When you're looking at a painting critically with a view to giving a critique to the artist and, equally,

when you're critiquing your own paintings, here are some of the things you ought to consider:

• Size: Remember to take a look at the actual size of the painting and try to visualize it that big rather
than the size of the photo on your computer screen.

• Shape: Does the shape of the canvas (landscape or portrait) suit the subject matter? For example, a
very long and thin canvas can add to the drama of a landscape.

• Artist's Statement: Has the artist achieve their stated aim? Do you agree with their statement or
interpretation of their painting, remembering that what the artist intends and what the viewer sees
aren't always the same thing?

• The title of the Painting: What is the title of the painting? What does it tell you about the painting and
how does it guide your interpretation? Think about how you might have interpreted the painting if it
had been called something else.

• Subject Matter: What is the painting of?

Is it unusual, unexpected, controversial or intriguing? Does it lend itself to comparison to work by a

famous painter? Do you understand the symbolism in the painting?

• Emotional Response: Does the painting generate an emotional reaction in you? What is the overall
mood of the painting, and is this suitable for the subject?

• Composition: How have the elements of the painting been placed? Does your eye flow across the
whole painting or does one element selfishly dominate? Is the main focus of the painting slap-bang in
the center of the painting (both vertically and horizontally), or off to one side? Is there anything that
draws your eye into or across the painting? Also, consider whether it's been slavishly copied from reality
or from a photograph rather than thought put into which elements were included?

• Skill: What level of technical skill does the artist display, making allowance for someone who's just
starting out and someone who's an experienced artist? A beginner may not have been technically skillful
in every element of their painting, but there's usually some aspect that's worth highlighting for the way
it was dealt with and the potential it demonstrates.
• Medium: What was used to create the painting? What has the artist done with the possibilities
presented by their choice of medium?

• Color: Has color been used realistically or used to convey emotion? Are the colors warm or cool and do
they suit the subject? Has a restricted or monochrome palette been used? Have complementary colors
been used in the shadows and are there reflected colors (colors 'bouncing' from one object onto
another)?

• Texture: It's extremely hard to see texture of a painting on a web page, but it's something that should
be considered when looking at a painting in "real life".