Art in Focus

Chapter 4: Art Criticism and Aesthetics

Lesson Summaries-English

          To learn how to examine and understand a work of art, viewers must know how to look and what to look for. For this they can turn to art criticism and aesthetics.

Lesson 1
Art Criticism: A Search for Aesthetic Qualities

          When art critics examine works of art, they search for the art’s aesthetic qualities. These qualities help them understand artworks and serve as the criteria for judgments regarding the works. To identify these qualities, a critic often performs four operations: description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. He or she observes the artwork and asks various questions. For description, the critic describes everything seen in the work, including the literal qualities, or the subject matter, that are immediately evident. Then the critic identifies the elements of art. For analysis, the critic considers the work’s design qualities, or how well it is organized. He or she may use a design chart to help during this step. For interpretation, the critic identifies the artwork’s expressive qualities, or the meaning, mood, or idea that is communicated. Finally, for judgment, the critic decides whether the work is or is not successful. After making a judgment, he or she defends it based on the information collected in the previous steps. Often this judgment depends on the theory or theories of art that the critic favors.

Lesson 2
Using Aesthetics and Art Criticism

          Aesthetics is concerned with identifying clues within artworks that can be used to understand and judge the works. Three main aesthetic theories, imitationalism, formalism, and emotionalism, favor different aesthetic qualities and thus may lead to different judgments. Imitationalism focuses on the realistic presentation of the subject matter—the work should appear lifelike. Formalism judges a work based on the organization of the elements of art through the use of the principles of art. Emotionalism argues that a work’s success depends on how well it communicates a mood, feeling, or idea.

          Rather than relying on one aesthetic theory to judge a work of art, it is better to use more than one. First, examine an artwork following the art criticism operations. Look at the artwork and decide whether you like it or dislike it. Then describe the work, listing the objects and actions you see represented as well as the elements of art. Next, analyze the work, using a design chart if necessary. To interpret the work, ask what feeling, moods, and ideas are communicated. After completing these steps, you can make a judgment as to whether the work is successful. Based on the aesthetic qualities you have identified, explain why the work is or is not successful. Architecture, as well as nonobjective art—artworks that have no apparent reference to reality—can also be judged this way. Simply focus on the art elements rather than on the literal qualities. Finally, ask yourself how it communicates a mood or feeling, based on its aesthetic qualities.