Art Criticism Workshop

This seminar broaches the how and why of art criticism: how it is written and why it is undertaken at all. We will investigate the ways in which well written art criticism brings readers into deep relation with visual artwork, and into a dialogue with the histories, values, and concerns that undergird its making. We will examine how criticism provides a window through which we can examine ourselves and our cultural ideals, locating ourselves along the axes of our collective fears, desires, and ambitions. Learning goals consist of absorbing how to employ the methods and tools needed to produce writing that renders a judgment regarding the historical, aesthetic, intellectual, emotional, cultural, or even financial value of a work of art.