ART: Chapter 5
Evaluating Art Introduction
This chapter explores how to determine the quality of a work of art.
There are numerous methods for judging artistic quality, highlighting the subjectivity and complexity involved in art evaluation.
Evaluation: Change Over Time and Across Cultures
Definition of Evaluation: Evaluation involves selecting one thing over another, which is inherent in the creative process itself, and appreciating the unique qualities of something.
Subjectivity of Quality: The concept of "quality" is relative and varies significantly between individuals and across different cultures.
For example, in Chinese culture, "skillful" art is distinct from art that communicates a deep "life breath" or spiritual essence.
Reputations of artists and artworks in Europe have also changed dramatically over centuries.
Value Judgments and Subjectivity: All value judgments inherently involve subjectivity.
Shy Glance by Dawn Marie Jingagian (1976): This painting, rescued from a trash bin, demonstrates a lack of conventional skill but is often found to be endearingly sweet, illustrating how sentiment can override technical mastery.
Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat by Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigée-LeBrun (1782): This work showcases great anatomical assurance and technical skill, yet to a contemporary eye, it might appear conventional or less groundbreaking.
Viewer's Perspective: What a viewer finds in an artwork is largely dependent on what they are seeking.
Personal value judgments are deeply intertwined with the viewer's personality.
It is crucial to approach art with an open mind, striving to move beyond initial "snap judgments" and to "practice seeing" rather than merely "looking."
Art Criticism: Three Basic Theories
Definition: Art criticism involves making nuanced judgments about art, which can be both favorable and unfavorable.
Three Basic Theories of Art Criticism:
Formal Theories: Focus on the artwork's structure and form.
Contextual Theories: Examine the environmental influences on the artwork.
Expressive Theories: Explore the artist's personal meanings and intentions.
Formal Theories
Focus: These theories center on "how a work is made," emphasizing how the various parts of a composition come together to form a cohesive whole.
Key Factor: Organization is considered the most important element, highlighting the visual structure and arrangement.
Value: Formal theories value innovation in style above all else, often making comparisons to an artwork's contemporaries to assess its originality.
Examples:
Titian's Pietà (1576):
Features innovative brushwork that departed from earlier masters.
Titian understood his predecessors' methods but evolved his brushwork to be more painterly and expressive.
Incorporated bold and new compositional devices for his time.
Sonia Delaunay-Terk's Simultaneous Contrasts (1913):
Demonstrates influence from Cubism but distinguishes itself by avoiding overlapping planes.
Focuses on the interplay of color and form without volumetric illusion.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Horn Players (1983):
Utilizes techniques learned from graffiti art, integrating them into a fine art context.
The use of three separate canvas panels avoids making the work appear as disjointed images, instead creating a unified, rhythmic flow.
Despite its spontaneous appearance, the artwork is the result of significant discipline and artistic control.
Contextual Theories
Focus: These theories primarily examine the external and environmental influences that shaped a work of art.
Key Question: "What else was going on at the time?" This approach considers the broader societal context.
Influences Considered: Economic systems, prevailing cultural values, and political climates.
Examples:
Titian's Pietà (1576):
Created as an altarpiece intended for public viewing in a chapel.
Painted during a period of a severe plague epidemic, which is reflected in its themes of mortality and grief.
Sonia Delaunay-Terk's Simultaneous Contrasts (1913):
While seemingly a sunlit landscape, its vibrant color interactions are deeply informed by the scientific research of Michel-Eugène Chevreul, specifically his "Law of Simultaneous Contrasts" in color theory.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Horn Players (1983):
The work references the bebop jazz movement of the 1940s.
The imagery, particularly the "cut-off ear," is interpreted as an homage to jazz legend Charlie Parker, who was metaphorically "cut off" in his prime, drawing a parallel to Vincent van Gogh, who also suffered mental illness.
The title and themes connect to Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's seminal jazz track, "Ornithology."
Expressive Theories
Focus: These theories investigate "who made it, and who is s/he?" They prioritize the artist's personal meanings, deep psychological insights, and human concerns.
Methodologies: Often drawing on psychoanalysis and gender studies to unpack an artist's motivations and background.
