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Criticism and politics

One of the aims of art writing is to generate discussion and encourage audiences to experience art first hand. Art criticism also influences the careers of artists. Artists’ success is reliant on economic and political conditions.

Issues covered in this document:

• The role of the critic
• Criticism of a critic
• References

The role of the critic

The following articles examine these aspects and offer opinions as to the value of art criticism

Bonyhardy, T. Dirk and Grease, Eureka Street vol 9 no. 6 July 1999 p34

Bonyhardy examines the role of the critic in the Australian art world and the influence particular print media critics have had on artists and museums. He discusses the way that criticism has changed from the 1960s to 1990s and how the focus of critical writings has shifted from commercial galleries to large art museums and blockbuster exhibitions.

Additionally, the relative increase in the space allocated to art criticism in major newspapers indicates a significance “that they are at least equally involved in making the reputation of museum curators and directors.”

Bonyhardy details numerous instances where critics such as John McDonald and Giles Auty have written with bias and yet appear to have had significant influence on how exhibitions in major galleries are received.

The political nature of criticism and museum policy is further outlined in a number of newspaper articles:

Editorial “Art attack” Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) Feb 12 2000

James B. “Of Torsos and Tears” SMH Jan 1 2000

Lawson, V. “The art of elimination” SMH March 4 2000

Mendelssohn, J “Why MCA?” The Bulletin May 4 1993

Mcdonald, J. “Playing against the gallery” SMH Nov2 1998

Mc Donald , J. “The good the bad and the paranoid” SMH Oct 30 1999

Murphy. B. “A critic’s contempt for the contemporary” SMH June 4 1999

Morgan, J. “A fine line between art and commerce” SMH March 1 2000

Murphy, D. “Writs for the Crits” The Bulletin Nov 2 1993

Smee. S. “You call that Art?” SMH June 26 1999

 

Mendelssohn, J. “The Artist and the Critic” Artlink Vol 19 no. 2 June 1999

Mendelssohn comments on the role of the critic in determining the emotional response of would be artists. The critic’s assessment is often based on the tenor of an invitation and the critic’s available time to see the exhibition.

“In the end, the critic has an obligation to write and that writing needs to contain a clear and coherent argument.”(p68)

The critic’s writing must reflect the aims of the publication and the constitution of the audience, and be mindful of the entertainment value of “the arts”. Thus there is a dilemma for the critic who must strike a balance between the artist who sees art as a life force and the publication that sells art writing space as merely “entertaining”.

“When critics write, they are joining in a conversation with the art, the artist, the viewer, and with history. ...We are engaging the wider culture in a debate about the nature of our time and the objects we make or value.” (P69)

Like Charles Green, Mendelssohn believes that the real tastemakers are the curators who are likely to encourage or dismiss a young artist and their work.

“It is no accident that most under-regarded artists who have later achieved fame, owe their success to curators not critics.” (p69)

 

Hill, P. “They came they saw they bought the lot” Saatchi Collection Art Monthly p27 June 1995 no 80

British TV Channel 4 has inaugurated a series of 15 minute debates from opposite ends of the artistic spectrum; for example Giles Auty versus Sarah Kent who wrote Shark Invested Waters (Saatchi collection)

One of these debates opened up the discussion about the influence Saatchi has had on reception and perception of the new artists of the UK.

Hill cites the writing of Achille Olivia, an Italian art critic who explains the power that critics and curators have in determining the recognition of certain artists. The power of the art market in determining the value (both cultural and monetary) of particular artists is also correspondingly significant.

“The great collectors of the 1980s exert a sociological power in the sense that they are capable of determining the strength of a movement, of a current or of a group of artists. Through money they can condition the mentality of the curators of museums, they can condition snobbery in other collectors. They tend not to collect single works of art but the whole production of single artists. As a result they can effect a radical shift in the idea of traditional art collection which in the past was concerned with the choice the collector made of a single work.”

(Achille Bonito Oliva, Italian Art critic, trans-avantgardia)

This same point is made by Keith Patrick in the editorial of Contemporary Visual Arts Issue 27, 2000. He laments the sensation that the Sensation exhibition has caused and the interest in the participating artists, as opposed to other emerging UK artists. He also refers to the power of the collectors’ money to generate international exhibitions and the media hype that creates public interest. He comments that Australia’s National Gallery has now refused to show this exhibition.

Criticism of a critic

Wilson, K. “Confirming prejudices validating fears” Art Monthly March 98 No. 107 p4

In this article, Wilson has conducted a study of the writing style and content of the critic, Giles Auty who has been writing a regular critical art column for The Australian for the past five years since moving from Britain.

