The Value of Human-Created Critical Writing

artwork by Masha Luch

There is no secret Titan Contemporary Publishing frowns upon any attempts to apply artificial intelligence to writing and the visual arts. In regard to writing, particularly critical writing, we will try to explain the deep and impactful human-connection created when a writer studies and interprets works of art by a notable artist. Anyone who is a genuine critical writer with extensive experience knows there is absolutely no way to truly build connection to the artist and their art by feeding a few command prompts into a machine to regurgitate texts. Many of you may not be aware, but frauds who call themselves critical writers will literally pull off an artist’s statement, biography, and CV from their website (or materials sent to them), feed the contents to Chat GPS, and then presto, a bullshit work of writing becomes produced. Even a monkey could do this. Let’s call the practice of producing any type of writing with the guidance of a machine for what should be described as: BULLSHIT. 

artwork by Noelle Salaun

Bullshit here, bullshit there, bullshit everywhere. Has anyone been on the social media network LinkedIn lately? If you have, then you have probably been flooded by slop posts by tech-bros and tech-sisters. Posts extensively lecturing you on why you must embrace artificial intelligence in every aspect of your life against your will. But back to critical writing, not many artists have had the encounter of having an experienced human writer write an extensive critical essay on their art. Don’t be mistaken, there are real writers who call themselves critical writers but do not actually interpret the art with their senses and a unique perspective, they instead regurgitate academic talking points which read more like a history lecture rather than a genuine interpretative analysis. The value of well-written and thoughtful critical writing tends to be more rare than one may imagine to exist. 

artwork by Tzion Lawrence

The finest critical art writers throughout recent history usually tended to also be philosophers, rather than historians, such as George Dickie and Clement Greenberg. Dickie had an extensive background in philosophy while Greenberg practiced writing in theatre and literature before turning his attention to art. George Dickie believed the institution determines what is art because of documentation. If art does not become documented then does the work even exist if not safeguarded to stand the test of time? Titan Contemporary Publishing is an institution, the publisher writes and records critical writing in multiple formats for safekeeping towards future generations. Any venue or collective which documents art can be regarded as an institution. Clement Greenberg’s signature essay of Avant-Garde and Kitsch can be described as one of the greatest critical and philosophical essays ever written. To this very day, much of the upper-echelons of the blue-chip galleries direct their exhibitions and selection of artists based on the ideas outlined in the essay. What is regarded for the masses and what becomes derived for the artistically-inclined elite shapes every aspect of mature contemporary art discourse at every institutional level because of Greenberg’s essay. 

artwork by Kalmus Krocil

Competent critical writing on art cannot be executed by a machine because a sense of intuitive spirit becomes required to analyze relationships between different elements contained within the art as well as the unique attributes of the artist. Critical writing has sometimes been described as the most difficult form of writing because of the amount of great interpretative detail required within the texts. Good critical writing has little room for fillers, otherwise the work reads like a droning-on lecture of generality rather than specific interpretative observation. Another reason critical writing has been described as one of the most hardening forms of writing is because art history courses are sometimes described as one of the most challenging undertakings to endure in academia. Even science and medical students are known to fail art history courses because the subject requires good writing skills but also an analytical perspective based on immense artistic creativity to bridge connections for analysis.

artwork by Melonie Mulkey

Being a critical writer is a lot like being a detective. The writer investigates the art for clues as to the portfolio's greater purpose and meaning. Every work of art has elements and characteristics which lead to a grander narrative or concept, either directly or indirectly. Sometimes these 'clues' are obvious while other times the writer must conduct research into the artist's history, techniques, and statements in order to come towards a conclusion. Like a crime scene, the writer pieces together all the clues so to be directed to a suspect or multiple suspects. The 'suspect(s)' would be to break the illusory mystery of the art in order to bring about several determinations as to the communicative directive intended or unintended by the artist.

artwork by Chris Horner

Excellent critical writing in art has little room for fillers, extensive dialogue with the viewer, or behave as a long-winded academic exercise, rather, the practice requires the writer to note many observations and build upon them into a chain of references to the artist’s line of contemplation, their subject, background, circumstances, sociological and historical context. However, the writer must turn such information into poetic language which beautifully ties the art to a deeper sense of purpose and metaphor. Because if the writer cannot explain in detail the unique qualities of the art, then they have failed to convince the reader the work has deeper purpose beyond their initial impressions.