Assessment: What makes for the best arts criticism? A comparison between Noël Carol and Edith Wharton

Arts criticism is the verbal or written discourse about works and/or movements of fine art. To develop this criticism, one would need to evaluate the work of art, and then make a judgment call about it. But what exactly makes for great arts criticism? Surely an amateur freshman just starting out an arts criticism class can’t facilitate a discussion about a work of art to the same caliber as experts such as Noël Carrol and Edith Wharton. Despite living nearly a century apart, both provide similar insights on what arts criticism entails and should accomplish. However, because Carrol specifically outlines the operations of criticism, as well as the importance of making a value judgment, his perspective on arts criticism is a stronger and more educational perspective than Wharton’s.

Though criticism has taken on a negative connotation in the English language, and artists can fear or reject it, criticism is not inherently bad. In fact, both Wharton and Carrol claim that positive and negative (constructive) criticisms are beneficial to the artist and their audience. According to Wharton, artists use professional criticism to see how others may perceive their work. By obtaining that secondary viewpoint, the artist can use the critic’s educated analysis to improve a specific work or their art in general (Wharton, 42). In addition, a critic’s interpretation of a work of art is perfect for determining how off-centered their intended outcome for the work is, and what to refine in order to convey their message clearer in the next iteration or masterpiece. Regarding the audience, Carrol supports by asserting that, “The common reader expects guidance from the critic concerning what is worthy in an artwork” (Carrol 14). As oftentimes the audien...

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...l of criticism is not solely to patch flaws in the work, but rather to “illuminate that which is special about…the works or artists” (46-47). By keeping in mind the operations of criticism and determining what is valuable, using Carrol’s definition will bring about the best criticism.

Both Carrol and Wharton have comparable perceptions of arts criticism, showing their expertise in the field. They describe the importance of being an expert in the subject that you are criticizing, as well as why criticism is important for both the artist and their audience. However, Carrol goes the extra step of explaining what’s important in both evaluation and judgment of criticism, making his definition that much stronger over Wharton’s.

Works Cited

Carrol, Noël. On Criticism. New York: Routledge, 2009. Print.

Wharton, Edith. The Criticism of Fiction. London, 1914. 120-128. Print.