Critiquing Ceramics — Seeing, Thinking, and Responding
Today we will do a practice of how critiques will go through out this school year, starting with a presentation on how to critique art work.
Art critiques what are they?
An art critique is a detailed analysis and evaluation of a work of art, often involving a four-step process: describe, analyze, interpret, and evaluate.
We are going to critique a piece of work as a class then start the activity.
Step 1: Describe
What do I see?
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What shapes, colors, and lines are in the artwork?
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What textures do I notice (smooth, rough, bumpy)?
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What is the form or subject (bowl, vase, figure, animal, scene)?
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What patterns or motifs appear?
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What stands out first when I look at it?
Step 2: Analyze
How is it made and how does it work as a design?
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What technique did the artist use (coil, pinch, slab, wheel)?
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How are the parts arranged (composition)?
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How do the elements—color, shape, texture—work together?
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What principles of design do I see (balance, contrast, rhythm, emphasis)?
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How does the form relate to the function of the piece?
Step 3: Interpret
What does it mean?
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What story is this artwork telling?
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What symbols or iconography do I notice?
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What emotions or ideas does the piece express?
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What might the artist want viewers to think or feel?
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How does cultural context help explain the artwork?
Step 4: Evaluate
Is it successful? Why or why not?
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What do I think the artist did especially well?
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How strong is the craftsmanship and technique?
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Does the artwork make me feel something or think deeply?
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What is the most effective part of the piece?
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What suggestions or feedback would I give the artist?
Time to start critiquing!
for this activity you will need a clip board, pencil, and the worksheet.
Get started!
- as you can see there is pieces of pottery on display around the room, think of it as an art gallery
- choose five pieces to fill out a critique on, on your worksheet there are guiding questions to help.
- remember to use vocabulary and clear sentences.
Lets talk!
- Now that everyone has had time to look around and write down their thoughts... lets have a class critique!
- I'm going to walk around to each piece and i want whoever critiqued that piece to share what they wrote down to the class.