlzablesgblects.- In somede-scriptions,
you can easilyget agreementaboutthe namesof what
you--::+seellkea man,a tree,a lake,grass,children,.animals,
sky,andso on. Agreement
is fairlyeasylo get whenyou
are viewingrepresontational
worki of arl. {Forthis reasoneiposingstudentito representational
wortlmignr n-e
lhe lgsl way to beEn.)
2. Vlsual elementsand thelr qualltles. Conlemporaryabstractand nonobjective
worksrarelyshow us
tnlngstnatnavecommonor propernames,so we havelo describevisualelemerits-+tre
frnes,
colori,textures,
shapes,formsand,shape.swe
iee. Useadiectives
lhat caliattentionto thespe-ifii qualitiesof thevisual
efementssucfias vertical,round,oval, snpoth,dark,bight, square,harizonatandsi on. Now,combinelhe
above.adiectiveswith the nounsfor visuafelements--snipe,L6lor,tine,space,texture,etc. Thii aJOi pLcision
to
yourdeLcription-lt alsoslowsyou downso that you are iute to seethe workmorecompletelywitnoui
or
iloging
interpretingit.
.r ._- ...._.:-
1
.^wTr
y|9d:ry{oetheway|heart9b
ie c t h a s b e e n ma d e . S e e if y o u c a n id e n t if y wh a t
meo'a
and
wnatloolswereused. Tellhowtheywere
manipulafedto
createthewo*. (Teihniqueis impdrtantfor
critoglq-becaqqg
jusl
it is
as expressiveas theihapes and'formswe see.)
=+fHgrnemE-er-l
Dedcription
is neutral.-Vourlanguageshouldreferto the visualevidencein the work-
ll. Analysis
In lhis stage,we want,lotind outwhichpartsof lhe work interactand how. what the partsdo to eachother?
How
amongiGinings we see is a process
!o tfe partsaffec*or influenceeachother? Describinglhe relationshipg
knownas formalorstrucluralanalysis.
siJl',lJ:,r;: ::l!:#
importanceor
parrs.
Forexampre,
rarse
l;^j!e-r.eggg:gqi.-!9mna.nng.ri,",
snapes
usuallyseemmoreimportantlhan smatlones. Theyseemlo havea higher"rank"thansmallinapesi t_ooX
lorthe l.arge-sl,
the srylle-s,.a1othososhapesthat appearlo oe aboutthe sam6size. ff you ire rooKng-5ia
qic{uj9in whictrs-patialdepth
is represented,
sizeis'aisoa clueto the locatiJnof r6ngsiri a pictureipaiJ.2;..$..Studyanddescribehowshapesarecombinedinawori.Thiswi||netiyouacquire
valuaDle
eviclence
lor d_eciding
whatthetotalworkof art means-Forexample,
analyzewhathapperis
wnen curved
shapesare nextto eachother,orwhentheyare nextlo angularor pointedsnipei.' Noticeho,i'jaggedsnafes
'as
offsetsmoofi ones. Lookat the edgesor dhapes. Dessibe them hardor iofi, eueno, uneven,etc3 - color relallonshpg' Noticewhetherthe colorsof shapesare similarto or difterenlfromeacholher;
wne@oraninstitrong/y.Look|orvaludre|ationships.Analyzewhetheracolorareaistighter
or da*erlhan a nearbyarea. You maydisc6verthatcolorsaredifferenlwnircme valuesarelhe same.
4..- &4gral surface relatlonshlps. Noticewhetherlhe lexturallreatment
is actuatand/oran iltusion.Notice
wnetnerlexturalsurlac.es-of
shapesaresimilarto or differentfromeachother;whethertheyvaryslighgyor contrast
stro.yoly-.
Throughanalyzing
ihJiurri"L qraliliesof a workol artyoumaydiscovertheernotionatquapties
as wetl
as theideasconveyedby the art object.
