The Power of Essays- A Change in the Art Criticism World
Introduction
Art is an essential tool that creative use to pass a message on to the public. From Picasso to 21st-century artists, artists remain a critical component of society. It is through their art that they bring certain things to light, such as democracy, liberalism, abortion, political upheavals, and even love. [1]In the contemporary world of arts, attempts to harmonize the work of art through evaluation and analysis have resulted in criticism. Scholars engage in art critic to allow understanding and proper interpretation of these works from a theoretical or practical perspective of life. However, evaluation and synthesis of the meaning of arts vary between many cultures, notably in terms of the order, traditions, or the role it plays in that particular community. The essence tied to art criticism is to generate its significance in the general history.
Changes in the Art Criticism World
Firstly, the levels of critical approaches applied to tend to change depending on the type of artwork. For instance, an analysis of photography as a type of visual art is distinct from that of a book. In this stance, critics have to determine whether they are dealing with paintings, sculptures, or photographs. For instance, in the case of Harold Rosenberg and Clement Greenberg, the two critics developed a methodology of analytic tools that would enable them to express the art of painting to the world. [2]Rosenberg identified a new breed of action painting and creative act which defined the American painting as a mixed art.
Secondly, the environment of art criticism has changed due to the coherent nature of the critics. It is a requirement that critics have sound knowledge/ be connoisseurs of the artwork or rather the general history of art. This allows an empirical judgment to be drawn, which transfers the apparent knowledge and message of the technique to a clear comprehension of the users of the work of art. Failure to poses a conjecture towards the general understanding of the art history may complicate their perception and alternatively corrupt the critic message. It is empirical, therefore, for critics to obtain a clear view of all artworks around them, and the subtle messages portrayed by each. For instance, such as the controversy surrounding Dana Schutz’s painting, Open Casket long before the opening of her exhibition at Whitney Biennial.[3] Alex Greenberger, an art critic, questioned Schutz’s intent, motive, and her authority to be controversial in her work
Likewise, during the evaluation of these artworks, the critic is challenged by equitable issues from which he has to take a stance on what to do. They are often tied between defending old standards about the art, the new values, or the hierarchies. The decision of the critic will determine how useful the critic work is going to emerge and its overall implication to the target society. Some criticisms may be disruptive, therefore destabilizing the prevailing norms of a community. For instance, Barbara Rose, a critic of the 1960s, was able to prove the inequities of the Greenberg’s formalist theories based on expressionism painting.[4] By expanding the theory, Rose integrated the limitations associated with the approach, for the fact that it was reductionist and only limited to one style of painting.
Additionally, the changing work of artists which roams in different directions poses an intellectual challenge to the critics. Some artists may push critics to extreme ends as they try to evaluate and comprehend their specific works.[5] Ideally, the role of critics is to stimulate a quicker understanding of the works of art in society. The role drifts when the specific artists develop defensive clichés, for instance, and this surpasses the knowledge and perception of the art critics. Such artists prompt the work and experience of critics to be complicated in recognition and advocacy of their artwork. The aestheticism of art criticism is subject to social differences and overall perceptions and the conception of art.
Besides that, art criticism is dependent on subjectivism and objectivism in the sense that it should be based on a particular point of view. In other words, the critic’s arguments should be passionate, partisan and political. The level of criticism may turn out to be poetic or impressionistic depending on the stance of the critic. Therefore, it is imperative for the critic to effectively comprehend these facts before judging the work of an artist.
Conclusion
Artists play a critical role in shaping society. Their actions become engraved in the lives of many people, including historians and art critics. Art criticism is the process of evaluating the cultural and historical background of art, and determining its significance at that time, and in the future. Therefore, an art critic ought to be conversant with the art, the artist, the historical background, as well as the motivation behind the art. It is only then that they can exercise empathy in criticizing the artist’s work. Connoisseurs make right art critics because they understand the art they are criticizing, therefore, moving from knowledgeable art audiences to judges of the art. The historical context of an artwork is important, and critics are known to take divergent positions on the art based on the culture they support.
Bibliography
Coan, Jaime Shearn. “How to See Black Space in Total Whiteness: taishapaggett’sunderwaters (we is ready, we is ready) and the 2014 Whitney Biennial.” TDR/The Drama Review 61, no. 3 (2017): 72-93
Fenstermaker, Will. The 10 Essays That Changed Art Criticism Forever. June 14, 2017. https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/know-your-critics/the-10-essays-that-changed-art-criticism-forever-54846.
Kuspit, Donald B. Art Criticism. 2014. https://www.britannica.com/art/art-criticism.
[1] Fenstermaker, Will. The 10 Essays That Changed Art Criticism Forever. June 14, 2017. https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/know-your-critics/the-10-essays-that-changed-art-criticism-forever-54846.
[2] Fenstermaker, Will. The 10 Essays That Changed Art Criticism Forever. June 14, 2017. https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/know-your-critics/the-10-essays-that-changed-art-criticism-forever-54846.
[3] Coan, Jaime Shearn. “How to See Black Space in Total Whiteness: taishapaggett’sunderwaters (we is ready, we is ready) and the 2014 Whitney Biennial.” TDR/The Drama Review 61, no. 3 (2017): 72-93
[4] Fenstermaker, Will. The 10 Essays That Changed Art Criticism Forever. June 14, 2017. https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/know-your-critics/the-10-essays-that-changed-art-criticism-forever-54846.
[5] Kuspit, Donald B. Art Criticism. 2014. https://www.britannica.com/art/art-criticism.