Objectives

The role of evaluation is discussed in terms of questions: What makes a work of art worthwhile? Is it visually interesting? Is it moving? Is it skillfully done? Which criteria are relevant to judging art, and who is qualified to make such judgments?

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define and discuss the role of evaluation in art.
• Understand how subjectivity affects our response to the visual arts.
• Discuss how cultural and historic perspectives affect our response to art.
• Discuss the role of the critic.
• Discuss the role of the museum.