1. ART CRITICISM Art criticism is talking and writing about art Art criticism allows you to really look at a work of art to understand it and appreciate it

2. What do you do when you are presented with an image like this?

3. WHAT IS THIS? WHAT DOES IS IT MEAN? WHY DOES IS IT LOOK LIKE THAT? DO I LIKE IT?

4. The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse, France, 1908, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia How do you go about understanding what you see?

5. Solving art mysteries is one of the jobs that art critics set out to accomplish. Following the 4 steps of art criticism can help you discover lots of clues that a work of art offers

6. The 4 Steps of Art Criticism With each step of art criticism, you’ll answer different questions about a work of art. 1. DESCRIPTION 2. ANALYSIS 3. INTERPRETATION 4. JUDGMENT

7. Description What do you see? LOOK!!

8. Red room Wall paper Chairs, wooden, cane seat Table, table cloth Woman Fruit & wine Cut flowers in vase Window Landscape Trees, bushes, flowers, building Colors - red, blues, greens yellows, white, black

9. Analysis Look again at the painting by Henri Matisse How is the work arranged ? Break down the painting ’ s composition, or the way the art principles are used to organize the art elements.

10. Color Line Shape Form Space Texture Value ELEMENTS OF ART / DESIGN

11. Color = scarlet red Line = straight - outlines of table, chairs / curvy - flowerspatterns Texture = patterns Shape = geometric / organic Form / Value = not used Space = crowded, flattened Choose 1 or 2 elements of art that you think are most important, and that contribute the most to the work of art:

12. Proportion Movement Rhythm Balance Contrast Emphasis Unity Principles of art/design

13. Proportion = oversize linear patterns Movement = diagonal bottom right to top left, curved lines of pattern & trees Rhythm = repetition - curved pattern ( wall paper, cloth, trees ), dots of color ( lemons / flowers ) Balance = woman - chair, room - window Contrast = red - green, black - white pattern - solid, curve - straight Emphasis = woman arranging fruit Unity = color, shape & line PRINCIPLES OF ART/DESIGN

14. Interpretation What do you think Matisse is trying to communicate ? Give your opinion based on the clues you have collected. What ideas, moods, emotions, and stories do you think the artwork communicates ?

15. In Matisse ' s ‘ The Dessert : Harmony in Red ( Red Room ) a deep, scarlet red is the predominant color in the painting. How does the predominant redness make you feel ?

16. The color red usually makes people feel warmth because it is associated with the sun and fire The color red has a physiological affect that excites and stimulates. CONSIDER:

17. Artists understand the power of color in affecting the viewer's feelings. Throughout art history, artists have used color to convey and heighten the emotional content of a painting. In the early twentieth century, artists began to focus on color as a direct translation of their feelings, and to use color as an emotional force. For example:

18. Henri Matisse was one of the members of the Fauve or the Wild Beasts painters in the early 1900’s who concentrated in the emotional impact of color. Woman with a Hat by Henri Matisse 1905. Oil on canvas

19. “ The Dessert” went through three successive stages. First it was green, and then blue It was finally delivered in scarlet to the Russian collector Shchukin to decorate his dining room. Did you know that the color red in many restaurants is there only to make customers hungry, and to encourage them to order more than they normally would. Red walls and décor also cause people to eat faster, since the color increases our normallevels of energy. Exploration of color:

20. What affect did the final location for the painting (Shchukin dining room) have on Matisse’s color and subject choice?

21. What about the subject matter? A woman arranging a fruit bowl? Dinner Table, 1897 Impressionist style This theme had already been explored by Matisse: interior scenes or women life activities Before you construct your own interpretations, you might have to do some research about the context of a work of art

22. Judgment Give a personal value to the artwork. Do you think this work is successful ? Why or why not ? What reasons can you give for your idea of why this is a good or bad artwork ?

23. Let’s see how a professional art historian critiques another Matisse’s art work: “The Window” What steps did he use to talk about the painting? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjbJTF5ZOEw