Lucidforge Talks: The Critic

Written by Sebastian Frye Tuesday, 03 July 2007 10:15

Jillian Toman

About my role as an Art Critic: It's all retrospective. I think it is crucial as an Art critic to equally consider the emotional and intellectual experience of Art. I do not believe that the role of an Art critic is to judge. I believe that the role of an Art critic is to convey a perspective of their process of interpretation.

Sebastian Frye

What a critic really analyzes is the level of artistry in the artists, musicians, actors, directors, authors, etc. so that the culture at large can extract the poisonous residue which attaches itself to society after too much exposure to mediocrity. That sounds long-winded, but really it can be simplified into: the critic shows us what's good, what's bad, and why. Why is this important? Well, it's an ages old institution, probably started during the first Greek dramas and made relevant in Plato's philosophy of forms, which is now an indispensable part of our culture and our cultural digestion. We cannot separate our love for certain music, or films, or art, or anything, away from the critical voice surrounding it. Being critical and raising questions enriches our lives and makes us more than just apes. Though, a far more interesting question seems to me, to be: what would we do without the critic?

Brett Holmes

A critic in today’s society seems to be everyone these days. A friend of mine told me while most people are quick to give an opinion, most people’s opinions are like armpits, they stink.

Every person has an opinion, but what makes a person a “good critic”? Every person has eyes, ears and a mouth; similarly everyone owns a hammer. You may possess the tools, but do you know how to use them? Why is it that Ebert’s criticism of films has lasted? In my opinion a good critic is an individual who not only possesses the tools for a proper analysis, but is able to reach the essence of a project. Establishing one’s motivational elements of success or failure lead you to fundamentally understand the seeds within a work of Art. Seeds grow, and so can good ideas like bad ideas. Let’s sow constructive criticism.