L
5 . gpace and volume'retatlonshtps.Looklor cluesto tho locaiionof forms. Noticewhlchformsappearin
rne bregroundorlhs background.Describehowthe arlistimpliedspace,(o.g.lhroughthe use of perspective,
overlap,size,placemenl,color.tlight and shadows,etc.). No_tice
whethertheimplied spacels lndefiirite,ieemingll
openand endlesq,orwhetherll hastrmitsand ls enclosed.Payattentionlo the empty-spaces--negative
shapesor
forms-See lf you can determinetheir effecton the positiveshaiesor formsin the wb* oi art. The-waya saniptor,
palnter,or archilecttrsats nsgalivespacemayofferusefulcluesto the totalmeaningof the work.
=+Remember:The|ntenlionsotdescriptionand|orma|ana|ysisare:
g. Io elcourage the nrostlhoroughexaminationof lhe artwo* as possible.
b.Tos|owdownthevigwer,stendencytoJunploconctusions.
c. To build skillin observation-askillthat is vitalfor understanding
the visualarls and for personatdevelopment.
d- To accumulateporceptionsol the "visualfacls.rYouwill uselhis evidencelor a critical'interpretation.9- To he.lpa g.rgupestabtisha consensusaboulthe visualevidence-thoseleaturesof the art bOpctthal will
becomethe subjectof interpretation
andjudgment.
lll.
lnterpretation
Nowyou have lo decidewhat all of your earlierobservations
mean. Al this stage,you are makinginferencesabout
the visualevidenm. Aninlerpretation
("goodgueJse6'orhypothesisyaOoutine
is reallya setof inferences
meaningof the visuafevidence.Don'tbe afraidto proposean interpietation.You maytinOthat yoir changeor
qdjustyour inlerpretation
untitil fits the visualfacts.Beginners
oltehmakeillogicafinfarerpes.Bs surethll you
do notchangeorignorevisualfactsin oder to makeyourinterpretation
seemioneci.
Guldes lor lnterprellng
A
Work
Of Art
1.: there a "blg" ld-93? See if you can identifya -singlelarge'idea or conceptthal seemsto sum up or unify
-.1*separatetraits
allthe
of the work Do notdescribstheoUfuA(youhavealreadyilone that). Use wordsto describe
ideas.
2 . H ow does lhe work affect you? Explainthe sensationsandfeelingsyou have when viewingthe
artwork.
3- Does lhe work.connect wlth your experlenceas an artlst? How qnd why? Reflecton yourown
attisticexperience.Perhapsyou can iecognizbtechnicalsignsthat indicatethatihe ani6tis tryingto soliean
qrlislicproblemthat you havdstruggledwith yourseff.'
4. How does the work connect wlth your knowledge about art? Reflecl on your knowledgeof art
hisloryand artislicstyles.
of
LV tgiOqnffyproblemsthat artisishavepersistentlylried to s6tve{suchas p"robiems
meaning,or form,or social
furrc{ion).
5 . How does the work conneci'wlth
of llfe? Trust yourselfDraw upon your
lour kno_wledge
'niay
obsetva-tions,
y.ourhuryhes,and your
Someti-mes,
impressions
come
to you ih thgform of
inteihggnce.
"lookslike"and"feelslike' reactiohs-These
reactionsmaybe lunny,illogical,or absurd;bft do;oi;eject tnemSometimesodd.impressionscan
be importantto explorea'nOsnarp6'n.fiey may offer somefundamdntalinsight
aboutthe work being viewed.
* .Ytty should you Interpretthe work? tf you havebeenableto let a thing,an art objecl,enteryour lile
andbecome.Parl9l you then it is yoursin a uniqle andspecialsense.lf your meiiat ano emotionatpow6iJnave
transformedthat thing,you havediscoveredwn'atit is [k6 to havean aestheticexpeience-
lV, Judgment
Thereasons
foriydgilga workexcellent
orpoorarealwayJrel?tivq1-o__qgme
context
andpurpose.
Anybroad
of artshouldbe.based
iudgmenl
o- a philosophy
oi an notonyourpei3onat'prefeie-noes
orOisffes).lf you
1litie-s
are resourceful,you can developyourown philosophyof art as-abaiis lor judbingfte meriiof anyworkthit
interestsygY. lf you have not yeadevetopdOa philoiopnyof your own, you sioilO considersomeof the
lolbwing- T.h.ef9an hep you-begintomdke jucig.meryd
a6outworksot ai tnat are iustifiedgogicatiupporteo uy
reasons'.notiu-stpersonalopinions). Feldmin identiliesand describesthreephiloiophies
irt irt tiat driemusetul
lor justifyingcriticaljudgments-Thiy are:
A. Formalism--stresses
the inportarrceof the fgrmalqualitiesandvisualelementsof art.
