Art criticism methods

One thing I think is very important is to teach your kids how to criticize the art work that they see and the art work that they do for themselves. "Art criticism involves a specific way of looking at a work of art. You can make discernment about art without being a professional artist, all you need to do is learn to look (see) and think about what you are seeing.Learning how to criticize artwork properly will allow you to better understand works of art and why they have become important. The process of art criticism involves 4 actions. They are: describe, analyze, interpret and decide." (Betsy Larson) I think this is a great way to start out explaining to your students what art criticism is. You cannot just base it off of it you like there art work or not I don't think. Also you have to know their skill level because personally I have really bad penminship and I also cannot draw very well so things I try very hard on may not come through just because as I have been told before I write like a boy. Another very interesting lesson plan I found was this one...

How to Criticize a Work of Art

Doing art criticism is like playing detective. You must assume that the artist has a secret

message hidden inside the work. Your job is to solve the mystery and find the message.

The following four steps, which must be taken in order, are description, analysis,

interpretation, and judgment. By taking these steps you will be able to answer the

following questions:

1. "What do I see?" (description)

2. "How is the work organized?" (analysis)

3. "What is happening?" and "What is the artist trying to say?" (interpretation)

4. "What do I think of the work?" (judgment)

First you will collect facts and clues. Then you will make guesses. You will decide what

you think.( Art talk by Rosalind Ragans)
By making the lesson of criticizing art something more familar with people like playing dectective I think it puts it into a whole other perspective. This way it is easier for the kids to really dig deep when looking at a piece of art work. You also get to analize from 4 different perspectives.
"The purpose of art criticism in schools is to develop students appriciation and  understanding of how visual culture reflects the larger culture. Calling for reflection on the stuents part, and bringing together the students knowledge base, diposition, and seeking strategies, art criticism is a tool for the pursuit of meaning and value in art." ( Emphasis Art) All of these I think are great examples of art criticism methods. It is very hard to give someone a grade on a piece of art because it may be something they are very proud of and you just dont see it. I think all these things should be kept in mind when critcizing someones piece of art whether it be your own or someone elses.