Tales from the Soapbox

“For all criticism is based on that equation: KNOWLEDGE + TASTE = MEANINGFUL JUDGMENT.” – Daniel Mendelsohn, The New Yorker

“The art critic, however, formalizes and deliberately exemplifies the role of the spectator who realizes the artist’s work—not by leaving it just as it is, but by adding something to it, making a personal contribution.” – Barry Schwabsky, The Nation

“[Criticism] means making fine distinctions. It means talking about ideas, aesthetics, and morality as if these things matter (and they do).” – Dwight Garner, The New York Times

I chose these three quotes because although I think they make wildly different claims about the role of criticism, they are all equally interesting to me and equally forceful. Each critic writing is clearly up on his soapbox, writing this particular line so it drips with emphasis and conviction. The concentration of “keywords” waiting to be unpacked is through the roof – taste, meaning, judgment, spectator, aesthetics, morality – which makes these quotes feel like the diamonds in the unfolding rough of these essays. Mendelsohn even incorporates an all-caps font to drive his point home. Yet after they manage to distill the act of cultural criticism to its simplest possible “sound-bite,” it is clear they have arrived at different conclusions with different levels of effectiveness.

Only one of these critics mentions what I might have thought was the linchpin of criticism: judgment. Mendelsohn holds up “meaningful judgment” as the desired end result of his equation, while Garner only talks about “distinctions.” Distinctions are important to make, but there is less of a connotation of assigning value with distinctions. Schwabsky moves even farther away from suggesting value judgments by calling criticism a “personal contribution” to an artist’s work. I have to admit I chafe a little at this; I do not want to believe that negative critical reviews give critics any ownership over a work. Call me old fashioned, but I think that it’s possible to view the discourse around a work of art as existing alongside the work rather than “adding something to it” or altering it. Further, I think that the notion of giving a subjective “contribution” might be at odds with Schwabsky’s idea of the critic as representing the Audience Member with capital letters.

But enough beating on Schwabsky. No quote works harder towards distillation than Mendelsohn’s equation, and I was really taken with its simplicity at first. However, on further thought, something started to seem a little off about it. I realized the problem was in one of his “keywords”: taste. Taste is pretty hard to define, but for me taste is not separate from knowledge (as the equation might suggest). I would define taste as having the knowledge to either justify or overcome your base feelings about a work of art in order to decide whether or not it has merit. Taste is not only knowing what you like to consume in culture, but also knowing what work is valuable (another word with many meanings). This sounds a lot like criticism. Maybe replacing “knowledge” with “context” or “teaching” would make the equation make more sense to me.

At the end of the day, I think Garner’s distilled take on the role of criticism speaks to me the most. As the humanities seem increasingly undervalued next to STEM fields, it is just nice to hear the simple statement that the intangible things I like to think about are, in fact, important. (I can overlook my slight problem with judging the “morality” of art to preserve this feel-good moment.) Garner only has to zoom out a little from the detailed debate on criticism to point out the fundamentally important aspects of critical thinking to the broadest human experience. Something that is exciting to me about criticism is the commitment to making important, nuanced ideas clear to an audience outside the ivory tower. Garner manages to do this gracefully and make a powerful point: “Our critical faculties are what make us human.”

782 Comments

  • Carolyn Twersky commented on October 1, 2016 Reply

    I found this piece extremely interesting and well thought out, but I am very hung up on your critique of Schwabsky’s quote.

    When we, as observers, experience art, don’t we innately add something to it? Whether it is a memory that it reminds us of, or something that maybe the person next to us didn’t realize. I believe that art’s purpose is much more than being hung on a wall, it is to be discussed and it works to evoke emotions in the viewer. While the audience might not literally be “adding” a stroke of paint on the canvas, aren’t there discussion adding to the atmosphere of the piece?

    I would like to make the notion that every viewer of art adds something to the piece, though I am not sure if I can say that. I will, however, say that many viewers do, so by Schwabsky himself making a contribution through his criticism, I would say he is doing a very good job representing the Audience Member.

    It is something every interesting that I would love to discuss more in class. What makes an Audience Member (with capital letters)? And what constitutes as adding to art? Maybe we will have to read more of Schwabsky’s work and gain more “knowledge” to find out.

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    • Bussiness Sale commented on March 7, 2024 Reply

      This is a thought-provoking analysis that sparks an interesting discussion point regarding Schwabsky’s quote and the role of the audience in art appreciation.

      Your point about viewers inevitably adding something personal to their experience of art is valid. Memories, emotions, and discussions undoubtedly enrich the artistic experience and contribute to its dynamic nature.

