Art Criticism

     In the video Greenberg on Art Criticism: An Interview by T. J. Clark, from “Films on Demand” I heard firsthand from art critic Clement Greenberg about his work.  He explains that, in his view, the most important component of a critique of a visual artwork is the value judgment of the work.  This judgment is not based on personal beliefs or preferences but simply on the quality of the work.  He does not believe that there are any standards in the visual arts to which new works should be held.  Rather, he believes that if an artwork is perceived as beautiful or creative, for example, then it is worthy of praise.  Art ought only be relevant to be “good.”  He also does not believe that a critic needs to have a lot of knowledge of art history in order to judge a recent work.  He also mentions that good art is made when an artist puts himself fully into his work.

     The video The Colonial Encounter: Views of Non-Western Art and Culture (from “Films on Demand”) has several examples of inappropriate art.  The video gives an overview of the exhibits from the 1900 Paris World Fair.  The fair was divided up into exhibitions representing various countries.  Two of these exhibits, those that represented Algeria and Dahome, used visual art in a way that misrepresented these peoples.  There were photographs of nude men and women in the Dahome exhibit that were supposedly used in a scientific way- certain features of the body were measured in order to determine the intelligence levels of the individuals pictured.  Yet, these photos were very evocative and the subjects did not seem happy to be photographed in this way.  This exhibit also had images of the Dahomans being very violent towards one another.  This was probably meant to foster attitudes in viewers that the French take-over of this region was for the benefit of the Dahomans.  In the Algerian display, belly-dancing  was seen in many images, giving the idea that this practice held greater importance in this country than it did in actuality.

     The first video mentioned helped me to consider how I might go about critiquing the artwork of my peers for the project I am working on.  I will keep cultural relevance in my thinking.  The second video reminded me of the importance of respecting the individuals portrayed in art.

     The first video gave me insights into the ways some art critics think and how they come to their conclusions.  The second taught me that the processes of the creation of artworks and their ultimate uses should be considered when critiquing them.