THE ART OF WRITING ON ART
JENNIFER RUDDER 2011
There is an art to writing about contemporary artworks and there are skills that can be learned for the budding art writer. The most important factor for any writer is to have an intellectual curiosity. Curiosity about the particular materials, the process or method and the concept or the meaning within the artwork is crucial to writing on art. To think and write about art requires a familiarity with contemporary art and the critical writing around art. Gaining familiarity means becoming a consumer of art, seeing as many exhibitions as you can and reading the most interesting and current contributors both locally and internationally, to apprise oneself of the status of contemporary art and writing. The strategic writer will become familiar and knowledgable with makers and and writers of art. Through your efforts you will discover that you have likes and dislikes which will help you define your own personal affiliations within the contemporary art world.
WHY DO WE WRITE ART CRITICISM?
Art criticism serves as an appreciation and as a response to an artist’s work in an exhibition. Art criticism extends the life of the exhibition, placing the work within a context for an audience that might not have seen it. Considerations within the art review will address the following questions: How does this exhibition relate to the artist’s previous work ? Is it a continuation, a development, a change? How does it relate to other works or works by others? What affect does the exhibition have?
Writing art criticism contributes the ongoing debate or conversation on contemporary art as well as to the development of creating primary sources for Canadian art history.
CRITIQUE AND ANALYSIS
The verb to critique and the adjective critical are often misunderstood as possessing only a negative connotation. To critique a film or a work of art is to look at both the good and the bad aspects with a critical or analytical eye, to inform the reader what it is that works or doesn’t work for the writer. In writing art criticism you are always employing your critical faculties.
Analytical writing informs the reader. An honest review is more interesting than an overly polite one. The writer needs to argue their point with solid examples and clear thinking. At the same time the writer should not be overly harsh towards the artist, the work or the exhibition. An essay or article that is entirely negative will not likely be accepted for publication. A negative review reflects badly on the writer and is of no use to the artist.
One concern that an art review can critique is the way value is produced in art. Writing can perform as institutional critique, when questioning for example the curatorial choices of a particular gallery or museum. Does the venue have a preference for dead, white male artists as opposed to exhibiting artwork by a wide range of genders, races or ages? This is an example of a trend that could be addressed in a review.
GETTING STARTED
The first question you will want to ask yourself is, what is it in this particular artist’s work that compels you to think about it and want to write about it? To help you get started in writing art criticism think of the review or essay as a narrative, a story that leads the reader through the exhibition and your thoughts about it. Introduce the reader by describing your experience of the work, the exhibition, or the overall installation of the work. Review what is there.
To read the entire article, click here.
