1. Formal Analysis & Critique
Design Defense
Formal Analysis & Critique
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 
Trade & Industrial Education

2. What is Art Criticism? Who are Art Critics?
Art criticism is the process of responding to, interpreting meaning, and making critical judgments about specific works of art.
News Writers
Scholars
Artists
Who are Art Critics?
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 

3. Formal Analysis Describe Analyze Interpret Judge
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 

4. Formal Analysis Versus Critique Formal Analysis Critique
Ends with judgment
No judgment
Open line of questioning
Critique
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 

5. Guidelines to Group Critique
Students will complete the Formal Analysis Handout before the group critique begins.
100% participation is expected from the class.
Students will ask and answer open-ended questions that are positive or neutral.
No negative comments or connotations are allowed
No “suggestions” are allowed.
The artist must wait until after others have talked before “explaining” the true intention of their work.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 

6. Examples of Open Questions to Ask and Answer
What do you see?
Why do you notice that?
What else do you see? Why?
What is the most original or creative thing you see?
How would you guess it happened or how would you explain that?
What do you think it means?
Why do you think so?
How does it make you feel?
Why does it do that?
What open question does the work suggest to you? (state it in positive or neutral terms - no negatives)
What do you wonder about? (state it in positive or neutral terms - no negatives)
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission. 

7. Defending your Work
The artist must wait until after others have talked before they “explain” the true intentions of their work.
Artists must learn how others “see” their work. This is accomplished by listening to critique questions.
The work is the work, whether or not it is interpreted as the artist intended.
Copyright © Texas Education Agency, All rights reserved. Images and other multimedia content used with permission.