Art Criticism- Evaluating Works Through Style Medium and Meaning
Art criticism is inevitable since people interpret pieces of art differently. Consequently, criticism may arise towards paintings, films, literature, and music, among other art pieces. Additionally, art criticism is based on various factors, including; Medium, Color, Style, and Artist intention.
The title of the piece of art is Still Life with Bottle and Apple Basket, and it is dated 1893; and the piece of art was created by Paul Cezanne (The J. Paul Getty Museum, n.d.). This painting is an oil painting, illustrating the medium is oil on canvas. The colors used in the painting are vivid; a green vase, wine and rum bottle, a white basket with ripe apples, and a multicolored tablecloth, illustrating the style of the painting is one of the Classical era based on movements in the painting. Further, the lines are evident in giving meaning to the painting, such as the horizontal and diagonal brush marks on the fruits, table, and jar. Cezanne’s intention with this piece was to experiment with different colors and shapes under different lighting.
The title of the piece of art is Migrant Mother, a photograph taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936 (J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007). The Gelatin silver print photograph was taken using a Graflex camera. The photograph is a gelatin silver print, with significance in illustrating the mood of that era. Further, the photograph was taken during a period of the Great Depression, and the woman in the photograph was one of the people greatly affected, alongside her family. In addition, from the mother’s facial expression, the effects of the Great depression are evident; poverty and hunger, since the desperation is apparent on her face. Dorothea Lange took this photograph without a predestined motive but on instinct and aids in evoking various emotions when people view it.
The title of this piece of art is Judith beheading Holofernes, dated 1598-99, created by Michelangelo Merisi, also known as Caravaggio (Troiano et al., 2017). The painting is based on a scene from the Bible in the Book of Judith. The medium of this painting is oil on canvas painting. The colors used in the painting are vivid, with the red curtain, the red blood on white sheets, and the surrounding darkness, illustrating the mood and theme of the painting, where a lady beheads a man ending his life and saving her people. The style of the painting is Renaissance art based on movements in the painting and the period of its creation. Further, the lines are evident in dramatizing the event by magnifying the violence, and the facial and body expressions of the people painted influence the message of the piece of art. Caravaggio’s intention with this piece was to dramatize and magnify the Heroic act of Judith at that moment.
The title of this piece of art is A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, and it is dated 1882 (Iskin, 1995). Édouard Manet created the painting, and it is an oil on canvas painting. The colors used in the painting are vivid; in consideration of the bottles of wine, champagne, and beer, in the barmaid’s clothing, and in the mirror behind the barmaid, illustrating the style of the painting is one of the Classical era based on movements in the painting. Further, the lines are evident in giving meaning to the painting, such as the reflective mirror, the filled halls of crowds of people, and the barmaid’s facial and body structure and expression as she addresses the customer whose image is reflected in the mirror. Manet’s intention with this piece was to illustrate the social aspects of Salons.
This piece of art is the Pieta sculpture, sculpted by Michelangelo in 1499. The medium of this sculpture is a block of Carrara marble. The style of the painting is from the Renaissance era due to the multi-figure sculpture that wasn’t common at the time (Wallace, 2000). Further, the sculpture is one of the Virgin Mary supporting her deceased son. The piece portrays emotions based on the Virgin Mary’s facial expression, and her lack of direct contact with her son’s body illustrates the sacredness of the body. Additionally, his skills are illustrated in the elaborate outline and structure of the lines on the sculpture. Michelangelo’s intention with this piece was to create a sculpture for the St. Peter’s Basilica of the time. Consequently, he carved a sculpture of the Virgin Mary with her deceased son Jesus, which indicated the realization of his demise. However, critics pointed out that the Virgin Mary’s appearance appeared to be too young to be Jesus’s mother. Subsequently, Michelangelo refuted these claims.
The title of this piece of art is Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, dated 1907, and Pablo Picasso created it; further, the medium of this painting is oil on canvas (Atlas, 2010). The colors used in the painting are vivid, with dark and light to illustrate spaces between the women, giving them forms. The style of the painting is of the Modern era based on movements in the painting and the period of its creation. Further, Picasso utilized Cubism to illustrate realism through the painting that featured five nude females. Additionally, Picasso uses two-dimensional techniques in this painting to influence its viewing from various angles. Picasso’s intention with this piece was to challenge people’s perceptions of the norm.
References
Atlas. (2010). Pablo Picasso. Edatlas.it. Retrieved from http://www.edatlas.it/scarica/HTML_Arte_inglese_VOL5/assets/pdf/5_picasso.pdf.
Iskin, R. (1995). Selling, Seduction, and Soliciting the Eye: Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergere. The Art Bulletin, 77(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.2307/3046078
Paul Getty Museum. (2007). Human Erosion in California (Migrant Mother), Dorothea Lange. Getty.edu. Retrieved from https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/curricula/exploring_photographs/downloads/migrant_mother.pdf.
The J. Paul Getty Museum. Still Life with Apples (Getty Museum). The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Retrieved from https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/102380/paul-cezanne-still-life-with-apples-french-1893-1894/
Troiano, G., Mercurio, I., Nante, N., & Bacci, M. (2017). Caravaggio’s Judith and Holofernes: a forensic approach. Egyptian Journal Of Forensic Sciences, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41935-017-0020-z
Wallace, W. (2000). Michelangelo, Tiberio Calcagni, and the Florentine “Pieta”. Artibus Et Historiae, 21(42), 81. https://doi.org/10.2307/1483625
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Question 
Develop a vocabulary for criticizing, evaluating, and describing works of art.
For this assessment task, you are asked to act as an art critic and analyze a series of works. When art critics discuss art, they describe artworks in terms of style and medium. Art critics interpret the meanings of art and make judgments of a work’s validity to the importance of a piece in the larger context of art history and culture. Art critics also evaluate art in the context of aesthetics.
Art Criticism- Evaluating Works Through Style Medium and Meaning
Please watch the presentation below as a refresher on this deliverable’s content. The presentation will not tell you everything you need to know to pass this test, but it should serve as a refresher.