Evaluating Art Throughout The Ages Essay

Throughout the history of art, evaluation of artistic works has continued even long after the artist’s lifetime. This is because the proper evaluation of any work of art involves an understanding of its cultural and historical context, its philosophy and the message the artist tries to convey. Although beauty (aesthetics) used to be an important component of art evaluation, post-modern and abstract art have delegated it to obscurity. (Schaeffer) Below are some criteria relevant to evaluating art from any period of history : 1. Technical quality and brilliance : These consist of form (structure and expression), contrast (separation of object from background in many instances), texture, colour display or the use of lines (in line art), composition of various objects in the artwork and quality of craftsmanship. 2. Artistic integrity and vision : Artists should remain true to their worldview and to themselves. This means not only uniqueness and originality, but also remaining committed to the ideal and style he is trying to depict. 3. Philosophy and world view : This is often referred to the work’s hidden meaning, and the values it represents. E. g. in prehistoric cave art, the world view would often be related to the day-to-day wish fulfilment of bountiful hunting. Salvador Dali’s artistic philosophy was based on surrealism ( attached picture ), which often had a dream-like quality. 4. Relation to the artist’s life’s work, its genre and period in history : Many of these qualities cannot be completely evaluated during the artist’s life time, and may require significant periods of time after its completion. In many cases it is never complete e. g. masterpieces like the Mona Lisa continue to be evaluated, centuries after it was finished. Reference : Schaeffer Francis (1978). Art and the Bible. Figure. Salvador Dali’s ‘Dream of a Virgin’ depicts his surrealistic philosophy, and a dream state.