Art Criticism and Aesthetics Chapter Four Art Criticism and Aesthetics

Art Criticism Art critics examine works of art searching for aesthetic qualities: The qualities that can increase their understanding of the works and serve as the criteria on which their judgments are based

Art Criticism Critiquing a work of art is a reasoned activity of the mind

Art Criticism Art critics use the following operations to judge a work of art: 1) Description 2) Analysis 3) Interpretation 4) Judgment

1) Description 2) Analysis Identify the literal qualities Decide how well the design qualities of a work are put together or organized

3) Interpretation 4) Judgment Consider the expressive qualities, meaning, mood and idea being communicated 4) Judgment Making a decision about a work of art that demonstrates careful critic

Aesthetic Theories Used to make aesthetic judgments about art: Imitationalism Formalism Emotionalism

Imitationalism Stresses the importance of literal qualities The degree of realism a work of art displays

Formalism A theory in which the success of the work depends on the design qualities or the way it is organized Most important is the effective use of the principles of design

Emotionalism A theory in which success of an artwork depends on its ability to communicate an emotion or idea to the viewer Emphasis is placed on expressive qualities Feeling Mood

It is important to use multiple theories when critiquing a work of art as to not limit yourself to rely on a singular aesthetic

Examining Non-Object Works Non-objective art: any artwork that contains no apparent reference to reality

Examining Non-Object Works Begin with an inventory of art elements used in the work and then continue to previous steps