CHAPTER 2

Art Making and Art Criticism

Overview
Artmaking applies human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form
such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty
or emotional power. It represents reality, communicates emotions or ideas, creates a sense
of beauty, explores the nature of perception, and explores formal elements for their own
sake. However, it is changing over time, acquiring more of an aesthetic component here
and a socio-educational function there (Oxford Languages, 2022)
As to Aristotle, art-making traces back to the love
of imitation and recognizing likenesses that
characterize humans. However, it is mere copying and
realizing the external form and the inward significance
of the things. Leo Tolstoy then intensifies that
artmaking is a human activity, consisting in this, that
one person consciously, by sure external signs, conveys
to others feelings he has experienced, and other people
Model of Jackson Pollock in his studio,
are affected by these feelings and live them over
by Joe Fig
themselves (Martinique, E. 2016) https://news.artnet.com

The underlying thought that we can grasp in

artmaking about Reading the Visuals is that every
art created by an artist has its own set of criteria to be
understood. We leave each viewer a much broader thought
to explore, either objectively or subjective. Every art made
or produced could tell us the verity of truth that brings us
a much-anticipated understanding of its projected reality.
The simple object or thing, for example, that you see
Jule Ferwanda’s website: Evil and
in your surroundings, in your house, or you carried just
Good-Two Sides of One Tree
like your cellphone, may give you an ordinary experience http://vagabondgroup.com

25
of art. We sometimes take things for granted by not realizing how things could change
how we perceive and behave. As a student, how can you change your perception and
behavior just by looking into art or simply on the things you have seen?
(http://vagabondgroup.com/julieferwerda/2013/03/05/evil-and-good-two-sides-of-one-tree/)

Whether or not you are an artist or just a spectator,

we each play a vital role in the world we live in. The world
is so vast that we could not even realize that what we see
in our surroundings affects our perception and behavior,
enabling us to change our community, either good or bad.
We must see that when we do art in our present time, it
should change our society and the near future.
Art Criticism is the analysis and evaluation of works
of art. More subtly, it is interpretive, involving the effort In Defense of Art Criticism
by Paul Provencher
to understand a particular piece of art from a theoretical
https://saltmag.online
perspective and establish its significance in art history.
The critic is minimally required to be a connoisseur, which means he must have a “sound
knowledge” of art history. The critic is often faced with a choice: to defend old standards,
values, and hierarchies against new ones or to defend the new against the old (Kuspit, D.B.
2021).
In addition, he emphasized that such artists push
the limits of the critic’s understanding and appreciation
or force the critic to fall back on established assumptions
in intellectual self-defeat. The greatest threat to art
criticism is the development of defensive clichés—settled
expectations and unquestioned presuppositions—about
art. In contrast, the adventure of art criticism lies in the
exposure to new possibilities of art and the exploration
of new approaches that seem demanded by it. Everyone’s a Critique: Too Much Art
He purported that art criticism elaborates these by Mario Naves
https://mnaves.wordpress.com
three ideas, sometimes in combination: art psychological
and moral, and as spiritual. General statements can inform the principle of judgment
about art, but the intuition of a work of art or an artistic personality necessarily involves
getting down to particulars.
Art criticism forms an integral part of fully digesting the minute details of the art. It
provides the viewers to see the horizon it depicts and what lies behind it. Still, it is at the
broad discretion of the viewers to see it as it is, or it impacts them psychologically, morally,
and spiritually. Though it is the viewers’ discretion and prerogative to critique art as to our
content, the art that we encounter could provide a greater chance to widen our views of
what the art is all about.

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Communication and the Visual
Visual experiences are also moments of communication. A visual is something that
can be seen using the human eye. It uses visual elements to communicate information or
ideas. It is the practice of graphically representing information to efficiently, effectively
create meaning (Pimenta, S. & Poovaiah, R. 2010).
Visual communication is the transmission of
information and ideas using symbols and imagery.
It is one of the three main types of communication,
verbal communication like speaking and non-verbal
communication that is tone, body language (Study.
com 2003). In addition, visual communication is
believed to be the type that people rely on most, and
it includes signs, graphic designs, films, typography,
and many others (Study.com 2003). Benefits of Visual Communication-Edraw
by James Freeman
The study of symbols and visual communication https://www.edrawsoft.com
is called semiotics. Semiotics aims to analyze how
people make meaning out of signs and how those symbols are interpreted. A basic example
would be looking into a picture of a “tree”: why do we look at a picture and automatically
know that it means tree? This is because, primarily, people learn through society and
culture what the word “tree” means, which they then associate with the object and is
ultimately recognized in the picture.
Using our visual prowess, we can delve into
reality and know that the thing in front of us or
is out of this world can be grasped through visual
communication. It is in the realm of what our eyes
gaze at and our mental processes. That is why we
fully understand what is before us and process it.
The world we live in is so complex that even our eyes
cannot process the whole thing, yet we must bear in
mind that there is one general truth of every seeing: Blood Tree – The Revelator
to see is to believe. by Rod Waddington
https://therevelator.org

