Criticism of Artworks – My Thoughts
As artists, we invest a great deal of time, effort and self into our creations and often find it difficult to distance ourselves from emotional connections with the paintings. It is problematic that criticism is difficult to take on board even when delivered with the right intentions and from others with (or without)experience.
How do we deal with this? I have spent a bit of time working through this and reflecting on experiences as I develop my art and my own abilities. What I have begun to do is look at my art as a product not as a part of me. It certainly reflects who I am and I hope that it continues to do so. However as it is a product what do others see in it?
I have likened it to a lounge suite. The potential customers look at it in many ways and ask a number of questions. Is it soft/hard enough? Is it the right colour, size, shape? Will it fit the decor? Will it fit in our house? Can we afford it? Can we pay it off? What is the manufacturer’s track record? Is it us? You get the picture.
The questions are exactly the same with art. When potential customers are in the gallery viewing the art they will comment as they connect or not with a piece of art. I have experienced many thoughtless comments about work which just does not appeal to one set of customers but which totally connects with the next. There is no accounting for the ignorant who feel the need to loudly and scathingly comment on a work which does not appeal to them. We can do nothing about that. What we must do is listen and learn from all comments. I do not mean that we agree wholeheartedly with anything delivered by anyone either well meaning or otherwise. If we are hurt by the negatives we need to question ourselves as to our readiness for the buying public. I do not mean not to exhibit. This is part of the growth of an artist and is necessary for us to see our work on display with our peers. It is objective.
The hardest thing for an artist beginning this process is to take an artwork to a critiquing session for the first time. It is confronting when you put your work up there with others whose work you admire. However it becomes less daunting when you hear the ways you could address that artwork in a different way or improve on some aspect in the future. In so saying however I find it amazing how when presented with many positive comments and one negative that it is the negative one that will receive the most reflection. Write them down and weigh it all up. One does not need to defend or explain an artwork. That is really justifying self for creating the painting. It is not necessary to do so.
Family and friiends are either over enthusiastic, non-committal or quite critical of our works. They are a good start but I would encourage other avenues. The local art societies are a great place to go. There is always a range of skills and talents available and the art talk is inspiring. It starts conversations with other artists and allows one to let go of the angst and focus on the product. This combined with getting involved with a viewing public at openings and art shows will build the confidence and understanding of the wide range of personal views about art and artworks.
It is worth the effort.