Humanities Bellwork: 9/23/ What do artists use to express “reality”? 2.What role does graphic design play in consumers' choices? 3.What are formal and technical qualities of media? 4.What elements and principles are integral to composition of two- dimensional art? 5.What other factors influence media?

CHAPTER 1: TWO-DIMENSIONAL ART -HOW DO WE ATTEMPT ART CRITICISM?

DEFINING ART CRITICISM  Art criticism is responding to, interpreting meaning, and making critical judgments about specific works of art.  Art critics help viewers perceive, interpret, and judge artworks.  Critics tend to focus more on modern and contemporary art from cultures close to their own.  Art historians tend to study works made in cultures that are more distant in time and space.  When initially introduced to art criticism, many people associate negative connotations with the word "criticism."

A PROFESSIONAL ART CRITIC MAY BE:  a newspaper reporter assigned to the art piece  a scholar writing for professional journals or texts  an artist writing about other artists.

TWO TYPES OF CRITICISM Journalistic criticism—  Written for the general public, includes reviews of art exhibitions in galleries and museums.  Suggestions that journalistic criticism deals with art mainly to the extent that it is newsworthy Scholarly art criticism—  Written for a more specialized art audience and appears in art journals.  Scholar-critics may be college and university professors or museum curators, often with particular knowledge about a style, period, medium, or artist.

FOUR LEVELS OF FORMAL ANALYSIS JUST REMEMBER: DEM APPLES IS JUICY! 1. Description = pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or interpretation (NOT STATING WHETHER OR NOT YOU LIKE IT! STAY. OBJECTIVE.) 2. Analysis = determining what the features suggest and decide why the artist used such features to convey specific idea 3. Interpretation = establishing the broader context for this type of art. 4. Judgment: Judging a piece of work means giving it rank in relation to other works and of course considering a very important aspect of the visual arts; its originality.

DESCRIPTION II t answers the question, "What do you see?" TT he various elements that constitute a description include: AA rtist's name TT itle of work TT ype of artwork SS ubject of the painting (scene) OO bjects in the painting FF irst impression––note the characteristics of the artwork that first jump out at you CC olors used SS hapes, lines and texture LL ight saturation SS ensory qualities––identify the predominant mood and visual effect.

ANALYSIS · It answers the question, "How did the artist do it? --Determine the subject matter through naming iconographic elements, e.g., historical event, allegory, mythology, etc. ·Evolve the art criticism from a technical description to an in-depth examination of how the technical elements were utilized by the artist to create the overall impression conveyed by the artwork. Technical elements you need to analyze when you critique artwork include:  Color.  Shapes, forms and lines.  Texture.  Light and shadow.  How each technical element contributes to the mood, meaning and aesthetic sensation of the artwork. i

INTERPRETATION · It answers the question, "Why did the artist create it and what does it mean? · The various elements that constitute interpretation include: a. Main idea, overall meaning of the work. b. Interpretive Statement: Can I express what I think the artwork is about in one sentence? c. Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork supports my interpretation? This part of an art critique is more subjective than the others, as you are expected to use your analysis of the technical aspects of the piece of art to apply your own supposition to the artist's intended purpose for the artwork. Try to accomplish the following things when formulating your interpretation: communicate the artist's statement and describe what you think the artist is trying to say through the work of art.

JUDGMENT · Is it a good artwork? · Criteria: What criteria do I think are most appropriate for judging the artwork? · Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork relates to each criterion? · Judgment: Based on the criteria and evidence, what is my judgment about the quality of the artwork? This is a summation of the art criticism process leading up to this point. Use your analysis and interpretation to draw conclusions and reach judgments about the artwork. State what you think the artwork's value is. For example, its value may be to evoke nostalgia, to incite anger or to impart beauty. Explain why you feel this way. Describe the artwork's relevance to the art community and to people as a whole. Explain where you feel the artwork has strong value and where you think it falls short.

WHAT FAMOUS ARTWORK ARE YOU?