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LESSON 1. ART MAKING IN SEEING AND SENSE

Art making is a fun and rewarding way for

people to express themselves and learn a broad
range of skills and concepts. In making art, students
explore the materials and techniques used by artists
and architects and experience the decision-making
practices artists have used over the centuries.
Production is at the heart of making art. Artists
Five Senses
and theorists have long acknowledged its importance by Vector Stock
as an artistic action and an exploration idea. And https://www.vectorstock.com

shifting in our lives, so have how artists have responded to it. While some contemporary
artists foreground production as a tool, others use their work to explore around ideas
exhibition we might otherwise overlook
There are five (5) Stages of Art Making, as suggested by Moore, J. O. (2021)
1. Inspiration – an exciting moment in the process of creating art.
2. Percolation – it is refining your ideas before making art.
3. Preparation is a more active and focused time to create your blueprint.
4. Creation can vary depending on your personal temperament, artistic style, and
medium.
5. Reflection – will vary depending on the artists.
Art’s ability to flex our imaginations may be one
of the reasons why we have been making art. When
you’re creating art, you have a lot of choices to make:
what kind of drawing tool to use, what color to use,
and how to put what you see onto the paper. Finally,
deciphering the visuals – figuring out what they
imply. Anything that engages your creative mind and
your ability to connect unrelated things and imagine
new ways to communicate is beneficial to you.
Seeing and Sense, as Mirzoeff (1999) Urban Sketching in 15 minutes
emphasized, “human experience is now more by Jessie Oleson Moore
https://www.craftsy.com
visual and visualized than ever before. On the one
hand, seeing is an automatic, physiological function we perform without thinking and, on
the other hand, a complex and absorbing process. Eyes, in particular, fascinate us. They are
the windows to the soul. Seeing and making sense of what we see is thus neither natural
nor straightforward, and our ability to see is similar to our ability to speak.

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 While artists spend their lifetime developing
this sensory awareness as part of their artistic
growth and development, we can all do the same
by paying closer attention to things around us in
our everyday environments. Our senses seem to
operate separately, as distinct ways of perceiving
the world, but they work together closely to help
our minds make sense of everything around us.
Common Road Signs – Google
Everyone can learn to become more aware of this
by Bird Dog
collaboration between our senses and intellect and https://birddogtrafficcontrol.com
use the information to inform our experiences (Hoy,
P. 2015).
Through seeing, we can build images and signs that could create the process of the
semiotic principle of analyzing signs because it makes good sense in terms of how people
approach texts. The idea of language as a series of signs is found as early as Aristotle, who
defined human voice as semantikos psophos, “significant sound,” or sounds that make
meaning (Shirato, T. & Webb, J., 2004).
Semiotics is undoubtedly an effective tool for analysis because it deals with the signs-
anything which stands for something. In general, even obscure visual images can easily be
imbued with some meaning (Shirato,
T. & Webb, J., 2004). Let’s try to be more deliberate about experiencing our work and
personal lives. The focus for a moment, quiet your mind and pay attention to all your
senses. And even one at a time if necessary. Making a mental note of how that awareness
impacts your experiences, how you interact with others, and how you combine sensory
experience might be different and more informative than focusing on just one (Hoy, P.
2015).

