Art Criticism : Feldman Theory

Feldman’s Model for Art Criticism

Step One: Description (What do I see?)

·  Use the credit line to gather information such as artist, title, date of creation, size and medium

·  Make a list of all the things you see in the work

·  Recognizable images

·  What’s in the foreground, middleground, background?

·  Identify the elements of art that were used

·  Go slowly

·  Be objective (state only the facts)

Step Two: Analysis (How is the work organized?)

·  Pay attention to the principles of design

·  How are the elements (line, shape, form, space, color, texture, and value) used to create emphasis, rhythm/movement, pattern, balance, proportion, and unity?

Step Three: Interpretation (What is the artist saying?)

·  Make inferences (educated guesses) about details that aren’t stated or obvious

·  Explain the mood

·  Does there seem to be any symbols or layered meaning?

·  Your interpretation can be based on your feelings, but those feelings must be supported by the more objective details you collected in steps one and two.

·         Can you defend your theory with evidence?

Step Four: Judgment (Is this a successful work of art?)

·  Use aesthetic theories for support

·  Imitationalism and literal qualities: Some critics favor the realistic presentation of the artwork. People with this point of view feel that an artwork should imitate life, that it should appear “real” before it can be considered successful.

·  Formalism and design qualities: Other critics think that composition is the most important factor in a work of art. This theory stresses the importance of the arrangements of the elements of art.

·  Emotionalism and expressive qualities: Critics who support this theory are primarily concerned with the emotional content of the artwork. They require a strong sense of feelings, moods, or ideas to be communicated from the artwork to the viewer.

·         Are there other criteria to consider? Craftsmanship, originality, historical importance, comparison to similar work.

v  Try not to rely on one theory for every artwork because you may miss some exciting discoveries about the work. Test all three on a work to see where it is particularly successful.