Art Critique

Materials: Art print or piece of art (sculpture, vessel, mobile, etc.), 1 pencil and 1-3 post-it’s per student

Procedure:
1. Look at a piece of art, modeling with the whole group.
2. See what elements are dominant in the piece: geometric/organic shapes, color, line, positive/negative space, texture, color values (tint/shade), and form/mass.
3. Comment on the interaction of these elements at a concrete, holistic and personal level.
4. See what principles are used in the piece: contrast, emphasis, symmetrical/asymmetrical balance, pattern, rhythm, movement, and unity.
5. Comment on the interaction of these principles at a concrete, holistic and personal level.
6. Teacher models first, then students participate following steps 1-5. This activity can be performed in pairs, small groups, or with the entire class.
7. A good motivator is to give students a post-it so they may write the name of an element, principle or color they see in an art piece. They stick the post-it where they observe the element, principle or color.