Art Critique: A Way to Talk about Art

Cris Guenter, Ed.D., Professor Emerita, CSU, Chico

Note for Instructors:  This lesson can used and adapted for upper elementary students through adults. The lesson can be done in a classroom setting or in a virtual setting. It can be connected to almost any subject or content area since artwork exists about many things. For example, if you teach an engineering course, there are are many artworks and photos to be found by doing a search for engineering at Google Arts and Culture. Using a visual image to introduce, enhance, or extend your curriculum content supports student retention, allows for efficient communication, and aids comprehension. Depending on the image selected, it can also stimulate interest and drive student motivation. For your convenience, inks to online sites with artwork collections are at the bottom of this page.

Objectives:  In pairs, students will be able to successfully identify four-steps used to critique art. Students will be able to successfully complete the four-step critique process using a designated piece of artwork.

Rationale:  Interpreting art allows students to use their brains, think, and imagine. Artists document. react to, and ponder what is happening around them. This teaches students about beauty in the world, about the power of imagination, and ways to channel emotion using art. Critiques help students hone their persuasive oral and writing, information-gathering, and justification skills.

Procedures: Introduce the four steps used in the critique process and provide a reference to clarify what occurs in that step.

1. DESCRIBE - Describe the facts, what you see in the painting--lines, shapes, textures, colors, objects. Questions that could be asked at this step include: What kinds of lines do you see? What kinds of shapes do you see? What kind of textures do you see? What kind of objects do you see?  
2. ANALYZE - Look at the way the facts are put together or designed--balance, light areas, focal point, illusion of space, dark areas, rhythm created by repetition. Questions that could be asked at this step include: What kind of balance is used--symmetrical or asymmetrical? Where do you see the most light? What is the first thing you see when you look at the painting? What kind of space is used? Where do you see the most the dark areas? What do you see repeated in the painting?
3. INTERPRET - What is the purpose or meaning of the art work? Review points 1. and 2. (Describe and Analyze). These are the clues to the meaning and purpose of the painting. Questions that could be asked at this step include: Does the artist seem to be primarily concerned with imitating nature?  Does the artist seem to be mostly interested in expressing feeling or emotion? Does the prime concern of this artist seem to be with lines, shapes, colors, textures, and design or with composition? Does the name of the painting tell you about its meaning or purpose? What word would you use to describe the artwork? (Example--strength, fear, courage, hope, etc.)
4. JUDGE - Present your opinion of the work's success or failure based on what you have learned from the three previous steps. Provide your reasons with your judgment.  I like OR do not like this artwork because...

Then using a selected image from Google Arts and Culture, go through the process with the entire group. First determine the name of the artist, the title of the work, the medium used to create it, the size, and date it was made. Facilitate the discussion so they become familiar with the process. 

Put students in pairs and either designate a specific piece of artwork for the all groups or allow the pairs to select an image on their own. Pairs will then work together to critique the piece of art using the four steps. They can take notes with paper and pencil or more formally document responses for each of the four steps via a Google Doc. Monitor progress of pairs. 

Closure: As they finish, put two pairs together and have each pair share and discuss their findings with the other. Again monitor progress of the groups. As sharing winds down, ask for their attention. Ask for volunteers to share what they learned about viewing and discussing art. Ask if they noticed that the judgment and evaluation was the last step in the process and not the first.

Assessment: Assessment of the two objectives can be done in a number of ways. Students could be asked to orally identify the four steps or do it in writing. The pairs could be asked to provide their notes and/or summary feedback to you. Or you could make notes on pair and group progress as you monitor their efforts. Pairs could also present their summary findings with the image to the whole group.