Art Criticism: Learning from a Work of Art

Art critics use different criteria, or standards of judgment, to assess works of art. By using some of these same criteria, you can learn to interpret works of art. The process of interpretation will improve your aesthetic experience, or your personal interaction with a work of art. Aesthetics is the philosophy or study of the nature and value of art.

Art criticism is an organized approach for studying a work of art. It is made up of four steps that must be taken in order:

(1) Description: Ask yourself, what do I see? Make a list of all the things you see in the work, including the work’s subject and the elements of art that are used. Include information from the credit line about the size of the work and its medium.

(2) Analysis: Ask, how is the work organized? Look at how the principles of art are used to organize the art elements of line, space, color, form, and texture.

(3) Interpretation: Ask, what is the artist trying to communicate? Try to explain the meaning or mood of the work, based on your clues from the first two steps. You can make guesses about the artwork as long as they are supported by what you see in the work.

(4) Judgment: Now ask, is this a successful work of art? You determine the degree of artistic merit. You can decide whether you like or dislike the work and whether the work is successful aesthetically.
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