FORMALISM ART

1. EXAMINE AND
EVALUATE ARTS
• Formalism is an approach used by art critics to examine and
evaluate works of arts. Formalist critics examine through
form and style.
• They only focus on variety of elements that were seen
important when it comes to appreciating an artwork such as
color, line, shape, and texture.
• So, the major focus of formalism is the visual and aesthetic
quality of an artwork.
 2. OLDEST METHOD OF ART
CRITICISM
• In the late 1800’s, it first evolved as a response to
the Post-Impressionism Movement. (insert picture of
post-impressionism movement)
• When formalism emerged in the late 19th century, it
emphasized the significance of viewing art solely in
terms of its conventional elements, which included
form and style. Formalism in art focused on a
number of components that were deemed crucial
for understanding and enjoying an artwork,
including color, line, shape, and texture.
3. BASIS OF ART
CRITICISM
• Formalism
4. EMPHASIZES
COMPOSITIONAL
ELEMENTS
• Formalism gives emphasis to the compositional elements such as
color, brushwork, form, line, and composition. This implies that,
formalist critic would concentrate solely on these elements and
indicates that the most significant feature of artwork is its form.
• Thus, its major concern is on the artwork’s value which mainly
determined by the relationship being established between different
compositional elements; hence, its form should be examined
independently from any concepts of the subject-matter or context.
 5. DESCRIBES THE FORM OF ART
• Formalism Art describes the critical position that
the most important aspect of a work of art is its
form--the way it is made and it's purely visual
aspects-- rather than its narrative content or its
relationship to the visible world.
• Thus, it only focuses on the work itself and
completely ignores the the author of the work, time
and background information of the work, and the
audiences feeling or perception about the work.
RECLINING WOMAN (1930) by
Henry Moore.
• Within Formal art pieces, materials were
traditionally used that went on to elevate Product B
the elements of line, color, form, and shape.
• Feature 1
In doing so, the characteristic of “truth to
materials” helped to focus the attention • Feature 2
onto the aspects that were considered to be
of the utmost importance within Formalism
• Feature 3
artworks. While the truth that was paid to
the type of materials used helped in the
development of Formalism, this concept
also gave way to the rise of the Minimalism
movement after Abstract Expressionism.
6. FOCUSES ON
THE “VISUAL”
• This concept focuses on the “visual” because it solely considers
the form of an art piece rather than its narrative content or
relationship to the actual world. This means that formalism
entails closely looking on the elements of an artwork rather
than the narrative story it comprises.
• Therefore, it mainly concentrates on the sensory or material
qualities of the work which makes it more into the “visual”
aspect.
 7. FOCUSES ON QUALITY
• It does not really dwell on how a certain art evoked or
disturbed someone’s feelings. Rather, it focuses on the
qualities of color, brushwork, form, line, and
composition.
• Furthermore, it is a critical and artistic viewpoint that
claims that an artwork's value is found in the
connections that it creates between various
compositional elements, such as color, line, and
texture, and that these relationships should be taken
into account independently of any notions of subject
matter or context.
8. ELEMENTS OF
ART ARE EMPHASIZED
• This
9. CRITIQUING DEPENDS ON ARTISTS'
SKILLS ONLY
• It does