How to be an Art Critic
If you ever feel lost in an art space and don't really know what you're looking at, or how to look, you're not alone. Last week we talked about how engaging with art makes you younger, which we love!!! But “engaging” goes beyond just popping your head into a gallery, glancing around at some paintings and calling it a day. Just because you made it to the gym doesn't mean you had a good workout.
In the studio today we were talking about respected art critic Jerry Saltz, who has so many good quotes about the art world, being an artist, and being an art critic that it's incredibly difficult to choose one to share. But this VICE article from 2015 is a great peek into his takes on viewing art, from literal:
“I know when I’m in a gallery or museum with artists because this is how they look at it.” Saltz rushes toward the podium, feeling and banging and inspecting all sides, face an inch from its surface. “You’re trying to see what it’s made of, how they made it, right artists? In other words, you’re stealing! More power to you.”
to philosophical:
“You have to understand that 1% of 1% of 1% of 1% of all cave paintings exist today. We lost them… The caves are the first great storage systems. How can I get my idea, that lives only in me, goddamn it… How can I get the information stored so it can be retrieved in another operating system? You can’t imagine how advanced this technology was. They were the computers of their time.”
If we go by this theory, art is another way of storing information - but it communicates beyond language, and learning how to understand that type of communication will help you become a better viewer and critic.
Knowing how to engage with art can make you a better parent to your child, too. Being genuinely curious, asking questions beyond “what is it?” and getting deeper to the root of their thought process, the context behind their work, and their physical process is the same regardless whether you're at the Getty or at the kitchen table with your child and a box of crayons.
Questions that encourage your child to share details with you about their work are a great place to start.
How did you make this?
Tell me about your art.
What inspired you to make this?
Also think about your own journey with art. Do you currently create art? What excites you when talking about your own art with others? What kinds of things do you not want to hear about your art? Was there a time someone said something to you that made you stop creating art? Personally, I love when people ask me questions about why or how I created something, and don't love it when people compare my art to their own art or others' art, even if it's intended as a compliment. If possible, ask the artist about their inspiration and create a dialogue that way; if it's not possible to speak to the artist directly, do a little research into their background.
This is a great article with more ways to engage with children about their art, but the critical questions it proposes and their reference sheet of the elements and principles of art is also helpful as a basic guide outside the context of children's art.