080035 UE Course: Writing Critically. From the Royal Academy to the Online Review (2024S)

Beginning with the lectures of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture from the 17th century, we work our way up to the present day to discuss questions such as: What is art criticism? Which approaches can be singled out? How has criticism evolved?
We will also examine how art criticism differs from both art historical writing and "art writing". In this methodological exercise, art criticism will be embedded historically and reflected theoretically. Last but not least, we will also put it into practice. In addition to conceptual and historical investigation, the aim is to experiment with critical writing about current creation. We will therefore regularly look at works of art together in order to sharpen our perception. When reading the texts, we aim to grasp the critics' self-image, goals and implicit assumptions in order to compare the writing with the artworks under review, whereby the lecturer's experience as an art critic (e.g. Artpress, Art Newspaper, Parnass, Spike, Texte zur Kunst, Brooklyn Rail) also comes into play.
Canonically, art criticism begins with Diderot's salon criticism (which features prominently in the exercise). But even the Académiciens of the French Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture did not hold back with criticism in their so-called "Conférences", with intensive debate even on Poussin. We will therefore begin with the texts of the Académie. Nominally, online criticism is the end point, because criticism on online platforms has gained a whole new relevance and popularity and raises the question of the authors and the role and forms of criticism in relation to interaction with their readers.

ATTENTION: On Monday, March 18, at 7 pm, Crit Cross. A Forum on Art Criticism will take place at Depot Wien . Please keep this date free and attend the event. We will talk about it in advance and on March 20. https://depot.or.at/programm/?search=crit+cross