Review of an Art Exhibition

Your review should 3-5 pages (double spaced, approximately 1000 words)

Twice this semester you will write a review of an art exhibition or event. This may be an exhibition at a museum, gallery, or community arts space. You can also review performance art, plays, music, film, or dance. You must have your chosen topic approved by me in advance of turning in your review. One of your two reviews must be of museum exhibition.

The exhibit I’ve chosen is I Saw It: Francisco de Goya, Printmaker at the Norton Simon, Pasadena, you can open the link above to the page.

These reviews must familiarize the reader with the venue and the purpose of the exhibit/film, before delving into analysis and critique. Remember that the context in which the art works or event is exhibited is crucial to consider as you work to assess and describe your experience in your review. The art review is a short, pithy form of writing, so you will want to focus on two works of art or moments in a performance or
film. A good review offers both description and analysis that allows the reader to share the writer’s experience and point of view.
While the bulk of your analysis should be drawn from your visit, some research might be required to answer questions that arise while you visit or to better contextualize the
works on display or to better understand the artists or venue. Be ready to take lots of notes and make sure you collect all flyers and read all wall text in order to comprehend the full scope of the exhibition. You can also ask for more information from gallery

attendants, mention you are student and see what other resources they may be able to offer. You must cite all your sources using the MLA format.

These reviews are an opportunity for you to trust your own ears and eyes to form your opinions and shape your analysis. We will be working on visual analysis and analytical viewing practices in class and these reviews are opportunities to demonstrate these skills more formally. Your review should offer description, analysis, and evaluation.

In keeping with the themes of our course, consider how accessible the exhibit or event is to the public in terms of venue, themes, and tone. Who is the intended audience?
Does the film or exhibit have an explicit or implicit political dimension or other agenda? How does it deliver its message? What works of art might best convey what you perceive as the overall point of the event or exhibit? What is significant about this exhibition or film today?

Your reviews should be structured like an essay:

● Include an introduction where you set up the exhibition/film/performance to be reviewed. Identify the venue, set the scene, and most importantly state the goal of the exhibition/film/performance. What story does it intend to tell? And how does it go about achieving its goal? Your introduction should also indicate what your overall assessment of the exhibition/film/performance.
● Now that you’ve set the scene and indicated your position/opinion/assessment, get into the details. Explain the works of art or scenes from the film that struck you most. Be detailed. Assume your reader has not seen what you are writing about. Use your words to describe what you saw and experienced. How was your experience of the film impacted by the theater or other audience members? How did the works of art impact you?

● Pick 2 or 3 specific works/scenes/moments to go into great detail in order to show your reader how your formed your opinion and to convey the overall tone of the entire show/film/performance. If you are reviewing a film, do not summarize the whole film. Instead focus on particular visual/sonic/character details that you feel capture the essence of the film.
● The body of your review should be divided up into short topic-driven paragraphs.
Each paragraph should only cover a single issue or topic.
● Consider devoting full paragraphs to a single specific work of art/scene and its meaning/significance and its impact on you as a viewer. If you wish to quote the wall text or brochures as you write about the show, be sure to cite your sources. See handout on MLA format.
● Be sure to offer a conclusion, where you think about and summarize the big picture issues that the specific moments or works of art you focused on point to. Did the exhibition/film achieve its goal? Who might the intended audience be? Is there an explicit political dimension or agenda to the show/film? Is this exhibition/film particularly significant in 2024 How so?
● Include a works cited page if you use sources beyond the film or exhibition.
● On a separate page submit proof of your visit (a selfie at the venue) You must cite your sources
Citing Your Sources