Seminar in 19th-Century Art: Criticism as Art

In "The Critic as Artist" (1891), Oscar Wilde argues that art is criticism, and criticism is art. This seminar explores the creative, theoretical, and historical value of art criticism through a range of writers - including painters, philosophers, anarchists, and poets - who shaped the practice in its modern form. By examining 18th, 19th, and early 20th c. European art criticism at its best, students gain historical perspective on the genre and discuss its importance to art history. Students also draft, workshop, and refine their own critical writing, which may address art of any geography or period.