Critiquing Photographs

Guidelines for Critique

1. Describing the work (what does it look like? what is it made of?): Assume the audience has not and will not view the piece and that you are the sole mediator for their understanding of it's formal qualities
2. Interpreting the work (what does it mean?): Here you are asked to synthesize any contextual or biographical information you have with your own subjective interpretation of the work's significance.
3. Evaluating the work (is it art? is it interesting? does it "work"?): This is, perhaps, the most difficult critical task, yet it is usually the one to which most people skip when criticizing a work of art. To thoughtfully evaluate a work of art, you must determine what your criteria are for judging its relative worth or effectiveness. Only you can provide this information. Do not assume the reader (or your fellow student) shares your point of view. Explain why you feel the way you do. "Thumbs up" or "thumbs down" will not cut it. This is college.

Here are some simple guidelines for a successful critique:

1. Listen! Most people new to the critique forum fail to understand that criticism of a work does not mean the work is "bad", or that the artist has failed in some way. In order to refine our ability to produce effective artworks, we must listen to what the participants in the critique have to say about it.  The whole point of the exercise is to go make better work.Describe the image: What do you know with certainty about what you see? What do you see? What adjectives come to mind? What is the subject matter, really? What about form? Interpret the image: What does this image mean? How is this meaning manifested? Can you discern a difference between what was intended and the result? Are there metaphors you can decipher? 
2. Is this a successful work of art? Why/why not? What criteria have you used to make your judgement? Be very specific.
3. Whereas it is mandatory that you respect your colleagues in the class (I don't tolerate abusive behavior at all), we are here to get work done. Please check your ego at the door. Be willing to say what you think about others' work and to hear potentially harsh criticism about the work you've done. In order to become better artists, we must be willing to speak openly about the issues at hand and to dispense with qualifying opening remarks such as "this is just my opinion" and the like.