Write on Art
Review Category
A review is a way of sharing your critical thoughts about an artwork or how it has been displayed. Critical thoughts can be positive or negative reflections, or a mixture of both.
This category invites you to choose an artwork from Art UK’s website and do one of two things:
1. Review the artwork itself – look at the artwork in person or online and tell us what you think of it.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- Do you think the artist has achieved what they set out to do?
- How does the artwork make you feel?
- How successfully do you think the artwork explores its subject? Is there anything it has missed? Or has it brought a perspective to life in a powerful way?
2. Review how the artwork has been displayed – you will need to visit an artwork in person (it could be in a local museum, gallery or public space) and tell us what you think of how it has been presented.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What do you think of the label, sign or pamphlet that describes the artwork?
- What do you think of how the artwork is displayed? Do you think the frame it is in, the plinth it is on, or the space it is in, showcase it well?
- What do you think of the artwork/s that your chosen artwork has been placed beside? Do the artworks your artwork has been put amongst inspire you? Or do you think they do not go together?
Assessment Criteria
- Description: You will be assessed on how much consideration you have given to your artwork. Is it clear that you have spent a lot of time looking at it and reflected on different aspects of it? Have you included specific details that invite your reader to consider it too?
- Analysis: You will be assessed on the depth to which you explore and interpret your chosen artwork and/or its presentation. Have you built on the description in your writing and formulated arguments? Have you assessed your artwork and/or its presentation from a variety of perspectives?
- Engagement: You will be assessed on how enjoyable your writing is to read. Did you manage to keep your readers’ attention? Did you convince them of your argument?
Examples
An example of a real-world review that focuses in on a single artwork is Abike Ogunlokun’s review of the National Museum Cardiff’s Art of the Selfie exhibition on Art UK’s website. This review centres around Anya Paintsil’s Blod. Notice how Abike Ogunlokun combines her thoughts about the artwork itself and its place within the wider exhibition.
This is an example review by Esme Boggis responding to Gateway to Oliver Road by Alan Potter.
An Ode to Lea Valley
I’d walked down Oliver Road a couple of times before, a busy main thoroughfare, connecting Lea Bridge to main Leyton. I’d either be on my way to town to run some errands, or meeting a friend, too busy in my own thoughts to notice anything above eye level. I now stand facing the River Lea Medallions, cars racing behind me, greeted by the smell of flame-grilled meats from a takeaway below.
The two large mosaic sculptures sit high on two brown-bricked blocks of flats, separated by the adjoining Walnut Road. The height of them makes me need to bend my neck awkwardly to get a full view. One is more wheel-like, with spokes dividing the circle into twelve equal segments. The other, more like a giant ornate broach. There are gaps in each sculpture, exposing the brickwork behind, perhaps to signify a merging of the past and present, a visual transparency that the time the mosaics mark has passed by. There is no wall-text or written explanation, nor sadly a credit for the craftsmanship.
The wheel-like medallion is an ode to the area's industrial past. ‘SOME OF THE GOODS MADE IN RIVER LEA WATERMILLS’ is punctuated in black against white along the bottom of the wheel. The sun is depicted in the centre, fire-like flames fanning outwards, with more text – ‘RIVER LEA WATERMILLS’ and the dates 1066 and 1854. Within each segment, are goods made in the area – a golden candlestick, brown leather bag, a loaf of bread, one slice hanging off the end by a crumb. Six fish weave between the iron spokes, some immersed in stand-alone waves (which at first, I mistook for more fish), some dancing in the air above the sun. The intricacy of these details, and how long it must have taken to create, gives a strong sense of pride for the area and the river it runs along. Precision requires time, and time is care.
I look across at the other medallion and a man walks past, looks at me with a confused expression, and then up. My gaze apparently guiding others to the sculptures. I'm struck by the great tree in the middle first, abundant with sage-green leaves. Its visible roots are an elegant tangle. A proud-looking cow and suspicious warthog stand either side of the tree, looking away from each other, with a crowing cockerel perching on the hog's back. A growling fox chases a hare, cautiously looking behind to check its predator's distance. ‘HERE WAS ONCE THE GREAT FOREST OF ESSEX’ – again, harking back to what once was. Swallows are present too, black on white and baby blue, whispers of their tails darting through the tiled sky. The colours of this medallion are more muted, making it feel less of a celebration and more nostalgic. The cars continue to race past behind me. I’d like to be in that forest right now, drinking in the peaceful silence and fresh air.
These public works of art are created to remember, to act as emblems of the past. They are an invitation for a community to look back on what once was, yet their placement, so far from the eyeline of passersby, means they are somewhat hidden. I imagine being able to reach up and pull them down, wondering what other details I’d be able to see. Placed next to each other, there’s an interesting dialogue and tension between them – one is of nature, earthy, rooted in melancholic pastimes, the other is of industry, ingenuity and change, the wheel always spinning forward.