      However, it’s important to consider Schwabsky’s perspective, which might not be denying the impact of audience engagement, but rather emphasizing the separateness of the artwork itself from the interpretations and discussions it inspires. The artwork exists as a distinct entity even before interpretation begins.

      This distinction raises intriguing questions, such as: what constitutes “adding” to the art itself as opposed to enriching our understanding of it? Where do we draw the line between the inherent qualities of the artwork and the interpretations we bring to it?

      The notion of an “Audience Member” with capital letters is also an interesting concept worth exploring further. Perhaps it could represent the collective experience and diverse interpretations that an artwork generates, rather than the individual contributions of each viewer.

      Overall, your insightful comment raises valuable points and prompts valuable questions that would be fascinating to explore further in class, potentially by delving deeper into Schwabsky’s work or other relevant readings. This kind of engaged discussion and analysis is crucial for reaching a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between art, the audience, and interpretation.

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  • annareishus commented on October 2, 2016 Reply

    When reading your piece I was reminded of a different quote from Daniel Mendelsohn: “The role of the critic is to mediate intelligently and stylishly between a work and its audience; to educate and edify in an engaging and, preferably, entertaining way.” I feel that you perfectly captured his definition of critique, especially by presenting your ideas in “an engaging and… entertaining way.” Your analysis was seamlessly interspersed with entertaining phrasal anecdotes that make your writing personal and a pleasure to read.

    Apart from that, I feel your careful breakdown of the syntax of each definition provides insight into each critic’s perspective that I wouldn’t have noticed from a more general discussion. I agree with your perspective regarding Schwabsky’s definition; the concept of a critic’s “personal contribution” to a work of art is perhaps inflating the critique’s influence. That’s not to say critique is less important than the art itself (though as an artist I probably forget that occasionally), but a critique of a work should not be considered part of the work.

    I thought your analysis into Mendelsohn’s equation regarding his use of taste also provided insight into the word’s implication. When reading Mendelsohn’s article I fell into the complacent and agreeable trap of letting my guard down. (It’s so easy to take fancy articles from, say, the New Yorker at face value and not stop to question their arguments). I appreciate your careful deconstruction of his equation, particularly the word “taste,” which to me is full of hierarchical implications. I think my definition of taste differs slightly from your own in that it does not seem synonymous with knowledge. To me, taste is preference and is independent of a work of art’s merit (as assigned by different parts of society. I think people can acknowledge something’s value and still not like it because of their specific taste. It’s the difference between what people like and what has “value” that gives the word taste so much baggage; those who enjoy fine arts and classical music—things that many would safely say have a history of value and merit—might say they “have taste” because they have the “right” taste. That is, their preferences align with subcategories of art that are generally revered. (However, the type of art that is revered is subjectively decided by class distinctions and power dynamics, but that’s another rant in itself.) I suppose because everyone has taste, then anyone can follow Mendelsohn’s equation. Upon further scrutiny, however, I can’t help but pause at Mendelsohn’s use of taste in his equation because it feels as though he is implying that a certain type of taste is necessary for a critique.

  • Michael Kramer commented on October 2, 2016 Reply

    Linnea —

    As the comments from Carolyn and Anna suggest, this is a provocative meditation on three different approaches to the role of the critic.

    I was left thinking about the intriguing term you use—”intangible”—to contrast criticism to the urge in STEM fields (and academic criticism sometimes too) to achieve a more positivistic “objective” ideal of knowledge. What’s intriguing to me is the question of tangibility and art: in some ways, perhaps as Carolyn is suggesting, art and our response to it is deeply visceral. Part of the critic’s job, and maybe what make some better than others at the “critic’s job of work” is that they get better at putting those visceral, dare I say intuitive and very tangible responses into effective (“stylish” as Mendelsohn puts it) words. And yet, there is something about art and our responses to it that is indeed intangible, subjective, more scattershot, and less formulaic. So this whole question of tangibility/intangibility seems like a rich one to keep exploring. Thanks for this thoughtful response.

    My one critique (!) would be that you try to go for it in certain moments: what is the problem with the concept of “taste” and why. You might hone in more on one of these keywords or terms and really dig into it to push your own discovery of what you make of criticism using the essays we read. — Prof. Kramer

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  • josephrosenbaum commented on October 3, 2016 Reply

    I very much agree with your assessment of Garner’s quote. I think perhaps the most important job of a critic is to teach. In AO Scott’s book, it is apparent that what he values most about his job is that it allows him to keep learning. I think Garner thinks in a similar vein. The discourse that critics initiate is what challenges the audience and the artists. This, in part, relates to portraying the nuanced ideas outside the ivory tower. But, I think that the beauty of criticism is that positively affects everyone (those in the ivory tower, outside, and the artists themselves.)

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