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LESSON 2. ART CRITICISM AS READING THE REAL

As Wilson K. (2021) viewed, art criticism analyzes and evaluates any art form. She
provided four ideas on how to assess a work of art, namely;
1. Description – one should start it to describe
what we see. One would leave out judgments
and our interpretations of what we think.
Instead, we would describe elements such
as their size and scale, etc.
2. Analysis – by determining what described
elements suggest and why the artist used those
specific colors, angles or shapes, etc., to convey
feelings, ideas, or historical events. Filipino Familiy Photo

https://www.gettyimages.com
3. Interpretation – is used to establish context,
explaining why we think the artist created it
and its meaning. When interpreting a work
of art, we want to analyze the work’s overall
meaning by pointing to evidence inside the
work and others.
4. Evaluation of Judgement – is to decide where
an artwork stands alongside similar works and
explain what aspects are most important when
determining its quality.
To read the visual objects as having meaning, or
seeing in them something more than their apparent
or functional identity “Reading” provides, as Aristotle
Starry Night
emphasized, inferring and identifying. It also has a https://www.britannica.com
mimetic role (imitation role), reflecting an ideal.
A photograph is an actual historical moment with two (2) interpretative strata: first,
its material structure; the real meanings of the text and its signs; and the specificity of
its content. The second stratum is simply a reading of the conventional subject matter, in
terms of reorganizing the pure forms as particular objects with a social meaning, a process
of deciphering (Shirato, T. & Webb, J., 2004)

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LESSON 3. RELATIONSHIP OF VISUAL ARTS

Visual Arts connects us to other areas of our

lives. It paves the way to communicate points of view
and shape the way communities think and identify
themselves. Human beings want to express themselves
according to their taste and preferences by saying their
thoughts and ideas through various visual arts. We
delve into defining ourselves in countless ways, either
by watching or reading. The following list includes, but Image by Difference
https://news.artnet.com
is not limited to, popular art expressions.
1. Film – refers to a movie or motion pictures/Movies are made up of a series of still
photographs, each showing a slight change in motion then projected. They give the
illusion of a moving image.
2. Narrative Painting – has an element of literacy. In narrative pictures, the viewer
sees a moment in a story that allows the viewer to understand what happened
prior to and after the moment caught by the artist.
3. History Painting – used to describe a painting that focuses on a serious narrative
or includes exemplary actions. Their subjects derive from the Bible, mythology,
secular literature, or historical events.
4. Animation – from the Latin word ‘animare’ (to
breathe into life) is the visual art of making a
motion picture from a series of still drawings.
5. Comics – from the word ‘comic’ originating
from the Greek word ‘komikos’ of or about
comedy. The printed arrangement of art and
balloons in sequence.
2D Animation
6. Narrative Illustrations – the pictorial https://www.thetechmates.in
representations of or reference to one or more
‘events’ occur in a sequence of time and bring a change in the condition of at least
one character.
7. Pictorial Narrative – the term is made up of two words- pictorial (from the
word picture) and narrative. Etymologically the word comes from the Latin word
‘pictorius’- meaning of a painter. Narrative means engaging in the act of narration.

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VISUAL NARRATIVES
Visual story-telling is a phenomenon that every
society is acquainted with. In recent times, the term
extensively used to refer to visual story-telling is “Visual
Narratives. Visual Narratives is defined as a graphic
that essentially and explicitly narrates a story; Visual
signifies something that can be seen using the human
eye, whereas; Story illustrates a series of events linked
by causality, temporarily, or sequence of the order of https://study.com
occurrence. Narrative signifies the act of telling a story
of the story itself or the order of presentation (Pimenta, S. & Poovaiah, R. 2010).
They pointed out that there are five (5) characteristic features of Visual Narratives
(VN), namely;
1. The presence of a story is an essential feature
of the visual narrative. The story could belong
to any genre: fiction, mythology, fairy tale,
folklore, fables, religious stories, etc.
2. The visual is constructed with the idea of
communicating a story to the onlooker.
3. There is a presence of a participant (actor). An
actor is a character in the story who acts. It is
the essential component of the visual narrative. ‘Jakarta Singing’ in Jakarta, Indonesia,
shot by Kristof Vadino
4. The visual narrative has a ‘universe’ of its own. https://www.life-framer.com

5. A visual narrative could be expressed on any medium, e.g., paper, stone, an

They said that any visual represented with an idea to communicate a story to the
onlooker qualifies a visual narrative. In some cases, the onlooker may fail to relate to the
story presented due to many reasons such as differences in culture, context, language, etc.
The fact that the onlooker does not know the story does not nullify the narrative quality
of the visual.