9 . Expr e ssivisrn--stressesthoimport a rc e o f t n g . in a c o n v in c in g a n d
forcefulmanner.
C. Instrumentalism--stresses
the importance
of the socialinientionor utilityof lhe work.
Examples of Crllerla for Judgment
Formallsm
1- The formalistcritic
the experience
of art to be devotedto contemplation
ot the relationships
of ths parts
to the wholein a work of!va$s
art.
?. !a9h p.anshouldenhancethe quatityof the partsaroundit.
3- lt shouldnot be possibteto changea singleblementwithoutspoilingthewholeworkof art.
4. The viewershouldfeel a unityor wholenessin ths work. lf you havotoo muchor too little ernotionwhen you
experiencethe work,it is flawed.
5- The Formalistcrilicwantspleasurein art to comefromths art objectitself-tho combinationsof sensations
lrom ils surtac€s,colors,and othervisualqualities.
6. Feelingsand ldeasshoulJdopendonly on the waythe artistshapeshis materials.
7. Art that relieson symbols,or on subjec*matter,or on lhs viowe/slite-longexperiencois rejecledby tho
,
Formafist
crith.
B. The Formalistcriticappreciates"artfor art'ssake,'andteelsthatno olherreasonfor creatingart is neededor
evenacceptable.
9. . A.masterpecg,accordingto the Formalistcritic,is a workol artlhat hasperleclvisualorganizationard
technicalexeculion.
Er pr e sslvtsm
criticis Interosted
in the deplhandintensityof the experience
one has whenlookingat art1. The Expressivist
2. An excellentworkof art couldbe ugty.
3-. The Expressivist
criticbelievesthat the formalandtechnicalorganization
of the work has to be good,
olhenrissit wouldnol be ableto affecthis feelings.
4' The Expressivisl
critichas two basicrulestor judgingexceltence:
a. thatwork is best which has the greatesl
powsrto aroussthe viewer'semolions,and b. thal wqrkis bestwhichcommunicatesideasol majorsignificanco.
5. Art shouldlookandfeel as il it is basedon reality,nolotherworksof art.
6. Greatart shouldnol lookcalctrlated.lt shouldseenrtobe the inevitableresultof whal an artisthas seenor fell
deeply.
criticbelievesthat art shouldmakeeverydaylife morsmeaningfulandprofound.
l. The Expressivist
B. Whatmattersis the artist'sabitityto makethe viewerbelievein whatlhe viewersees in the work. The viewer
must-experienca
an emolionbeforethe viewercan believethat the artistalsolgtt and expressedit. The
genuineness
or actualityof the arlist'semolionsdoesnol matterandoftencailnotbe ddtermined.
Inslr u m e n tallsm
1. The lnstrumentalist
criticbelievesthat alt glould servepurposesthathave'beendetermlnedby persistent
humanneedsworkingthroughpowerfulsocialinslitutions.Art'shouldservelhe interestsof the chuich,ths stale,
business,
or politics.
2- Art is at its bestrivhenit helpsto advancesomocausethatwitl,prezumabty,
advancethe interestsof humanity.
3. ltt thal dependson ail or growsout of art is inferior,self-sewing,or decadent.
4. The excellenceol a work of art is measuredby its capacityto chbngehumanbehaviorin publicandvisible
gteal politicalart resultsin greaterallegiance
yayL Forexa.mple,
to a pbrty. Greatreligiousait inspireslaith.
5. The technicaland imaginativegiftsof the artislneedto be organiiedliy an idea tn-atis greateior rncre
importantlhan the privateenptions of the artist.
