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BENG A CRITIC OF THE ARTS By PROF. RONNIE ESPERGAL PASIGUI Slide 2 Being a Critic of the Arts Chapter 3 There are methods and means for becoming a good critic and understanding the goals of responsible criticism. The act of responsible criticism aims for the fullest understanding and the fullest participation possible. It requires being at the height of awareness while examining a work of art in detail, establishing its context, and clarifying its achievement. Slide 3 Examine this! Slide 4 Being A Critic Of The Arts continued You are already an art critic - when you; choose a film or change the channel looking for something better, turn a radio dial looking for good music, when you stop to admire a building or a sculpture. Our experience is one factor which qualifies us to make such critical judgments. It helps us make critical judgments without hesitation. Slide 5 Critics of the arts Everyone has limitations as a critic. Without some specific critical training ourselves we are capable of going only so far. By learning some principles about criticism and how to put them to work, we can develop our capacities as critics. Slide 6 Being a Critic of the Arts Our basic critical purpose is to learn, by reflecting on works of art, how to participate with these works more intensely and enjoyably; good criticism will sharpen our perception of the form of a work of art and increase our understanding of its content. Slide 7 Kinds of Criticism: Descriptive Criticism Descriptive criticism concentrates on the form of a work of art, Describing the important characteristics of that form in order to improve our understanding of the part-to-part and part-to-whole interrelationships. Still, we miss things and oftentimes we miss things that are right there for us to observe. Good descriptive critics call our attention to what we might otherwise miss in an artistic form. Slide 8 What figure can you see? Slide 9 May 3, 1808 by: Goya Slide 10 Question! Were you aware of the line of the long dark shadows at the bottom right underlines the line of the firing squad? Slide 11 Look at the artwork again! Slide 12 Detail and Structural Relationships Form refers to the relationships of part to part in a work or part to whole in a work Detail relationship is a connection of one part or region of form to another part or region Structural relationships involve connecting one part or region of a work of art to the entirety of the work Slide 13 Example of Detail Relationship Look at the three images of Aunt Jemima (the image with a child, the image with a broom, the image on the wall Betye Saar, The Liberation of Aunt Jemima, 1972 Slide 14 Example of Structural Relationship Pablo Picasso, Guernica Slide 15 About the Guernica! Pablo Picasso's mural "Guernica" (1937) His reaction to the Nazi bombing of the Basque city of Guernica: the mural "Guernica" (1937): "Guernica" mural (72K)"Guernica" mural Scene takes place in darkness in open space, possible town square surrounded by burning buildings. Figures within the triangle: fleeing woman, the wounded horse (suffering humanity, originally had small winged horse/soul leaving gash in side), the broken statue of the warrior (classical image perhaps of fallen Spanish republicans). Tip of triangle "eye" of electric light globe (image of sun/eye) and woman with the lamp (light holding darkness/bull at bay). To right burning building with falling woman (perhaps also burning, in stance of suffering Mary Magdalene). To left wailing woman with dead baby (originally on ladder, like bringing Christ down from the cross) behind which stand bull (threatening or protecting woman and child?). Other figures are bird (rising or falling, originally small winged horse/soul) and flower (symbol of regeneration and hope, like 600 year old tree left standing). Slide 16 Details of the Guernica (woman with the lamp) Slide 17 Details of the Guernica (far left bull, woman, dead child) Slide 18 Details of the Guernica (the central pyramid) Slide 19 Details of the Guernica (left :the fallen warrior) Slide 20 Details of the Guernica (Right :the fallen warrior) Slide 21 Details of the Guernica (The Fleeing Woman) Slide 22 Details of the Guernica (The Horse Head) Slide 23 Details of the Guernica (The Falling Woman) Slide 24 Details of the Guernica (Detail of the Flower) Slide 25 About the Guernica!(Structural Relationship) Balanced with respect to detail, region, and structure The detail relationships are organized into three major regions: the great triangle with the apex at the candle and two sides sloping down to the lower corners, and the two large triangles, vertically oriented, running down along the left and right borders Slide 26 About the Guernica!(Structural Relationship) The regions are hierarchically ordered, for the triangular region dominates in both size and interest The left rectangle, because of the impassive bull, dominates the right rectangle Slide 27 Example of Structural Relationship jackson pollock autumn rhythm Slide 28 Analysis The loops, splashes, and blots of color were dripped or drown on the canvass, which was laid out flat on the floor during execution There is the spontaneity of the motion of his hand and body along with the weight and fluidity of the paint The endless details add up to a self-contained totality holding the rhythms of autumn Slide 29 Kinds of Criticism: Interpretive Criticism Interpretive criticism gives detailed explanation of the content of a work of art. It helps us understand how form transforms subject matter into content: what has been revealed about some subject matter and how that has been accomplished. Slide 30 Kinds of Criticism: Interpretive Criticism The content of any work of art will become clearer when the structure is perceived in relationship to the details of the region Interpretative critics job is to find out as much about an artistic form as possible in order to explain its meaning Slide 31 Le Corbusier, Notre Dame-de- Haut Slide 32 Louis Henry Sullivan Slide 33 Louis Henry Sullivan, Guaranty (Prudential) Building, NY Slide 34 Interpretation The lofty arc of Le Corbusiers roof soars heavenward, as soon as we recognize it as a chapel The form takes us up toward heaven (it moves our eyes upward) The prudential building looks like a pile of banknotes Slide 35 Descriptive & Interpretative Unless we perceive the form with sensitivity this means that we have the basis for good descriptive criticism we simply cannot understand the content Consequently, any interpretative criticism will be useless Slide 36 Kinds of Criticism: Evaluative Criticism Evaluative criticism to evaluate a work of art is to judge its merits (praiseworthy quality). At first glance, this seems to suggest that it is prescriptive criticism, which prescribes what is good as if it were a medicine and tell us that this work is superior to that work. Slide 37 Kinds of Criticism: Evaluative Criticism continued If evaluative criticism makes you uncomfortable, your reaction is based on good instincts. Nevertheless, evaluative criticism of some kind is generally necessary. Evaluative criticisms three fundamental standards: perfection, insight, and inexhaustibility.