Thursday, May 15, 2008

How Do You Review The Arts?

How do you review the arts? Well there are many different ways you can look at this question. HOW do you review the arts? How do YOU review the arts? How do you review THE arts? Lets explore with HOW do you review the arts. It’s known that art refers to a diverse range of human activities and artifacts, and may be used to cover all or any of the art, including music, literature and other forms. An artist covers broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing or demonstrating the art.

Some may wonder what do you look for when you are observing art? Personally I think about if the artist is clear on what he/she wants to portray. Does the art seem complete and enough detail to back it up. Might the artist have a personal relationship with its work and did they take a risk in making what they wanted to show. Did they show a distinct focus and bring out important themes. Lucy Lippard stated, “ I as related to public art, it is possible that the most effective place-specific art is that which differs least from the place itself; it might, for example, consist of clues and information rather than additional objects or places within places (pg. 286).

Analyzing art can be extremely tricky. The artist could be trying to tell you one thing but you could be thinking its something totally different. It’s good to have an open mind and respecting without judging other’s art. Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid has an ongoing project called “ The People’s Choice.” It’s to show how the relationship between artists and the broad public might be transformed (Real Love, Andre Ross; pg 149). I think this project could be for the greater good because the more they get the public involved the more feedback and exposure the artist will get from their work. Today on television they have America’s Next Photographer and fashion designer. They are looking for new, hot art that not just other artist would enjoy but the mass media as well.

Taking Reviewing the Arts as an writing intensive has made me to be more open minded and willing to find different ways to express myself. Going out and reviewing other art at first to me was pointless because I automatically new it wasn’t going to be anything that interest me. I eat, sleep and breath dance and to me nothing was more interesting than that. Going and listening to poetry, looking at art gallery’s, fiction writing lectures, ASL dance shows, etc; opened up a new door for me. It has made me go places and think in ways I have never done so before. Look deeper into what certain things might mean than just focusing on what I see on the outside. I have a new appreciation for other art forms and going to continue to be open minded to art that might not be the art that I am used to reviewing.