Johanna San Inocencio on mon 9 aug 10
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Mel, I understand what both you and Lee are trying to say about
apprenticeships. There is no substitute for practice in improving any
artists work, whether it is painting, music, pottery or anything else.
The time invested will make you better at wherever you apply yourself,
and I agree. The ways practice is accomplished can vary greatly.
What I would like to address is the following statement:
and at my age and experience, i have the right to be a critic.
that is earned. and, i never apologize for being critical of crap.*
mel
*pc america says never, never be critical...be nice, you might hurt
someone's feelings. bs.
Criticism can be a double edged sword. As long is the criticism can be
learned from I am willing to listen but the minute it becomes a personal
attack or qualified by vague emotional impressions I don't want to hear
it. Why is the work crap? Give me details and something I can use so it
is better next time.
In our clay studio classes we have group critique at least twice in a
semester. We have a few ground rules. Everyone is expected to
participate. No personal attacks are allowed. We are expected to address
the strengths and weaknesses of the work in specific terms. How does the
work meet good design principles, and what can be improved. As a
student I appreciate this approach immensely.
I have experienced critiques in other classes that descend into personal
attacks or pet fests. The pet student's halo is stroked and others are
ground down. One critique a student painted huge canvases of breasts and
a vagina. The work was quick and not very impressive. The teacher gushed
over how "powerful" the piece was and said she could see it in a
gallery. Later the student laughed about how little time she had spent
on the project.
The next student's work was impressions from a mission trip to India.
While she was still struggling a bit with faces, the compositions and
content were well thought out and effective. The teacher didn't address
technique or composition, but said they made her feel uncomfortable and
asked the class who else felt uncomfortable by a show of hands. They
were dismissed from consideration because the content was implicitly
Christian. Whether the teacher agreed with her position or not, the
student deserved the opportunity to improve her skills at making art,
not be criticized for her point of view.
I like this part:
speak the truth, don't lie to your students
and always move them to higher ground...every day.
As long as the "speak the truth" part is about technique, skill, design
and how well content is expressed, not whether I agree with your point
of view.
Johanna
"A man is as free as he chooses to make himself,
never an atom freer."
The Raven, Lillith by George MacDonald
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