Chapter Four Art Criticism.

1. Art Criticism and Aesthetics
Chapter 4

2. Art Criticism: Aesthetic Qualities
• Art critics search for aesthetic qualities that
can increase their understanding of the works
and serve as the criteria on which their
judgments are based.
• The following slides cover those
aesthetic qualities that we will
base our criteria on and defines the
role of the art critic.

3. Artist Criticism
• Define the steps for art criticism.
• Use the work by Diego Rivera in this power
point in order to help you understand these
terms.
• Apply the terms to the Blue Dog Painting at
the end of this power point.

4. Four Steps of Art Criticism
• There are four steps of art criticism:
Description, Analysis, Interpretation, and
Judgment.
• You will look for specific information in each
step.
• This information you look for is your criteria
that you will base your judgments.
• Criteria means standards of judgment.

5. Art Criticism Steps
• Description: Literally, everything that you see
and the Elements of Art.
• Analysis: The principles of art organize the
elements of art. Look for the principles of art.
• Interpretation: the meaning, mood, or idea
communicated to the viewer.
• Judgment: Base your judgment on the first
three steps and the aesthetic theory(s) you
choose.

6. Art Criticism Approach
• What is seen in the
artwork? Description
• How is the artwork
designed? Analysis
• What does it mean?
Interpretation
• Is it a successful work of
art? Judgment
• Let us practice going
through these steps
together.
• Refer to the videos
linked in this power
point to better help you
understand these steps.

7. Art Criticism Approach
Description
• Literal Qualities: realistic presentation of
subject matter, and the elements of art found
in the work.
• First you must describe everything you see in
the work (people, animals etc).
• Second you must describe the elements of art
present in the work. Color, line, shape/form,
value, texture and space.

8. Practice Description
Video link of
Description.
This video will help
you understand how
to go through the
Description step.
Diego Rivera, The
Flower Carrier, 1936

9. Art Criticism Approach
Analysis
• Design qualities: how well the work is
organized, or put together.
• The principles of art organize the elements of
art.
• What principles of art did the artist use to
organize the elements? balance, emphasis,
harmony, variety, movement, rhythm, and
proportion.
Practice with Diego Rivera

10. Practice Analysis
View this video to
better understand Art
Criticism.
Diego Rivera, The
Flower Carrier, 1936.

11. Art Criticism Approach
Interpretation
• Expressive Qualities: the meaning, mood, or
idea communicated to the viewer.
• Base your interpretation on your description
and analysis
• Your interpretation is personal.
• Different people will have different
interpretations of the work.

12. Aesthetics and Art Criticism
• We know that Aesthetics is a branch of
philosophy concerned with identifying the
clues within artworks that can be used to
understand, judge, and defend judgments
about those works.
• Artist critics use aesthetic theories in order to
judge and defend their judgments.
• There are many aesthetic theories. We will
look at three of them.
Chapter 3 Lesson 2

13. Imitationalism (Realism)
•Imitationalism
(realism): Realistic
presentation of
subject matter.
Reminds viewers of
what can be seen in
the real world.
•Stresses the
importance of the
literal qualities.
Andrew Wyeth, Master
Bedroom,1946.

14. Formalism
•Formalism: a theory
of art that emphasizes
design qualities.
depends on the
effective organization
of design qualities.
•Design qualities: the
Principles of Art
Jasper Johns, False Start, 1959.
Oil on Canvas, 67 1/4 x 54 in.

15. Emotionalism
•Emotionalism: The
artwork communicates
an emotion or idea to
the viewer.
•Importance is placed
on moods, feelings,
ideas and expressive
qualities.
Jacob Lawrence, Confrontation on The Bridge,
1975

16. Practice Interpretation
View this video to
better help you
understand
Interpretation.
Diego Rivera, The
Flower Carrier, 1936.

17. Art Criticism Approach
Judgment
• Judgment: Decision making about the work’s
artistic merit.
• Is the work successful.
• You must be able to defend your judgment of
the work’s success/merit.
• This depends on the aesthetic theory that you
favor as an artist critic.

18. Watch this video to
better help you
understand
Judgment.
Diego Rivera, The
Flower Carrier, 1936.
Art Criticism Approach
Judgment

19. Nonobjective Art
•Nonobjective Art: Any
artwork that contains no
apparent reference to reality.
•Importance is placed
primarily on the manner in
which the elements and
principles of art are used.
•Follow the same procedure
you would use with a realistic
work.
•The only difference occurs
during description. There is
no recognizable subject
matter to identify. Just look
for the art elements. Stuart Davis, Swing Landscape, 1938.

20. George Rodrigue, Blue Dog: You Light Up My Roses.