The Importance Of The Art Critic
“Why does art need criticism? Because it needs something outside of itself as a place of reflection, discernment, and connection with the larger world. Art for art’s sake is fine, if you can get it. But the connection to the real becomes tenuous, and the connection to the social disappears. If you want to engage, if you want discourse, you need criticism.” ~ David Levi Strauss
The Artist Circle
As a full time practicing artist for over 20 years, I can tell you there is a circle of completion from where my art begins in the studio, is exhibited, opens to the public and then comes back to me, essentially a five step process. Unfortunately I am finding for many artists and the cities showcasing their art communities, an important step is missing, that of the art critic.
The Artist Circle:
1. Artist Output: Art is created by the artist.
2. Exhibit: Art is on display in a private gallery, public space, museum, and the like for the purpose of exhibiting work to the public.
3. Audience: The public response to the artwork.
4. Art Critic: The critique and interpretation of the artist’s work published in a newspaper, art blog, magazine, or other platform in order to connect with the public at large in order to review, debate and discuss art.
5. Artist Intake: After the work is completed, exhibited and reviewed, the artist can fully reflect on the work and have forward progress.
Often, there is no step four with involvement of the art critic. Many artists press onward and push through due to what I call, The Three Bottomless Wells Of The Surviving Artist:
1. Need to express
2. Desire to create
3. Resilience to overcome
Artist and art critic, to be clear here…
For the purpose of being clear, by artist, I mean a working artist who is making art on a full time basis with the intent to exhibit work in galleries, public and private institutions, and makes an effort to exhibit their work. When I refer to an art critic I mean a professional art critic who has an eye for art and knowledge of art history. Art critics explain and write intelligent and thoughtful articles and reviews in an interesting manner, interpreting and analyzing the meaning and quality of an artist’s work. They critique and interpret the artist’s work by writing a column in a newspaper, magazine, have an art blog or other platform in order to connect with the public at large in order to review, debate and discuss art. They usually have years of experience teaching art, art history, and may teach at universities or work as a curators in museums or art galleries.
A review, you say?
I am not referring to journalists who write and give information in the art or scene section of the newspapers about current exhibits and shows. Although it is great to have such arts information, there is a difference between an arts writer and an art critic. Many newspapers fall into the creative hurrah theme and go light and easy on the visual art, as far as a critical dialogue, and focus more on the personality of the artist, or the exhibit, than truly examining the art itself. Creative enthusiasm is fine but it certainly needs the balance of critical insight. Having an attitude easily accepting the creative pat on the back over true dialogue about the art is a disservice to the artist and the community at large, giving no critical engagement for art conversation while also deepening and developing the work of the artist.
Needless to say, just because an artist has an exhibit does not mean the artist will have a review. Art critics did not recognize many famous artists during their time, though some art critics have helped explain and promote new art movements. For many local artists who sell their work through galleries representing them in their city, the ability to find a secondary market outside of their city is difficult enough, and to not have an art critic in the city to give a review speaks volumes to practicing artists and even more so about the city. It is the white elephant under the art table. “Yes, we have a great arts district, see how we support our artists with venues to showcase their work? An art critic you ask? Um, no, no art critic…”
Where have all the art critics gone?
Does your city paper have an art critic? Lucky you, if so. Art critics are becoming a lost art, so to speak. Preferably a city has more than one employed art critic due to art being so subjective with some art critics favoring one style or medium over another. And just because an artist has an art critic review their work, does not mean it is always a favorable review. Though artists are known for their sensitive nature, a positive review from an art critic is not always granted nor the point. The point is discussion and opportunity to expand insight of art while having a public platform to educate and even debate different views on art.
Not having an art critic in a city tends to place a ginormous steel Richard Serra bubble over the arts culture of the city, insulating the artist and awareness of the art community from the outside world. There is eventually no exit out for the full time working artist but out. And that is not always possible for many artists. And the creative entry in can be a slow trickle. Some cities provide art residencies for visiting artists, funded by enthusiastic art patrons. There is an exhibit, an artist talk, an art opening, and sometimes even an art closing. Then the artist and art leaves, or if fortunate, and the art is for sale, it finds a new home. Score one for the artist, gallery and new art owner. The artist may have an exhibit with tremendous audience response but no review by an art critic. Sometimes the city paper will do a nice spread on the art and exhibit, though not a true art review of the work. If the artist is wanting to progress and exhibit outside of their own city, as most professional full time working artists hope to do, there is no solid art critic review the artist can take to the art world outside of their art community. And because the city has no art critic whose art reviews may get picked up in larger national newspapers, the city is not on the radar of many art enthusiasts or patrons of the arts living outside of the city or state.
Are you a fridge artist?
As a child your parents hopefully put some of the art you created at school on their fridge. And this made you very happy. You created art; they admired it so much they stuck it to the refrigerator. When guests came to the house, you felt like your art was on display for them to see as well. Sometimes your art may have stayed up there for years, or it was swapped out for new art, your old art being filed away because Mom or Dad could not bare to just get rid of it. If you were lucky, your favorite Aunt would stop by and maybe buy the art from you for a quarter to put on her fridge, only if Mom would give it up. If Mom refused to give it up, you got her to pay you one dollar keep it. This made your week. This is how it is for artists in a city with no art critic. It is just a bigger fridge and the food is fancier and now on tables, and juice is now wine. The art is created, it goes on exhibit in a gallery or public venue, people come over to look at it and then it is eventually swapped out for more art work, but this time not yours, because well, grow up, the art directors are no longer your parents. The art that is not sold is filed back in the studio, and it is your job to find another fridge to put it on. Having an art critic review your work certainly helps get your work seen by more than those in your fridge community, and gives you the opportunity to have a review to attach along with your art images and resume to galleries of interest.
Where have all the artists gone?
Some mid size cities are losing members of their creative community choosing to leave for more populated cities in favor of a larger and diverse audience, and with art critics. Artists leave with hopes of more monetary support in order to continue their work while also feeling they are being taken seriously in their art practice, and not just being hit up to make another art donation to a well meaning cause. If you do not have an art critic writing for your city paper, it is past time to have a real cause for the artists in your city, as well as for the cultural health of your city overall, beyond the ‘support your local artist’ signs and hash tags which are now beginning to feel like a back yard ‘support your local lemonade stand’ at best. Art collectors and patrons often follow the words of an art critic as way to enhance their appreciation for the art they are viewing. Perhaps with an art critic writing for your city newspaper, art patrons and museums in your city will begin to take a more serious look at the artists living and working in your community as well.
Not only is the art critic important to that of the artist, it is also important to a city wanting to have a thriving art community that sustains and supports its local and visiting artists. A city with more than one employed professional art critic says to those in and outside of the city, “We take our artists seriously and you should too.”
