Art is a language, a form of creative expression. When you create a piece of art, you're essentially starting a conversation. You invite others to join the conversation as soon as you share your work.

Art criticism is an important facet in the process of creating, sharing, and understanding art. What makes art so important is its ability to evoke a variety of responses and emotions.

Sometimes the artist’s intent and a viewer’s perception of a work of art do not match or align. But these are the instances in which internal and external dialogue begin.

Art criticism is the practice of presenting questions and perspectives on a work, and by result, encouraging discussion. In many ways critique is crucial for artistic development. Don’t fear it, instead embrace what it can do for you.

The function of a critic is to elucidate works of art.

This function he/she performs through, “comparison and analysis”. The function of a critic is not to interpret, for interpretation is something subjective and impressionistic.

A proficient critic delivers his critique with erudition, is entirely impersonal and objective, and is not guided by the inner voice, but rather by some authority outside himself/herself.

How to survive an art critique? Remain open minded and try not to be on the defense. It can be difficult to hear people pick apart your work.

Remember to listen to reactions and opinions. They can help you further develop the piece and make it more successful.

From the responses you get, pick and choose which appeal to you and make any alterations to those suggestions as they apply to your vision, work and process.

When we critique the work of others, we not only offer helpful suggestions but we also learn to find things that can be applied to our own work. We see how other artists solve problems and if their solutions are better than our own, we can borrow them. As a result, we all grow.