When I first started this class, I did not know a lot about art criticism. The last art class I took was in seventh grade, and we never worked on criticism. I was never really comfortable with evaluating the artwork of others because I didn't always know how to interpret the art. I either saw it as intriguing or not. With the work I did, I wasn't sure exactly how to critique it. If I didn't like the way something looked I would do my best to fix it, but other than that I really didn't think it through. I simply didn't know how I was supposed to think about it.
This class has changed the way I look at art. Especially working in the Artists Take a Stand unit, I realized the extent of what art can represent, which is basically anything. There is so much more to critique than "I like it." Critique has to do with the way the art was executed, not just how, and what it makes you feel. When I work on my own art I think more about how it will turn out and how it can express a message.
This class has changed the way I look at art. Especially working in the Artists Take a Stand unit, I realized the extent of what art can represent, which is basically anything. There is so much more to critique than "I like it." Critique has to do with the way the art was executed, not just how, and what it makes you feel. When I work on my own art I think more about how it will turn out and how it can express a message.
Reflection
In Art 1 the most important thing I learned was how to express my opinion. In the Artists Take a Stand unit, we were supposed to take a controversial issue and express it in art. It was such an eye-opening project for me. I was finally able to see that art could represent such powerful ideas. Another important thing I learned was how to paint. I had never had a ton of experience mixing paints and especially working on gradients with paint.
This class was such an incredible learning experience for me. I learned so much that I hadn't known before and was able to hone the skills that I already possessed. To make it an even better learning experience, I would have devoted much more time to working on drawing faces, which has been a long term goal of mine. I have gotten better at it this year, but if I could I would have devoted even more time to become better. Another skill I would have liked to learn more about was painting. I have always admired paintings and the seemingly effortless way artists paint. However, I am very grateful for the skills I was able to work on, such as shading, and I am really going to miss this class. Thank you for all you did, Ms. Purtee!