What is a Critique

What is a critique?

A critique is an oral or written discussion strategy used to analyze, describe, and interpret works of art. Critiques help you to hone your persuasive oral and writing, information-gathering, and justification skills.

Ways to respond during a critique:

There are two ways to respond to artwork during a critique:

OBJECTIVE RESPONSE

An objective response is one that utilizes the elements and principals of design.

FORM: The organization or inventive arrangement of all the visual elements according to the principles of design.

ELEMENTS: Line, Shape, Color, Contrast and Texture.

PRINCIPLES: Variety: variations on a theme or strong contrast of elements

Harmony: pleasing arrangements of elements

Balance: distribution of the visual weight of design elements

Dominance: the most obvious elements

Economy: use only what is needed, eliminating distracting elements.

Proportion & Scale: proportion deals with the relationship to the human figure; scale deals with the relationship between size of an image and

Size of its surroundings.

Movement: any visual element that causes the eye to travel across the surface of a composition. For example, diagonal lines tend to suggest movement

When formulating an OBJECTIVE response here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:

What elements does the visual artist use?

How many elements were used?

What is the relationship between the elements? How were they used, and with what media?

What design principles are prevalent in this work?

Do the elements and principles achieve a unified piece of artwork?

SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE: analyze, theorize and connect.

An objective response is used by formulating your thoughts in terms of your perceptions that are based on your reaction to the interpretative qualities of the image. You can interpret possible meanings or intent of the visual artist. (It is important to keep personal opinions to a minimum). You can compare the artwork to other artworks. This is an opportunity to cross disciplines and use your critical thinking skills.

When formulating a SUBJECTIVE response here are some questions you may want to ask yourself:

How does this work compare with other works?

Is it inventive?

Is it obvious?

Does it challenge you to think, to question? (Is it thought provoking?)

How was the medium handled?

What problems does it attempt to solve?

Was the problem solving successful?

What concepts were explored?

Is there a concept that explains the work?