“Critique and Formal Analysis”

What is a critique?

A critique is an oral or written discussion strategy used to analyze, describe, and interpret works of art. Critiques help artists hone their persuasive oral and writing, information-gathering, and justification skills. To formally critique a work of art, you must be able to critically analyze the work by forming and describing your observations.

FORMAL CRITIQUE QUESTIONS

1. DESCRIPTION (Paragraph #1)

– Look at this painting for a moment. What observations can you make about it? How would you describe this painting to a person who could not see it?
– Describe the work without using value words such as “beautiful” or “ugly”:

• !  What is the title and who is (are) the artist(s)?
• !  Describe the elements of the work (i.e., line, color, shape, volume/form,
  texture, value).
  o Be specific in describing WHERE you see the elements existing.
  ” For example, “There are clear directional lines existing on the lower left portion of the print, that lead the viewer’s eye to the main subject”.
• !  Describe the technical qualities of the work (i.e., techniques, tools, materials).
• !  Describe the subject matter. What is it all about? Are there recognizable images? If so, what can objects do you see?
• !  Describe the style of the work (realistic, fantastic, expressive, formal, nonobjective, abstract)
  2. ANALYSIS (Paragraph #2)
  Describe how the work is organized as a complete composition:
• !  How is the work constructed or planned (i.e., movements, lines)?
• !  Identify some of the similarities throughout the work (i.e., repetition of
  lines, shapes, colors etc).
• !  What do you think is the most important part of this picture?
• !  Identify some of the points of emphasis in the work (i.e., figure,
  movement).
• !  If the work has subjects or objects, what are the relationships between or
  among them?
• !  What do you think this work is about? How did you come up that idea?

3. INTERPRETATION (Paragraph #3)

Describe how the work makes you think or feel:

• !  Describe the expressive qualities you find in the work. What expressive language would you use to describe the qualities (i.e., quiet, loud, funny, romantic, tragic)?
• !  Does the work remind you of other things you have experienced (i.e., analogy or metaphor)?
• !  How does the work relate to other ideas or events in the world and/or in your other studies?
• !  What do you think is going on in this picture? How did you arrive at that idea?
  4. JUDGEMENT OR EVALUATION (Paragraph #4)
  Present your opinion of the work’s success or failure:
• !  What qualities of the work make you feel it is a success or failure?
• !  Compare it with similar works that you think are good or bad.
• !  What criteria can you list to help others judge this work?
• !  How original is the work? Why do you feel this work is original or not
  original?
• !  Why do you think other people should see this work of art? –
• !  What do you think is worth remembering about this painting?
  INSTRUCTIONS:
  Choose one drawing OR painting OR print image from the textbook from the online text.
  Answer ALL of the following questions from formal critique analysis in complete, detailed sentences.
• Answers must be typed, Times New Roman, size 12 font, 1.5 spaced.