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LESSON 4. NARRATIVE

There are an unlimited number of stories to tell and an infinite number of ways to tell
them. Understanding the many sorts of narratives may help you tell your story in the most
efficient way possible, whether you’re writing a descriptive essay, a short story, or a novel.
A narrative is a method of presenting related events to tell a compelling story. A
narrative, whether in an essay, a biography, or a novel, connects disparate occurrences
through a theme, idea, or storyline. A beginning, middle, and end are typical elements of
most narratives. From traditional tales to ancient poetry, narratives have been around
since the dawn of storytelling.
Narrative in its simplest form means “story.” But of course, it is more complex: the
word comes from the Latin word ‘narrare,’ which means ‘to relate,’ so it denotes both what
is told and the process of telling. The study of narrative is called Narratology (Shirato, T.
& Webb, J. 2004).
The narrative may incorporate articulate language, spoken or written; pictures, still or
moving; gestures and the ordered arrangement of all the ingredients: it is present in myth,
legend, fables, short story, epic, history, tragedy—comedy pantomime, painting, stained
glass windows, cinema, comic strips, journalism, and conversation. In addition, under this
almost infinite number of forms, the narrative is present at all times, in all places, in all
societies. The history of narratives begins with the history of humanity.
The narrative is also a concept that is used in various ways. Narrative can be used to
describe a kind or quality of a text. It can also explain how we interpret a particular text,
how we order and make meaning out of unordered information we take in from the world,
and how we employ narration to express our views and experiences to others through
stories (Worth, S. 2004).
A narrative is a way of presenting related events to tell a good story. Whether it’s a
narrative essay, a biography, or a novel, a narrative unites distinct events by concept,
idea, or plot. Common types of narratives normally contain a beginning, middle, and end.
Narratives have been around since the beginning of storytelling, from folk tales to ancient
poetry (MasterClass, 2021)
MasterClass (2021) presented 4 Types of
Narrative Writing
1. Linear Narrative – presents the story’s
events in the order they happened. This
can be accomplished through any narrative
perspective: first-person, second-person, or
third-person. The types of writing that employ
linear narrative have the effect of immersing Spiderman No Way Home - Moviefone
https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com

33
 the reader in the protagonist’s daily life, as the reader watches the events of the
character’s life unfold in chronological order. Examples of narrative linearity
can be found in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, which offers different
narrative perspectives but unfolds the plot in a linear, chronological manner
(MasterClass 2021).
2. Non-linear Narrative – presents the story’s events out of order, employing
flashbacks and other literary devices to shift the chronology of a story. A short story,
novella, or novel may fracture the story’s timeline to emphasize the emotional
mindset of a personal narrative or make thematic connections between non-
contemporary events. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus’ adventures
are presented out of order. This has the effect of building suspense throughout
the long narrative poem, as the reader is left to wonder how Odysseus’ ordeals
began. The Overstory of a non-linear narrative, in which author Richard Powers
employs a type of narration that interweaves storylines that span decades and
only occasionally overlap (MasterClass 2021).
3. Quest Narrative – is a story in which the protagonist works tirelessly toward
a goal. The pursuit of this goal likely becomes their all-consuming passion, and
they must face seemingly insurmountable obstacles along the way. Typically, this
object of their pursuit is geographically remote, and the character must go on a
long journey to obtain it. As Odysseus does in returning home to his wife in The
Odyssey or as Captain Willard does in his journey through the jungles of Vietnam
to find Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. Another example of a quest narrative
is J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit. In the novel, Bilbo Baggins sets out with a band
of dwarves to reclaim lost gold from a dragon. Their quest takes them through
many dangerous territories, and some crises nearly ruin them along the way
(MasterClass 2021).
4. Viewpoint Narrative – is designed to express the points of view or subjective
personal experience of the main character or other fictional characters in the story.
In viewpoint narrative writing, moods, feelings, and other sensory details are
filtered through the narrator’s own life and subjective point of view. This narrative
style often takes the form of first-person or third-person omniscient narration. The
omniscient narrator switches between the POVs and private thoughts of multiple
central characters. This type of narrative allows for the possibility of an unreliable
narrator, in which the person telling the story presents information subjectively
and inconsistently. The unreliable narrator is either deliberately deceptive (e.g., a
noted liar or trickster) or unintentionally misguided (e.g., a middle schooler who
may not fully understand the events taking place), forcing the reader to question
their credibility as a storyteller. In Lolita by Vladamir Nabokov, the first-person
narrative comes from Humbert Humbert, a man who has been in a psychiatric
clinic multiple times and casts the entire story in a subjective, untrustworthy light
(MasterClass 2021).
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LESSON 5: PRACTICE IN ART CRITICISM

Art criticism according to Barret, T. (1994) responds to, interprets meaning, and makes
critical judgments about specific works of art. Art critics help viewers perceive, interpret,
and judge artworks. Critics tend to focus more on modern and contemporary art from
cultures close to their own. Art historians tend to study works made in cultures that are
more distant in time and space. When initially introduced to art criticism, many people
associate negative connotations with the word criticism.
The following formal analysis was explained by Barrett, T. (1994) to further the
understanding of Art Criticism.

