Socio-cultural theories

Writing about visual form is a process of interpretation that will heighten your personal experience and also your future encounters with art an art making.

Examining the traditional skill is important to a judgment of quality but rarely gives the final answer. How does one determine whether a work of art has quality? Quality is relative (subjective). It varies from person to person, from culture to culture, from age to age.

Whether you are approaching art for your own enjoyment or for a class assignment – as long as it is not forbidden by your life’s beliefs and values- it is most rewarding to try to begin with an open, receptive mind, to go beyond prejudgments and give yourself time to get aquatinted and to respond.
Art Criticism includes making discriminating judgments, both favorable and unfavorable. The three steps outlined correspond to the three dominant types of art criticism:

Socio-cultural theories: This evaluation tends to look first at the environmental influences on a work of art: where the artist lived and at what time in history. This may include the cultural values, the economic system, and even the politics of the time. Doing this type of criticism usually requires investigation of the culture that surrounds a work. This part of the evaluation takes research to become acquainted with the place, time in history and experiences of the artist.

Formal theories: Critics who use formal evaluation look carefully at how a work is made: (elements and principles of composition) how the parts of the composition function to create a visual experience that may interest us or not. They generally believe that the most important influence on a work is other works that the artist has seen or studied.

Expressive theories: Artist centered evaluations are thus termed expressive or empathic theories. Critics tend to look for powerful personal meanings, deep psychological insight, or profound human concern of the artist. Your own perception as to the quality and meaning or message of the artwork is included.
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