In Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students, James Elkins (The Object Stares Back), professor of art history, theory and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, paints a nasty picture of what goes on in art schools. Critiques of students' art are comparable to "psychodramas," with the usual result of the criticized artist breaking down into tears. The chapter "Teaching and Learning Mediocre Art" begins from a sour premise, that "most artists do not make interesting art." Art students and teachers might find a grim sort of gallows accuracy in this deadly portrait of their activities.
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"Instead of proposing drastic changes in the way that art is instructed, Elkins asks that schools and art departments try to understand what they are already doing… He advises students to use a chain of questions process to try to uncover the teachers' reasoning and unexamined assumptions… Whether you're an artist, a teacher, an administrator, or a student, I encourage you to explore your own questions through Why Art Cannot Be Taught."--Teaching Artist Journal
Book Description
In this smart survival guide for students and teachers -- the only book of its kind -- James Elkins examines the phenomenon of college-level art instruction, focusing particularly on the problematic practice of conducting critiques of student work
About the Author
James Elkins, a professor of art history, theory, and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is the author of The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing, What Painting Is, and many other books.
