MAHONRI ACADEMY AND SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL

Mabuhay Homes 2000, Paliparan II, City of Dasmarinas

Senior High School Department (SHS)

CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS

FROM THE REGION

FRANCIS D. FIGUEROA
Subject Teacher
 MAHONRI ACADEMY AND SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL
Senior High School Department (SHS)
CREATIVE NONFICTION

LESSON 12: CRITIQUING AN ARTWORK

An art critique is a detailed analysis and evaluation of a work of art. Different people
may have different interpretations of a single artwork and they may have varying reactions to
it but to achieve a more detailed, thoughtful critique, a few basic guidelines could be used.
These guidelines are the components of (or the stages in writing) an art critique. These
components are description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.

Components of an Art Critique

1. Description: the visual facts

An art critique can be written by first providing some basic information about the
artwork like the title of the work, artist’s name, when the piece was created, where it
was made, the types of media used to create the work (e.g., oil paint on canvas), and
the exact size of the work When describing the artwork, use neutral terms and be
objective. Your description should include things like form and scale of the artwork. For
example, you might say,

“This is a huge landscape painting of a volcano, showing thick clouds around it,
with an orange sky in the background. Down in the foreground are green rice
terraces and 3 men walking on the paddies…”

Avoid using adjectives like “beautiful” or “ugly”. At this point, you are not judging,
you are simply talking about what you see. This is also the part where you describe the
artwork in terms of the elements of art used. What kinds of colors do you see? Are there
lines in the work? If so, what kinds of lines are they? What sort of textures do you see?
What are the shapes used? And so on

2. Analysis: the use of design principles

Discuss how the artwork uses the principles of design. In this step consider the most
significant art principles (discussed in the previous modules) that are used in the artwork.
Describe how the artist used them to organize the elements: Balance, Contrast,
Movement, Proportion, etc.

The following questions may guide you:

 Balance: How do the colors, lines, shapes, and textures work together? Are they
balanced and harmonious or is the artwork imbalanced in some way?
 Contrast: Does the work use contrasting colors and textures?
 Movement: Do you notice a particular movement in terms of patterns and
variations of lines, shapes, and colors in the artwork?
 Proportion: Do the sizes of the elements appear the way you would expect?

Using the rule of thirds, what do you think is the subject of the piece? What is its
focal point? Try to identify which parts of the work are emphasized.

In addition, look for the themes in the work and discuss how the artist used the
elements of art (line, color, shape, etc.) to express these themes. Themes might include
things like symbolism and religious or mythological imagery, or the use of a particular
color scheme to give the work a particular mood or meaning
3. Interpretation: the meaning of the artwork

An interpretation seeks to explain the meaning of the work based on what you
have learned so far about the piece. What do you think is the message behind this
artwork? What do you think the artist is trying to convey?

In the first component (Description), you have to be objective. In this component,

you can be a little more subjective. Use expressive language to discuss your reaction to
the artwork. For example, does the artwork depict a particular mood like sadness, hope,
peace? Would you describe the work as beautiful or ugly?

Backup your interpretation with examples from your description and analysis. For
example,

“I think this painting is a visual metaphor of the sufferings of the Filipinos during the
Spanish colonial period. This is indicated by the dark color scheme used in the
painting, figuratively depicting the dark era of our history...”

4. Judgment: personal evaluation

This is your personal evaluation based on your understanding of the artwork. •

Decide whether you think the work is successful or not.
 Explain how you are judging the work.
 Summarize why you think it is successful or unsuccessful.

For example, “I believe this work is successful because the use of light, shape, and
texture all work together harmoniously to portray the mood of the subject.” Here are a
few questions to consider:
 Do you think the work says what the artist wanted it to say?
 Did the artist use their tools and techniques well?
 Why do you think this work has intrinsic value or worth?
 Do you find that the work communicates an idea, feeling or principle that
would have value for others?

Below is an example of an art critique.

Description:
The Weeping Woman is a painting finished by Pablo
Picasso in France, 1937. This type of artwork can be
considered to be expressionism. There isn’t an actual
background scene in the painting. The background is
completed with different lines and colors. The woman is
the focus point of this painting. She is wearing an
accessory on top of her head which demonstrates her
elegance. My first impression of the artwork is that the face
of the woman is not proportionate and is only painted with
lines, no curves. The main colors that are used in this
painting are green, yellow, blue, purple, red and black.
The Weeping Woman The painting is set mainly of lined and little curves. The
Pablo Picasso mood and visual effect that this painting portrays can be
France, 1937 considered to be suffering, and sadness.

Analyze:
The colors that the author uses can be considered to be quite different as each
color conveys a separate impression. The light purple that begins at the bottom top of
the woman’s eyes can convey sadness. The other half of the face is mainly covered in
green and yellow; these can be said to interpret other solid emotions that the painter
must have towards this woman as she was a vital character in Picasso’s life. The painting
is created with mainly lines which can mean that the woman had strong physical
features or that her different emotions were felt passionately as lines are usually seen as
strong technical elements. The only curves that are being used are for her hair and eyes.
The eyes look quite down or depressive. This is because the woman is crying, which goes
back to the main mood which is suffering.

Interpretation:
I believe that Picasso wanted the audience to feel pain and provide a statement
that explains how all women feel and the agony that they are consistently in. The
audience can see that the woman has peeled away her flesh by corrosive tears to
reveal her white bones. The handkerchief she tries to stuff in her mouth seems as a shard
of glass. This vivid image can convey pain and hurting. Picasso has expressed the
behavior of this woman several times and often describes the constant tears that fall off
her eyes. So, the feeling conveyed by the artwork is definitely suffering. Picasso wanted
us to feel her and understand the pain that she was going through. It was not easy to
be a woman during that time since females where often frowned upon. Picasso
demonstrates the appreciation that he has for her through this painting as he wants the
audience to understand her.

Judge:
Finally, the artist’s value may be to evoke pain, as mentioned previously. This is
due to the colors that Picasso used and the shapes that he draws; not only these
technical elements but also the images that the painter uses within the actual face of
the woman. The painting relates to the entire female community. This community can
understand the painting and know what Picasso was trying to portray. Every woman is
able understand and comprehend the message behind this painting as we all feel the
same way at one point in our lives. I believe that this is a strong value in the painting. The
weak value lies in the different colors that the painter chooses. I found it confusing to
interpret other areas of the face as the colors that were used didn’t seem to match
other locations of the face.