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One of my goals this year is to be more intentional about critiquing artwork with my students- analyzing artwork for its successes and identifying areas that could be improved. We often share our work with each other in class, but it often stops there- with just sharing. A true critique needs participation from the viewer, and is a much deeper and purposeful way of looking at art. A well-done critique benefits both the artist and the viewer. First we talked about WHY we critique artwork in the first place. I shared this video- the story of Austin's butterfly and how the critique process shaped his success. It's a GREAT example of having a growth mindset. It's only a few minutes long- it's really worth watching! Today's activity was a small step in the right direction. I introduced a critique method called "Two Stars and a Wish." The viewer makes two positive comments about something he finds successful about the work (these are the "stars") and then one suggestion for improvement (a "wish" to see something changed.) Instead of critiquing classmates' artwork, I decided to have students critique works by master artists. One reason is that I want to show students that no matter how "good" a work is, there is always something that could be questioned. Chances are good that the artist made that decision on purpose and considers it successful, but the viewer has the right to have a different opinion. For example- one of the works we looked at as a class was one of Picasso's cubist portraits- where the eyes are both on the same side and the nose is off to the other side. One of the "wish" comments was "I wish he hadn't made the eyes crooked." I explained to students that even though Picasso structured the face that way intentionally, and that painting in that style made him famous, that we as the viewers are allowed to not like it. I wanted students to realize that liking or not liking a work of art is a choice each of us makes- our opinions aren't right or wrong. The second reason we began with critiques of master works rather than students' own works is that it's much less intimidating for them! If they can learn to make honest and thoughtful comments about a work they don't have an emotional connection to, then I'm hoping it will make it easier to share truthful opinions about friends' artworks and to hear comments about their own works. Students chose an artwork, wrote 2 stars and a wish, then shared their comments with a partner. "I like the big 5. I like the details of the picture. I wish the picture had more color." "I like how the leaves have designs. I like how the red leaf is crooked. I wish it had more color." "The skull looks realistic. The skull is broken. (I wish) the background was changed to the sky." "They put good details. They did good work. I wish they had put more color in the faces." "I love that she put that fan there. I love the necklace that she has on her neck. I wish I knew her." "The flowers are colorful. The door is colorful. The sunset is colorful. I wish it wasn't creepy." ![]() "I like how he is smoothing it out. (the hat) I like how he drew the moon. I like how he looks at himself. I wish he didn't put a freckle." ![]() "I like the girl's hair.
The mom's dress is so pretty. I wish the dress were pink."
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