Symbols -- things that represent something else
fine Art -- generally meaning paintings, sculptures, and architecture that are prized for their purely aesthetic qualities
applied art -- art forms that have primarily decorative rather than expressive or emotional purpose
The functions of art
entertainment
political and social commentary
therapy
artifact
Types of criticism
formal criticism -- analysis applying no external conditions or information.
Contextual criticism -- seeks meeting by examining related information outside the art work
structuralism -- derives by technology from structural with Dicks, which sees a text as a system of signs whose meaning is derived from the pattern of their interactions rather than from any external reference.
Deconstruction -- the process of deconstruction implies droning out all the threads of a work to identify its multitude of possible meanings
Making judgments
artisanship -- judging a works artisanship means judging how it is crafted or made
communication -- what is the artist trying to say? Does he or she succeed? Was the art work worth the effort?
