Judging and Evaluating Art

Liking versus Evaluating Liking is the domain of the casual or serious consumer of visual art Evaluating is the domain of art critics, art historians, scientists

Some consider art appreciation to be like learning a language Gets back to the question of “What is Art?” Furthermore, “What is Good Art?” Is art totally subjective, or is there a general consensus on what is good art or bad art? Liking for an artwork may be orthogonal to knowing that’s it’s good or bad art

What can you Appreciate? Artistic period The School of Art Historical/cultural context Subject of the painting Technical aspects of creating the art Allegorical value Symbolism Political value

Three Approaches to Judging Art

Is Good Art Subjective? If you like it, it’s good art? Implies that an objective evaluation of art is invalid

Or is Good Art Objective? Rely on expert opinion and art criticism? Assume there are objective ways to differentiate good art from bad art?

Is Good Art Synonymous with Technical Skill? Any work of art that has taken much time, precision, meticulous attention, or painstaking detail is good art?

Art Appreciation and Taste Kant argued that a genuine good taste exists and that it is universal Kant said that beauty is an aesthetic judgment based on personal feeling Others argue that good taste is socially and culturally determined Can good taste be cultivated? Preference and judgment can be two different things

Factors Influencing Aesthetic Appreciation Social context Cultural context Lived experience Education Affective quality Conceptual content Information content and load

Social Context Artistic excellence is a shared standard applied by social actors The meaning of a work of art is learned, not discovered We learn what people consider to be of value

Cultural Context Expectations from a culture may bias judgments of art However, there is more agreement across cultures in the value of art pieces than what is explainable by cultural biases alone

Lived Experience The accumulated life experience and wisdom of the viewer Encompasses both the intensity of the moment and the journey of a lifetime Degree to which an art work is matched to the viewer’s experience of the world

Education Aesthetic reasoning begins with stimulation and education of senses in early childhood Aesthetic education programs cause increases in aesthetic awareness “To study the history and dynamics of art is to immerse ourselves in revelations of human life and perception, which exist nowhere else.” – Xavier John Seubert

Affective Quality Potential for an art work to change our emotional state Affective Dimensions –Valence (Pleasant/Unpleasant) –Arousal (Calm/Tense)

Conceptual Content How easy or difficult it is to ascertain the meaning of an art work

Information Content and Load Sensory/Cognitive demand on the viewer

Judging an Art Work is a Complex Equation Some art that is highly valued is not pleasant, e.g. Dali Some art that is soothing is not valued much, e.g., mall muzak Some art that creates sentiment is superficial, e.g. photos of kittens

Formal Evaluation of Art (Art Criticism) Analysis and evaluation of works of art Attempting to understand a work of art from a theoretical perspective Establishing its significance in the history of art

Four Steps in Art Criticism Description Analysis Interpretation Judgment

Description Historical information Defining objects in the painting Noting colors, shapes, lines, textures, day/night/illumination First impression of overall mood

Analysis Mentally separate the parts or elements How did the artist use colors, shapes, lines, texture to create a certain effect? What are the most significant artistic techniques used? How are the elements organized?

Interpretation Decoding the meaning of the work; What is the artist trying to say? What does it mean to you? What feelings are evoked? Are any elements of the work symbolic, and if so, what does that mean? Why did the artist create this work?

Judgment The critic’s own personal evaluation of the worth of the work What value does the work have? (technical proficiency, beauty, conveys an important social message, reaffirms a religious belief, etc.) Does the work lack value? Is the subject unappealing, unimaginative, or offensive? How does the work fit into the history of art?

Example: Hopper’s “Nighthawks”

Example: Van Gogh’s “Self Portrait”

Example: Miro “Dawn Perfumed by a Shower of Gold”

Conclusions I don’t care if it’s good, I know what I like? Many believe that good taste is valuable, should be respected, and can be cultivated There does seem to be a consensus about what is good art and bad art As in science, there is always argument about degrees of certainty in assertions about the value and quality of art