A film critic can't just say 'good' — they build a case from the acting, the framing, the theme. Frameworks of critique are the structured lenses that turn a gut reaction into a reasoned argument about a work.
Criticism is reasoned judgment
Art criticism is not mere opinion; it is an argument that moves from careful description to interpretation to evaluation. Formalist critique attends to the work's internal elements — line, color, composition. Contextual critique reads the work through its historical, social, and biographical setting.
Strong criticism grounds every claim in what is actually there. 'The diagonal pulls the eye upward' is evidence; 'it's a masterpiece' without that grounding is assertion.
- You want to argue that a painting conveys unease.
- Decide whether to cite its jagged composition or the war it was painted during.
- Name which critical framework each appeal belongs to.
What you should see: Citing jagged composition is a formalist appeal; citing the wartime setting is a contextual one — the strongest critiques often combine both.