6- The lnstrumentalist
critic believeslhat, if the meanings the workare good and are expressedthrough
perfectlyorganizedforms,then the work is a masterpiece.9f
fte phrasepeiecily organizediorrnsmeanstne
closestpossibleconnectionbelweenthe appearanieand ttre socialiniention6t ttie wor3.
A Final Word of Advice
Do mt startthe examinalionof a workof art by askingwhelherit meetsyourcriteriafor excellerne. Thatis the last
questionyou shouldask. Beginwith identilicationqnd description.Workyourway lhrough analysisand
interpretation.By then you will knowwhich
lfRe of jgdgment,whichphibiophy of art, is inos afpropriatelor the
wgrk_
you are examining.lt is betterto use thesephilosophies
interchangeably,
accoiOingto thti bhalrad;rof the
art obiecl,thanto stick rigidlyto one philosophyaloneand thus bse the opp<Jrtunity
to discoversome excellence
the workmayfiavo. ThegroafoJart criticismis mt necessadly
to demonstratb
how $nsistent you are in yourtinal
iudgments.The realgiratis lo increasethe rangeof ideas,vilues, andsatisfactionsyou get fiom art.
#
FOUR STEPS TO I/IEWINC FII\G ART
ofl P"=rSl
el"r-""tr
L|NE - {he rnos.F bosic elernent,..
I DESCRIPIIONVfhat do gou see?
(subject rnatt€!, scalesize, rnedirrrn)
rf Wbat kirrd of att do gou see?
- pairrting sculpture, weav:rrg etc.tt What is tl€ mc,dtran/lechnique?
- oil collage, clag,wood, fibeF
t' Describe tlre scerre.
Whatobjects do gou *.e?
l,
It FORMALAIIAIY$S lrtlhat can gou sag
sbout tlre yrirygigl,asand elements of d?
color and terU:re[ine, shape,gpraee,valrre.
. balance,rhgthr+patternyroportion
emphasis,unitg,/varietg )
lr Wtratcolors do gou see?
rt Nametlre ldnds of slrapes.
rr How are tlre elemerrts omanizc.d?
+. SPACE- dre& dtsplaced W
..-.'lilS1SV?-
Itnes crrrss over
7 . . S HA P E - when
eo:eh other..-.
?_?
geomefric or 1anr c -
a,/T-LJ
86re
5,
f<
3*tp23
o? €ovrn3,...
Eg*#:;:f,L..,
how th? sur-f,occ og
.
fe elS. . .
- 36rrnei -ntn4
5. TEXf,^RE
iTfr,"4*^ t*il*-
G. ctur
m MERPRF|AflON What do gou think is
tlre mearring/t}>erne? How do gou }oovf
tt What is tl€ arti-st trging to se'g?
(basedon tlre use of coloa line, ete)
ft ls tlrere a reL;atiorrshipamong tJ.eoVyCt€
(- si2,,e'
airdistarrce means objects are
possiblg significant or insignificarrt)
n Is e social or political staterrrent beirg na&c?
fr Does tlre title give clues to tl€ artist's bttrrrr€
-
hues af reFlectad ltqtrl'.'
rc,,owX sruE
Prrnciples
22
otf
ARf
:)+ts
@
z. Pi**r. 7_*. psitf;! s EtIS?lf4..
vfs ri,al nequoli*y"''
al arry*;
-
l.
aaaa
W
3. &ylh!?
3
.vry:+
fV. nipgpfAff
lt&rat do rrou tbirik or feel about
(gour personal
flris work of art gou're :vrre:wingi?
- opinion - like or dislil€ - and whg?)
" ' Does it ap'pealto gorn tastes?
(color choices.overall rnoo4 etc.)
'r Does it bdng back memories -good orbad or
ir;,ffiercr*?
ff
. llow mrrchwould gou Fg to lzave ll?
" Would gou lrarrg it in gorrr l:x:lne?
"*uoYrJt'.r
4.
ft,
"f+.+.
orgay?gJ repth'him
Hovernent:
b@
^:,
5.
tn a
rhffthrn
s e + rre n c c ' o - " '
I tlani.ly S looks nAlr+
Unr'iV
a-
-
'6. Elgphat rs;
qoc'Goo
#c,e.ls ]Vgffi-..
a wav *o can*nol
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