Art Gallery Review

Also known as an “Art Critique”

Read through these entire instructions BEFORE you attend an art exhibition.

Expectations:
ATTEND EXHIBITION IN PERSON
WRITE 1500 WORDS MINIMUM ESSAY USING FOLLOWING GUIDELINES
DISCUSS 3 ARTWORKS MINIMUM
CORRECTLY CITE ALL SOURCES
USE CORRECT GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION

This paper is a 1500-word (minimum) descriptive essay about an Art Exhibition, with descriptions and interpretations of three art works. A paper of less than 1500 words, or about less than 3 artworks, will receive an automatic F with no further comment.

You must attend an art exhibition in person to complete this project. You may not use online exhibitions, or exhibitions viewed prior to this assignment. Suggested venues in the area of Temple can be found under “CONTENT” then “LINKS” in the menu at the top of the course website. If you cannot visit any of the suggested venues, then google “art galleries and museums” in your local area. Check with your instructor if you are unsure where to go.

Print out the instructions and take them with you. Take a notebook and take notes at the exhibition. Occasionally, museum exhibitions will restrict what you can take into the gallery, but they will usually allow you to take in a notebook, paper and a pencil. Some exhibitions will allow you to take photographs, some will not. Some will have information posted, some will not. If you can’t find the information you need, ask someone in the museum/gallery.

If possible, it is best to attend the exhibition alone, or with a classmate. Expect to spend several hours viewing the exhibition.

Begin by quickly touring the venue, looking for “your” three artworks. Once you have identified the three artworks that you find most interesting, then spend as much time as possible with each one, recording what you see and feel.

Use further research from books and websites as you write your paper. Also spend some quiet time reflecting on your notes from the gallery visit as you write the more subjective parts of your essay.

TITLE PAGE: Make sure the following information is on the first page of your paper:

Your Name
The name and location of the museum/gallery.
The title of the exhibition (if there is one).
Date of viewing.

An art critique is an evaluation, or review, of artworks. For this paper, you will choose 3 artworks to review.
First, introduce the gallery or museum you visited. Spend a paragraph or two describing how you chose the location, and your first impressions on visiting.
1. The main body of your paper will be reviews of three artworks. For each artwork, describe the artwork and what you see when you study it.
First, list the required information, most of which will be on the museum or gallery label (and ask someone if you don’t see it!)
Artist’s name.
Title of work.
Type of work (painting, sculpture, video)
Technique (how the work was made, i.e., “carving”, “printing”, “painting”)
Medium (what the work is made out of, i.e. “oil on canvas”, “limestone”)
Size in inches.
Then write about your first impression. Note the characteristics of the artwork that first jump out at you.
Some of the topics you could discuss here are:
Style of artwork (“Baroque”, “Cubist”, “Contemporary Landscape”)
Subject of the artwork.
Objects in the artwork.
Value or tone (lights and darks).
Color.
Shapes, lines and texture.
The predominant mood or visual effect.
2. Interpret the artwork.

This part of an art critique is subjectiveand gives you the opportunity to create an opinion about the work. Use your description and analysis of the objective qualities of the artwork to try to understand the artist’s intended purpose. Try to accomplish the following things when formulating your interpretation:
Communicate the artist’s statement. Describe what you think the artist is trying to say through the work of art.
Expound on the feeling conveyed by the artwork. Describe what the artwork means to you, and why.
Explain what you feel is the artist’s intended purpose for creating that particular work of art. Examine why the artist made the choices in technique, materials and subject matter and how they relate to the intended purpose.
Identify symbols in the artwork and describe how they relate to the artist’s technical choices and contribute to the artist’s execution of the intended purpose.
Save your paper as a Word document, and turn it in to the Dropbox: Art Review Paper