Examples:
Titian's Pietà (1576):
Painted during Titian's last year of life, it serves as a somber and personal reflection on his own mortality.
Sonia Delaunay-Terk's Simultaneous Contrasts (1913):
The ebullient personality of the artist is seen reflected in the vibrant and dynamic composition.
Her color palette often recalls the bright folk costumes of her native Ukraine, suggesting a personal connection to her heritage.
Jean-Michel Basquiat's Horn Players (1983):
The work is likened to a three-verse song, reflecting a musical structure.
It is deeply resonant with the artist's history as an African American, imbued with his intent and intense personality.
Sonia Delaunay-Terk: Innovator in Art and Fashion
Twofold Pioneer: Sonia Delaunay-Terk was a significant pioneer in two fields:
She actively participated in modern-art innovations of her time.
She successfully translated these artistic principles into the world of fashion.
Simultaneism: She and her husband, Robert Delaunay, explored radical juxtapositions of color, a style they termed "Simultaneism."
Intent: This style was intended to evoke the speed, dynamism, and vividness of modern urban life, reflecting the energy of the early 20th century.
Works: Her influence extended to designs for simultaneous dresses (Simultaneous Dresses (Three Women, Forms, Colors), 1925) and even customized cars (Clothing and Customized Citroën B-12, 1925), showcasing her comprehensive artistic vision.
What Makes Art Great?
Ingredients for a "Masterpiece": While subjective, certain elements contribute to an artwork's lasting significance:
Innovation: Some degree of originality and newness in its approach or style.
Contextual Meanings: The artwork carries significant meanings relevant to its historical, cultural, or social context.
Personal Statement: A recognizable and authentic expression of the artist's unique vision or experience.
Cash Value vs. Artistic Quality: The cash value of an artwork correlates poorly with its inherent importance or artistic quality.
The art market simply reflects what a particular group of collectors is willing to pay for a given work at a specific time.
For example, Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi holds a record-breaking sale price of million, but this dollar value only loosely correlates with its historical importance or innovative qualities.
Ultimately, self-examination is key to understanding why a viewer personally values a work as "great," often by relating it to the principles of formal, contextual, or expressive art criticism.
Evaluating Art with Words
When writing about art, a structured approach is recommended:
Get the Facts About the Work:
Identify the creator, title, date of creation, subject matter, medium, size, and current location of the artwork.
If referencing a reproduction, always clarify the original medium and size.
Analyze the Work:
Examine the individual parts of the work and describe how they fit together.
Consider the formal elements, the context in which it was created, and the artist's input.
Research how the artwork was received by critics and the public when it was first created.
Evaluate the Work:
Assess the quality or importance of the artwork using the techniques of art criticism.
Consider if the work is innovative, if it evokes feelings, if it reflects its time period or the artist's personality effectively, or if it is aesthetically beautiful or intellectually challenging to the eye.
Censorship: The Ultimate Evaluation
Definition: Censorship is the alteration or complete removal of works of art from public view.
Reasons: It is typically carried out for religious, moral, or political reasons, often placing "other important values" above the artist's freedom of expression.
Historical Precedents: Censorship has been practiced throughout history:
Popes famously ordered loincloths to be painted over the nude figures in Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes.
The Nazis confiscated modern art deemed "degenerate" in as part of their cultural purges.
Islam, in many interpretations, frowns upon or forbids the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, leading to censorship or self-censorship.
Censorship in the United States: Artists in the U.S. generally enjoy wide latitude due to free speech protections.
A landmark Supreme Court case in established that a work may only be censored if it is demonstrably obscene, a high legal bar.
Notable Examples of Censorship Controversies:
Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary (1996):
This painting, which depicted the Virgin Mary using elephant dung and pornographic images in the collage, sparked controversy when exhibited in New York City.
The New York City mayor attempted to close the museum hosting the exhibition due to public outcry, but the museum successfully defended its right to display the work.
Evelyne Axell's Ice Cream 1 (1964):
This artwork was initially censored by Facebook for alleged nudity but the platform later relented and allowed its display.
Judy Taylor's History of Labor in Maine (2007):
A mural depicting scenes from Maine's labor history was removed from the state Labor Department headquarters due to political objection regarding its content.