How+to+an+Art+Critic

Back to Home>Back to Methodology How to Become an Art Critic

**Instructions:**
==Welcome to the exhilarating and fascinating world of artistic criticism. In today’s discussion we will learn the formal structure of assessing work of art and practice how to construct a critique. Below are a series of questions to ask yourself when examining a piece of art as well as an outline of a critique.==


 * ==What is the medium?==

(Painting, sculpture, collage, drawing, etc.)
|| ==What is the technique/material used?==

(water color, oil, marble, or wood,)
|| ==What is it?==

(a portrait, a interior, a still life, landscape)
||
 * ==What do you see in the picture?== || ==Is it realistic/abstract, objective/subjective?== || ==When was it created? What period does it resemble?== ||


 * ==What techniques did the artist employ?==

EX: Line, Shape, Value, Texture, Space, Light
|| ==What is the effect that is created?==

EX: Contrast, Unity, Proportion, Depth/Dimension
||


 * ==What do you think the artist is trying to express/communicate?== || ==What was the goal of creating this piece?== || ==How does this piece reflect the context in which it was created?== ||


 * ==What do you value in the piece?== || ==Which descriptors do you feel resound most clearly when you look at this piece?== ||
 * ==How effective do you feel the author was in achieving the goal(s) of his/her work?== || ==What are the limitations of the art work?== ||

==Now that you have found answers to your questions through examination of the piece and outside research, you will now create an art critique. The structure of the critique should mirror the steps you followed when examining the work, designating one-two paragraphs per step. Remember that all assertions should be supported with reference to the work and/or outside research.==