| Key to Art History |
Critical Thinking Intro
Few things in our culture inspire as much controversy as the visual arts. Artists have been seen as heroes, condemned as frauds, praised as geniuses and attacked as degenerates. Artists have allied themselves with revolutionary movements and totalitarian dictators. They have manipulated and been manipulated by critics.
Art is about our emotional and aesthetic life and, as a consequence, provides a rich environment for opinion, both informed and uniformed. Even the most educated of analysts can and do disagree. Most of the most progressive movements of the late 19th and early twentieth century were condemned by the art establishment of their time. No less an artistic icon than James McNeil Whistler was accused of "flinging a pot of paint in the face of the public" by the English critic John Ruskin.
Pablo Picasso, whose life paralleled much of modern art, did not consider himself as being in the same category as the "great artists of the past", such as Valazquez and Goya. He said that he had taken advantage of the "cupidity" of the public.
Nothing is healthier for art than a lively discussion of the relative value of artists and their work. Today we are inundated with images from every angle: Movies, television, magazines, newspapers and every form of advertising. Some rise to level of inspiration, some merely poison the visual landscape.
How do we sort it all out? How do we develop discriminating sensibilities? How do we avoid being buried in an avalanche of mediocrity and commercial exploitation?
The "critical thinking" questions contained in this section seek to present differing or controversial opinions regarding art, artists, the content of their work and, in some cases, their methods. There is no one right answer to these questions. Students should evaluate the questions and offer reasonable conclusions to support their views.
