Barrett Chapter 2

Number 1:

• Description: Description is the process of noticing fine details about a photo and sharing your opinion with others. To describe the photo is to list all the visual elements that stand out to you.
• Subject Matter vs. Subject: When describing subject matter, one is pointing out what is the main focus of the photograph. However, the subject is a term that is more descriptive of finding the meaning or significance behind a photo.
• Form: Form is the way the viewer sees the subject matter. Some elements of form described in the reading would be color, texture, and light.
• Medium: Medium is a term used to describe what kind of materials were used to make a certain piece of art. Mediums can range from technological to physical, including painting, drawing, digital graphics, and photography. 
• Style: Style is the cohesive element that can be seen throughout all the work of one artist. When looking overall at someone's body of work, to identify their style would be to pick out their most commonly used medium or subject matter.

Number 2: 

• Comparing and Contrasting: Barrett describes comparing and contrasting as a way of critically analyzing an artists work by visually pointing out similar and dissimilar aspects in their previous work. It's a good way to help an artist improve in the future.
• Internal and External Sources of Information: To include external sources of information is to make a statement about the relevancy of the work in tandem with other artists work and the criticisms of such.

Number 3: 

• Description and Interpretation: Barrett describes how description and interpretation may go hand in hand, but are not the same thing. While describing visual elements of the work, it is almost impossible not to input your own opinion or thoughts on deciphering what the details mean all put together in the context of the whole photograph. Interpretation is more along the lines with the feeling or emotion you get from the work.
• Description and Evaluation: In the reading, Barrett says that descriptions are rarely "value-free." This means that in a critic's description of a work, it will often be riddled with small indicators that tell you how the critic actually feels about the work. To evaluate the work is to discuss the influence it has, both on you and all viewers. 

Number 4: 

• One of my favorite other points that Barrett made in the reading was towards the end when he said that it's very important for viewers of art to read or engage in descriptions of the work, because people "tend to look through photos as if they were windows rather than pictures." I thought this was such an interesting concept because I feel like maybe that's not always a bad thing: for someone to interact with a photo as if it was a portal into the world they're looking at, then maybe it says something about the level of intimacy in the photograph. Another thing that Barrett said that stood out to me was there is only so much that a critic can discuss while talking about medium, form, style, etc. and I didn't realize how important external sources of information could be while critiquing an artists' work. And thirdly, I enjoyed when discussing style that Barrett brings up that style is not just the aethstetic or feeling of your work, but it also has to do with the mediums and forms that you shoot.
• I learned that description is one of the most important parts of critiquing artwork. That you cannot just base your critique on your interpretation or evaluation, but that it's important to take in the technical elements and observe the photograph as a whole.
• I enjoyed this material. Having some experience in photography I definitely knew a lot of these words and definitions before, but it's always good to have a refresher from a new voice. I like the way Barrett explains things and uses examples to show what he means. This was very informational and I feel like I learned a lot.