Basically gives importance to the formal qualities (art
elements, materials, and design principles) as a basis for the meaning of art.
Formalism and Style
– Focuses on the subject matter primarily over form.
Iconography
Context is the focus in criticizing artworks here.
(Marxist, Colonialist, Feminist, Gender, etc)
Contextual Approaches
Consider the life and context of the artist.
Biography and Autobiography –
Focused on signs. An artwork is assumed to be composed of a
set of signs that may have significant cultural and contextual meanings
beyond itself.
Semiotics
one is concerned about the unconscious
mind in relation to the artist, the viewer, and the cultural context it is involved
in.
Psychoanalysis
Individual notion of what is considered
acceptable, beautiful, or attractive in works of art, in part influenced by
psychological factors.
Aesthetics and Psychoanalysis
