2/12
1a. Barrett defines describing a photograph as the answers to question, such as, what is presented in a
picture? Each description defines the obvious and not so obvious in an image. Descriptions are
informational facts and verifiable observations for audiences who have or haven't seen the photograph.
1b. Subject and subject matter are two different things, a subject is an interpretive undertake of the theme of meaning of the piece and the subject matter is the basic information of the given artwork. Some subject
matters are seemingly simple but very exclusive for some photographers.
1c. The way a subject matter is presented describes its form. Form illustrates how it was composed,
arranged, and constructed. Photography has formal elements used to describe art, such as, subject contrast, negative contrast, angle and lens, and much more.
1d. The composition of an art object is called its medium, a photograph is a type of medium. Camera
movement, position, nonstationary subject, scale, and focus are all used to enhance the characteristics of the medium of photography. The description of medium involves more than the type of camera or kind of print, it's to discuss these things in light of the effects their use has on their expression and overall impact.
1e. Style is described by the characteristics of subject matter and formal elements of medium and formal arrangement. Each artist, movement time period, and geographic location has its own form of style. Examples of style could be "realistic", "fashion", or "manipulated".
2a. Comparing and contrasting is evaluating and analyzing a photographer's work to their other works or someone else's. Barrett says to compare and contrast is to see what's common and different from one work to another. This method of critical analysis does not limit the ability of the artist just helps artist to differentiate between art methods, forms, and subject matter.
2b. Critics compare and contrast information from press releases, interviews with artist, history purposes, and other internal and external sources. Critics differentiate the importance and desirability of these sources and embrace a more contextual view of criticism and art and carefully consider the photograph casual environment.
3a. Interpreting and describing is circular, moving from a bigger picture to smaller and vice versa. Critics determine relevance by their interpretation of what the photographer expresses. Description after description isn't enough nor understandable, but the interpretation and evaluation of the picture shows appreciation.
3b. Evaluating influences the reader's view of the artwork, either negative or positive, which are mixed with the knowledge of description. In published criticism, descriptions are rarely value-free, which is free from criteria imposed by subjective values or standards. Evaluating artwork is looking at an art piece as a whole and describing its successes and weaknesses.
4a. Barrett was trying to point out that the audience must examine the artwork and understand it by just looking at it rather than reading its description. The four main aspects of a photograph that a critics may describe are subject, matter, form, medium, and style. Barrett also points out that few critics write unbiased descriptions and make up their own reviews.
4b. I learned from this chapter that criticism is used for useful description rather than negative response to an artwork. Criticism are descriptions that are factual but relevancy is the determining factor. He makes a clear distinction between the common use of criticizing and analytical critical process about a work of art.
4c. My overall response to this material was quite understable to the matter of understanding the description of art and how criticisms is an informed discourse of a work.
