Day 4—Can we judge art?

Role of critic and audience

Introduction
We have already introduced the idea that when we listen to music, look at a painting, read a poem we are
making certain judgments about whether we like it or whether it is a worthwhile work of art. In fact to
call something “art” may have two basic meanings:
1. It is made by someone with intentionality
2. It is good art—“art” as an honorific title.
To claim that a particular work of art is a good work implies that we have a set of criteria against which
we measure the success of the given work. Our own notion of what the “job of art” might be is revealed
in our criteria and our ensuing judgments. The broadest distinctions here are between art as subjectively
valued and art as objectively valued. The former represents the typical view that what makes a work of
art good is our liking it. As such the value lies completely in the attitudes and reactions of the
audience/observer. There is no independent or external standard by which to gauge its value. The latter
allows that there may be some objective criteria that could lead one to claim that Work A is a great work
of art, regardless of one’s personal preferences. The common default position seems to be the subjective
view but you do not want to begin assuming that this is true. We can be mistaken about many things in
our own experiences. I can see my best friend from across the yard, only to discover that my happy
greeting was called out to a complete stranger. I think you called my name, but you did not. I believe my
girlfriend is faithful but alas, she is seeing someone else. While we generally trust our senses and our
beliefs if they tend to fit into our regular patterns of living, we do realize that we can be mistaken. Those
mistakes often simply confirm our usually sound decision to trust what we experience. But when it
comes to art, we quickly assume that anything goes if that is what a person likes or does not like. To
problematize this default viewpoint, we want to have students adopt a more critical and reflective attitude
about the art world. Perhaps there are legitimate criteria against which to measure a work of art. If we
pick extreme examples, we can sometimes help students make the distinction between these two claims:

I like the Beatles’ White Album and The Beatle’s White Album is an
excellent musical composition

Invite your students to explain what the difference is between these two claims. [Please choose a
work that might be familiar to the class if the Beatles have aged out…]

Implementation Suggestions: This unit offers quite a few activities and discussion plans. The teacher
might wish to devote a number of class sessions to this. If this is not feasible, then again, choose those
that seem most engaging for your students. Some require research and reading, others are more
discussion or activity based.

Discussion Plan: Subjectivity vs. Objectivity in Aesthetic Judgments: Exploring the Personal
reasons for liking works of art
1. Choose some sample songs, shows, images that you like.
2. List the reasons why you like them.
3. Which of those reasons are available only to you? Which might be shared by others?
4. Could you love a particular art work but agree that it is really not very good? If yes, give an
example. If no, why not?
5. Could you be indifferent to a work of art but allow that it is still an excellent work of art? Again,
if yes, give an example and explain why it is good and why you do not like it. If no, why not?

Group Research and Presentation Activity

Philosophers have puzzled over the meaning of art since Plato and have come up with a wide range of
suggested roles or functions of art. If we adopt a particular notion of what art is or should be
accomplishing, then along with that definition, we acquire a set of criteria to determine whether it is
successful in its task of living up to be considered “art” and thereby we can critique its relative value. The
following partial list will give you a road map* to follow as your students begin to articulate what they
believe art to be doing such that one can measure it as effective and successful. Each definition of art
carries within it a set of hidden criteria by which we can measure its effectiveness.

The theory of Art Philosopher Guiding question to Sample works along

determine the criteria with
to judge the object’s Questions/Problems
success
Art as imitation Plato Does the object mirror
or depict its subject
matter well?
Art as catharsis, Aristotle Does the work
emotional cleansing effectively help us
vicariously experience
emotions?
Art as a matter of taste David Hume Do I enjoy the work of
art? Does it appeal to
my subjective pleasure?
Art as expressive of Leo Tolstoy Does the work convey
feelings good emotions clearly
and strongly?
Art as Expression R.G. Collinwood Does the work express
successfully its ideas
and feelings?
Art as significant form Clive Bell Does the work embody
meaningful aesthetic
forms?
Art as symbolic form Susan K.Langer Does the work
successfully
communicate an aspect
of human experience
through its unique
form?
Art as Exemplification Nelson Goodman Does the work evoke in
us a response that this is
art? That is, how do we
consider it?

*These are adapted from Wartenberg’s book of primary source readings.

Using online and print sources, have groups of students research each of these philosophical definitions of
art and present their definition to the class. Each group should also come up with some examples of art (in
the fullest meaning of the term) that exemplify the definition. To make this more challenging, ask them
to also find some works for which this definition does not seem to fit or work.
The Audience: What do you need to appreciate a work of art?
Share the following handout with the students and ask them to individually complete the form first.

Sample test case: a painting

Can anyone look at any painting and understand it or “get something out of it”? Do we need to prepare
ourselves to appreciate art? Check off which of the following statements you agree with in terms of what
you need to figure out about a painting:

To appreciate a painting by Monet [or other artist], I need…

to know the artist’s life 

to be able to paint myself 
to have great ideas 
to be able to feel the way the artist paints 
to be in school 
to be an adult 
to have good eyes 
to be able to see colors 
to be patient 
to understand what the painter wanted to do 
to be able to touch the canvas or picture 
to have someone explain the picture to me 
to be human 
time to look carefully 
to know about when and where the artist lived 
Other?

Form a group and discuss which criteria you checked off or added. Did you all agree? Were
there any that everyone judged as important? --not important at all? How could we go about
figuring out how to be a “good judge” of art? Can anything be great art if one believes it to be?
Try to come up with some counterexamples, i.e. really bad art!

If the art work is truly excellent, should one need anything else other than the work itself to
be able to enjoy and appreciate it?
The Art Critic
There is an acknowledged role in our society for the art critic. These individuals are often particularly
knowledgeable in the field of art upon which they judge. Sometimes they simply demonstrate a keen
interest in the genre and acquire a reputation for clever and helpful analysis. Of course, to the extent that
anyone estimates the value of the work, that person is a critic. What role do art critics (remember: we are
using the term “art” here in its broadest meaning) play in our culture?

Discussion Plan—Gauging the qualifications of the art critic

Which of the following criteria would you deem necessary for a critic to be considered a reliable, a good
one? Discuss why you think any particular point is necessary, optional or irrelevant.

1. Academic knowledge of the genre and the producing artist

2. an appreciation of what his or her audience is interested in
3. the skills needed to produce the kind of art on which he/she is judging
4. personal acquaintance with the artist
5. a genuine enjoyment of the work
6. ability to communicate to others his or her own ideas
7. strong opinions about lots of things
8. humor
9. Others must accept this person as a critic
10. An ability to know innovation where others seem confusion

Activity: A velvet painting of the Last Supper and DaVinci’s Last Supper
Each student should bring in two examples (image, piece of music, video clip, etc.) of artworks. –One
that they deem to be of genuine quality and the other that they think is, frankly, awful, and present them
to the rest of the class for discussion. They must justify their classifications.

Have the entire class make a list of the criteria that emerge for each work. Are there common elements?
None?