Formal Analysis
Four levels of formal analysis, which you can use to explain a work of art:
1. Description – pure description of the object without value judgments, analysis, or
interpretation.
a. It answers the question, “What do you see?”
b. The various elements that constitute a description include:
• Form of art, whether architecture, sculpture, painting, or one of the
minor arts
• Medium of work, whether clay, stone, steel, paint, etc. and technique
(tools used)
• Size and scale of work (relationship to a person and/or frame and/or
context)
• Elements or general shapes (architectural, structural system) within
the composition, including the building of post-lintel construction
or painting with several figures, lined up in a row; identification of
objects
• Description of an axis, whether vertical, diagonal, horizontal, etc.
• Description of line, including contour as soft, planar, jagged, etc.
• Description of how line describes shape and space (volume); distinguish
between lines of objects and lines of composition, e.g., thick, thin,
variable, irregular, intermittent, indistinct, etc.
• Relationships between shapes, e.g., large and small, overlapping, etc.
• Description of color and color scheme = palette
• Texture of surface or other comments about the execution of work

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 • Context of object: original location and date (Barret, T., 1994)
2. Analysis – determining what the features suggest and deciding why the artist
used such features to convey specific ideas
a. It answers the question, “How did the artist do it?”
b. The various elements that constitute analysis include:
• Determination of subject matter through naming iconographic elements,
e.g., historical event, allegory, mythology, etc.
• Selection of most distinctive features or characteristics: line, shape, color,
texture, etc.
• Analysis of the principles of design or composition, e.g., stable, repetitious,
rhythmic, unified, symmetrical, harmonious, geometric, varied, chaotic,
horizontal or vertically oriented, etc.
• Discussion of how elements or structural systems contribute to the
appearance of image or function
• Analysis of the use of light and role of color, e.g., contrasty, shadowy,
illogical, warm, cool, symbolic, etc.
• Treatment of space and landscape, both real and illusionary (including
perspective), e.g., compact, deep, shallow, naturalistic, random g. The
portrayal of movement and how it is achieved
• Effect of particular medium(s) used
• Your perceptions of balance, proportion, and scale (relationships of each
part of the composition to the whole and each other part) and you are
emotional
• Reaction to object or monument (Barret, T., 1994)
3. Interpretation – establishing the broader context for this type of art.
a. It answers the question, “Why did the artist create it, and what does it mean
b. The various elements that constitute interpretation include:
• Main idea is the overall meaning of the work.
• Interpretive Statement: Can I express what I think the artwork is about in
one sentence?
• Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork supports my
interpretation?

36
 4. Judgment – Judging a piece of work means giving it rank in relation to other works
and, of course, considering an essential aspect of the visual arts; its originality.
a. Is it good artwork?
b. Criteria: What criteria do I think are most appropriate for judging the artwork?
c. Evidence: What evidence inside or outside the artwork relates to each criterion?
d. Judgment: Based on the criteria and evidence, what is my judgment about the
quality of the artwork? (Barret, T., 1994)
Barrett, T. (1994) explained the Principles of Interpretation as the following:
1. Artworks have “aboutness” and demand interpretation.
2. Interpretations are persuasive arguments.
3. Some interpretations are better than others.
4. Good interpretations of art tell more about the artwork than the critic.
5. Feelings are guides to interpretations.
6. There can be different, competing, and contradictory interpretations of the same
artwork.
7. Interpretations are often based on a worldview.
8. Interpretations are not so much right, but more or less reasonable, convincing,
enlightening, and informative.
9. Interpretations can be judged by coherence, correspondence, and inclusiveness.
10. An artwork is not necessarily about what the artist wanted it to be.
11. A critic ought not to be the spokesperson for the artist.
12. Interpretations ought to present the work in its best rather than its weakest light.
13. The objects of interpretation are artworks, not artists.
14. All art is in part about the world in which it emerged.
15. All art is in part about other art.
16. No single interpretation is exhaustive of the meaning of an artwork.
17. The meanings of an artwork may be different from their significance to the
viewer. Interpretation is ultimately a communal endeavor, and the community is
ultimately self-corrective.
18. Good interpretations invite us to see for ourselves and continue on our own
(Barret, T., 1994).

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