“Based on a review of 112 feature articles he has written for The Australian between 1995 and 1997, Auty has written a disproportionate number dedicated to the art of Britain and Europe. He has also devoted entire features complete with a photograph or portrait of himself to the subject of his merits as an art critic (at least 18 articles)... not only is this disturbing but he fails to offer the sort of balanced criticism we expect from someone in such a position of authority.

Of 112 articles between 1995 and 1997, only 21 reviewed Australian work on exhibition. When he does mention Australian artists it is to compare them to British or European precedents.

Often an article which appears to be about Australian art turns out to be nothing of the kind.”

Wilson criticised Auty for lack of Australian emphasis, examines the particular writing style of Auty, his subjectivity in writing style and his obvious bias in the derivation of art chosen for review.

Auty has often been criticised because his style of writing proposes to be the voice of popular opinion, “the man of the street” yet the articles are often without analysis of the artwork. Wilson points out that Auty relies on an “anti-artworld stance” as justification for assessing an artwork as popular or conformist.

 

Nelson, R “Criticism and Impotence” Art Monthly Dec 97-Feb 98 p12

In this article, Nelson again discusses the writing style of Giles Auty, The Australian art critic.

Nelson, however, uses this article to discuss the role of criticism itself offering some remarkable insights into the workings of the art market and the role played by critics generally.

“Critics puff and blow but maybe no one is listening. While art is often felt to be awfully fragile in fact the art market is inert and swayed not at all by the published opinions of critics. In material terms what does it matter that Giles Auty likes Hugh Ramsay?... and it impresses the art scene less that an Auty regularly rails against an incomprehensible avant-garde because those who are interested in such matters have long maintained their enthusiasm against a backdrop of widespread scepticism or even antagonism by the prophets of the popular media.”

Nelson looks also at the role played by curators and the way their choices and judgments of artists have more power over an artist’s career than a critic's.

“The work of curators is all about judgment and reputation.... but the building of a reputation only happens when another curator concurs with that judgment... An artist who hasn’t been given approval of at least two or three curators is still in some sense unauthorised.”

The role of particular periodicals and magazines is also called into play and Nelson points out that most of these publications are biased towards what the galleries want to promote.

“The structures underlying art and text or world art are entirely curatorial. Each edition is like a thematic show. The credibility of the magazine is related to its ability to vouch for the future success of the featured artists. The magazines are interested parties and the newspaper is relatively disinterested.”

References

Autry, G. “Artists only need apply” Art Monthly no. 28 p. 17 April 2000

Barrett, T. “Criticizing Art” Mountain View, California, Mayfield Publication 1994

Bonyhardy, T. Dirk and Grease Eureka Street vol 9 no. 6 July 1999 p34.

Hirsh, E.P. Writing about Art Sth Melbourne, Addison Longman 1996

Feldman, B. Varieties of Visual Experience Prentice Hall 1987

Green,C. How do we Assign Value in At? Talk delivered at Art Gallery of NSW December 1999

Hill,P. “They came they saw they bought the lot” Saatchi Collection, Art Monthly p27 June 1995 no 80

Hill, P. “How to write about art and still get a kick out of looking at it” Art Monthly July 1998 No. 111 p. 17

Hill, P. “Can Art writing be taught?” Pt2 Art Monthly No. 117 March 1999p24

Kroneneberg “Other voices: the freelance curator in Australia” Art Monthly Sept1994 No.73

Mc Phee, J. “Eye for an Eye: the Art of Appreciation” Australian Art Collector Issue 12 April 2000

Mendelssohn, J. “The Artist and the Critic” Artlink Vol 19 no. 2 June 1999

Nelson, R “Criticism and Impotence” Art Monthly Dec 97-Feb 1998 p12

Patrick, K. editorial Contemporary Visual Arts Issue 27, 2000

Rendle-Short, F “On the edge” Art Monthly Dec 1999- Feb 2000 No. 126 p15

Sylvester, D. “Curator and critic London”. SMH Sat Nov 20 1999

Thomas, D. “Being a curator”. Art Monthly Sept 1999 No 123 p4

Wilson, K. “Confirming prejudices validating fears” Art Monthly, March 98 No. 107 p4 (reviews Giles Auty of the The Australian)

 

Useful Texts

Berger, J. Ways of Seeing, Pan 1972

Carrier, D. Artwriting Amherst University of Massachusetts Press 1987

Carrier, D. Principles of Art History Writing, University Park, Pennsylvania State University Press 1991

 

Michelle Watts, Visual arts teacher