Review of Aesthetics, Art Criticism and Art History Module

Image of an art installation with multiple lights. The study of art and beauty is called aesthetics and is a branch of philosophy? Aesthetics (es-thet-iks): is a component of art. Aesthetics deals with questions about art and the nature of and our experiences with beauty.

Art Criticism is done several ways but in this course we utilized the Feldman's method of art criticism. The special four-step system helped you find the hidden messages in art. The four steps, which must be taken in order, are description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment. By taking these steps you will be able to answer the following questions:

"What do I see?" (description)
"How is the work organized?" (analysis)
"What is happening?" and "What is the artist trying to say?"(interpretation)
"What do I think of the work?"(judgment)

The three theories of art. People who study or judge art sometimes use certain theories that say how a work should be considered. Critics regularly use three of these theories ---- imitationalism, formalism, and emotionalism.

Review what you have learned by completing the activity below.

IMAGES ARE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN