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Review an artwork exhibit like an expert with this handy guide
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Art exhibition reviews provide a description and critical analysis of an art exhibit. This helps visitors know what to expect from the exhibit and gives feedback to the artist. To write an effective art exhibition review, visit the exhibit, take detailed notes, and talk to the artist, a docent, or a curator, if possible. Then, discuss your observations and opinions in your review and revise your work before finalizing it.
Things You Should Know
- Provide the who, what, where, when, and why of the exhibit in your introduction to paint a clear picture for the reader.
- Give a detailed description of the exhibit, including how each piece is displayed, so readers can know what to expect.
- Take a critical look at the exhibit and offer your opinions on the exhibit. Mention if it was successful in portraying its core themes and ideas.
Steps
Section 1 of 3:
How to Draft Your Review
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Answer the who, what, where, when, and why. This will provide your reader with a general overview of the exhibit and where they can find it. Tell the reader who the artist is, what style of art they make, where the exhibit is, when it takes place, and why people might be interested in the show. Include this information in your paper’s introduction. [1] X Research source
- Write, “Agatha Tompkin’s The Friends You Have opened at the Contemporary Art Center on Friday, August 23rd and runs through November 1st. Her watercolors and mixed media works explore modern relationships and how communities differ.”
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Describe the exhibit so visitors know what to expect from it. Discuss the physical specifications of the art, the form, and its content. Additionally, explain how the artwork is installed in the gallery, such as how it’s hung or displayed. Then, specify how visitors can interact with the work. [2] X Research source
- You might say, “Tompkin’s watercolors are grouped on two adjacent walls in simple 11 by 14 in (28 by 36 cm) black frames. Hanging on the opposite walls, her mixed-media work consists of 5 by 7 ft (1.5 by 2.1 m) canvases that are arranged in a line. Visitors can walk alongside the artwork for a visual experience.”
Tip: While many artworks are meant to be viewed, there are other ways to interact with art. Sometimes art is meant to be listened to, and you may be immersed in an installation. Think about how you’re interacting with the artwork in this exhibit.
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Present a critical analysis of the exhibit and its thesis. Discuss your opinions about the exhibit and how well the artist presented their ideas and themes. Explain whether or not the exhibit provides new interpretations or fails to realize its goal. Support your analysis with facts or observations from the exhibit. [3] X Research source
- Explain the artist’s stated thesis and how well they expressed it in their exhibit.
- Identify parts of the exhibit that worked well. If there were works that didn’t support the main idea, explain how the artist could have better incorporated them.
- Consider how this exhibit relates to art history as a whole. Where would it fit in? How does this art compare to existing works? How does it express common themes?
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Discuss the challenges the curator may have faced during installation. You may be able to omit this information if the exhibit was easy to hang. However, an exhibit that has large pieces, moving parts, or a wall installation may be hard to hang. Consider what the curator had to do to install the exhibit and how it may have differed from past shows. Then, explain these challenges in your review.
- For instance, a curator may not face any unique challenges while hanging framed oil paintings on a wall. However, they might struggle with installing a sculpture that hangs from the ceiling or an installation that has moving parts.
- You might write, “While the framed watercolors were easy to hang on the exhibit walls, the curators struggled to install the single mixed-media sculpture that Tompkins created from found objects. The sculpture is designed to look like it’s floating between the ceiling and the floor, so it must be hung using thin wires.”
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Section 2 of 3:
How to Revise Your Review
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Follow the formatting instructions for your assignment. Use the formatting instructions provided by your instructor or publisher. This might include using standard 1 in (2.5 cm) margins, double-spacing, and 12-pt Times New Roman or Arial font. However, check your assignment sheet to make sure.
- If this is for class, your instructor likely told you which style guide to use. Format your paper and any citations that you use according to the rules for that style guide.
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Ask a fellow art student or critic to give you feedback on your work. Give your review to someone who has experience in writing art exhibition reviews so you can get feedback. Ask them to identify areas that need improvement, as well as errors that need to be corrected. Use their feedback to revise your paper. [4] X Research source
- Don’t ask someone who’s unfamiliar with art exhibition reviews to critique your paper because they may unintentionally give you bad advice.
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Revise your review if changes are necessary. After you get feedback, go through your paper and improve areas that aren’t working well. Address areas that the reviewer pointed out, but also revise sentences that you think could be better stated. [5] X Research source
- Reading your review aloud will help you spot areas that don’t flow well. Re-write these sentences to make them better.
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Proofread your review before submitting it. After you complete your final draft, read over it again to make sure there are no typos or other errors. Read it out loud to make it easier to notice mistakes. Then, correct your paper if necessary. [6] X Research source
- Try to get someone else to proofread it for you because it’s hard to spot your own errors.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you analyze artwork?Kelly Medford is an American painter based in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and printmaking both in the U.S. and in Italy. She works primarily en plein air on the streets of Rome, and also travels for private international collectors on commission. She founded Sketching Rome Tours in 2012 where she teaches sketchbook journaling to visitors of Rome. Kelly is a graduate of the Florence Academy of Art.Look at each art piece with an open mind. When you’re critiquing someone’s piece remember that every artist is an artist and just because you wouldn’t have made it that way, doesn’t mean the art is any less valid or important. Look at all the art with an open mind and then think about your initial reaction. Is it a visceral reaction? What does the art remind you of or what do you think it’s communicating? Identify what rhythms are happening and let yourself enter into the world of the art with no preconceptions.
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QuestionWhen critiquing, what are some things I can write about?Community AnswerYou can write about what you saw, a theme expressed throughout the exhibit, and anything that stood out. You can mention if you spoke with any of the artists, and how the exhibit made you feel.
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QuestionIs there any way to make the article long without putting in unneeded details?Community AnswerIf you stick to the major components of a review such as description, background and a critique of the work you should have plenty to write about. If you need more to write about you can include more relevant background on the artist, their time period, You can also look more through other people's reviews of the work, if available, and see what sorts of information they include. As long as you cover whatever the requirements are, you should have plenty of length to your review.
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Tips
- Read art exhibition reviews written by professional critics to help you understand the typical format. [14] X Research sourceThanks
- Always have materials ready for taking notes or recording conversations.Thanks
- Don't overuse superlatives. If you fall into the trap of calling every artwork you see "breathtaking," "magnificent" or "flawless," you'll soon come off as an uninformed critic. Likewise, calling everything you dislike "appalling," "disgusting," or "terrible" will undermine your ideas.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
- ↑ https://ualr.edu/art/art-history-resources/papers-and-projects/guidelines-for-analysis-of-art/
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
- ↑ https://ualr.edu/art/art-history-resources/papers-and-projects/guidelines-for-analysis-of-art/
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
- ↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
- ↑ http://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/obriene/art112/Readings/Writing_a_Review_of_an_Exhibition.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ocadu.ca/Assets/content/teaching-learning/WLC/Online+Resources/Writing+Art+Reviews.pdf
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
- ↑ http://arthistoryteachingresources.org/2017/09/museums-writing-exhibition-reviews/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To write an art exhibition review, start with an introductory paragraph that introduces a thesis about the exhibit. Then, break the body of your review up into individual sections that each focus on specific artwork in the exhibition. In each section, make sure you include descriptions of the art, your analysis and interpretation of the artwork, a consideration of the space it was displayed in, and finally your evaluation. To conclude your review, write a conclusion that ties together your main points and summarizes your review. To learn how to analyze and critique an art exhibit, scroll down!
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