4FAC, The fourfold path of Art Criticism. A bold new path or a winding road to nowhere.

Here's the thing, I bring my paintings to the circle hoping to hear something useful and don't usually.  Likewise comments on the blog.

Well critiquing is tough, you above all do not wish to offend, but you kind of want to say something, but sometimes nothing to say really stands out.  Maybe you make a joke or maybe you say something vague just to get it done.  This is not helpful to the artist.

I've been thinking on the matter and I have broken down what seems to me to be the most common kinds of criticism that I hear.

 1. That looks like suchandsuch.

This is the least helpful kind of comment.  If it is something like 'it looks like a summer day' it may help, but if it is 'it looks like a hammer' not so much.

2. What you oughta do is...

This is a slightly better comment, but it is a tad bossy, and it's generally not helpful because the viewer can never know what is in the heart of the artist.

3. What I like the best is this, what I like the least is that.

I think this is pretty good because it rules out the 'oh everything is beautiful the way it is' comment, and it shields the critic a bit from testy artists because you can say something good to make the critical part go down more easily.

4. How or why did you do this or that?

This is good because it gives the artist a chance to talk and we are Chatty Cathies are we not?

I have an old friend in St Joe Missouri and we have been exchanging images and criticism for about a month and we have been learning a lot and also getting good at giving useful information.  

I am posting this here to begin some kind of conversation.

And I am going to try to use it on this week's postings.