In a recent poll of practicing art critics, 75 percent reported that rendering judgments on artworks was the least significant aspect of their job. This is a troubling statistic for philosopher and critic Noel Carroll, who argues that that the proper task of the critic is not simply to describe, or to uncover hidden meanings or agendas, but instead to determine what is of value in art. Carroll argues for a humanistic conception of criticism which focuses on what the artist has achieved by creating or performing the work. Whilst a good critic should not neglect to contextualize and offer interpretations of a work of art, he argues that too much recent criticism has ignored the fundamental role of the artist's intentions. Including examples from visual, performance and literary arts, and the work of contemporary critics, Carroll provides a charming, erudite and persuasive argument that evaluation of art is an indispensable part of the conversation of life.

Excerpt from Elements of Criticism, Vol. 1 After the utmolt efforts, we find it beyond Our power to conceive the avour ofa rofc to erdi in the mind: we are neceffarily led to conceive that pleafure as exilling in the nol'crils along With the imprefiion made by the rofo Upon that organ. And the fame will be the refult of ex periments with refpec't to every feeling of talie, touch, anddfmell. Touch affords the moft fatisfaetory Ccri ments. Were it not that the delufion is deteeted by phi lofophy, no perfon would hefitate to pronounce, that the pleafure arifing from touching a fmooth, foft, and velvet furface, has its exifience at the ends of the fingers, with. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."