In my opinion, our angle of approach regarding artistic viewership/judgment should be broad enough to allow for these differences. The following three interwoven elements are the very tools we need to good criticism and understanding:
(Check out Chapter 2)
Form: how something looks (in this case, art) and what it is made of
Simply put, form is composed of the physical attributes of a work (how the piece looks and the materials that make it up). According to Living with Art (LWA) form "includes all the visual aspects of the work that can be isolated and described...size, shape, materials color, and composition." (Getlein, 38). The Visual Elements listed and described in Chapter 4. The design principles listed in Chapter 5 are also helpful when discussing the formal elements of an art piece.
Victorian Interior, Horace Pippin, 1945
What about this one?
War-torn, Rula Halawani, 2002
1.
Usually, contents.
a.
something that is contained: the contents of a box.
b.
the subjects or topics covered in a book or document.
c.
the chapters or other formal divisions of a book or document: a table of contents.
2.
something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing, or any of various arts: a poetic form adequate to a poetic content.
3.
significance or profundity; meaning: a clever play that lacks content.
4.
Meaning is conveyed through form; meaning can be construed by the way an art form is executed. Form can never truly be separated from content and meaning. We may discuss form in an isolated fashion, these visual elements always lead us back to meaning and content. The apparent absence of meaning is itself meaninful. Formal elements unite to form content and meaning. Think about the formal choice and elements contained in Rula Halawani's photograph. What is the overall effect of these formal elements? What meaning, message, emotional state is created by these elements?
substantive information or creative material viewed in contrast to its actual or potential manner of presentation: publishers, record companies, and other content providers; a flashy website, but withoutmuch content.
def: subject matter: objects or events a work depicts (Getlein, 38).
• SUBJECT MATTER: what the artist has chosen to paint, draw, sculpt, etc.“The substance of a discussion, book, writing, etc., as distinguished from its form or style.” –freedictionary.com
• MESSAGE: messages are “objects of communication." Artists may have specific messages they wish to communicate. They may also discover the message they wish to communicate while they are making the object. The message is not always verbal. Sometimes it is emotional or spiritual.
Context: Circumstance!
Def: the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.
Who made it?
What is it made of & Why?
When was it made?
Where
What was happening at that time?
Why was it made? Why was it made the way it was made?
What is the artwork's intended purpose?
These questions all help up get at context as well as content. The context of the work feeds the meaning of the work.
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