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Critiquing Art

Objective:  To view art in all of its contexts.  To analyze the meaning behind a work of art.  To place oneself in the position of the artist and try to imagine what he or she was thinking when they produced a specific piece of art.  To offer constructive criticism as to the strengths and weaknesses in an individual piece of work or in a collection.  To understand and demonstrate the use of constructive criticism as oppose to harshness.

Steps:

1.  When the artwork has been hung in the auditorium for display, take time to walk around and look at the wide array of talent around you. 

2.  Choose a collection to analyze.

3.  Answer the following questions about the collection you have chosen.

            Which piece in the collection immediately caught your attention?  What about it attracted you?

            Choose an individual piece of work and decide what you think the artist's intentions were when producing this piece.

            Find a piece that clearly illustrates the careful use of time and technique.  Then compare that piece to a piece that was obviously completed more quickly.

           Which piece in the collection, in your opinion, is the weakest?  Explain why you feel this way.

           What suggestions would you make to help the artist improve the weakest piece?

            Which piece in the collection, in your opinion, is the strongest?  What characteristics give it strength?

            How is the collection arranged?  Is everything neat, visually appealing, and easy to see?  What suggestions would you make regarding the display?

            Is there a wide variety of different styles and types of art in the collection or is everything basically the same with only slight variation, resulting in a monotonous tone?  Explain your answer.

            What kind of praise would you offer this artist?  What noticeable strengths do you see in all of the work?

            Can you determine whether or not the artist is concerned with depicting great detail or not?  Explain your answer.