Chapter nine summary

Arts writing has several questions a columnist must know the answers to to give justice to the critscism.

Who is the writer loyal to, the artist, his or herself, or the audience? Who is the writer writing for, insiders or everyday newspaper and magazine readers? And lastly, how can I be fair?

Loyalty in the art world is not always the cut and dry reader-first mentality.

Some editors demand that of their critics, such as Dennis Britten when he replaced his movie reviewers at the Denver Post.

Others, such as Harold C. Shonberg of the New York Times openly admit that they write for themselves.

Then there are those who write for the artist world. The chapter mentions Walter Kerr as a critic who was beloved by the theater world, and whose opinions greatly influenced the performances.

Art critics must determine what their editors want, and what will work best for them. If the have no readers, they are wasted space in and industry where space is money.

The second challenge is in the writing. A writer must know when to clarify his or her language to engage as large an audience as possible, and when to focus on the just the 10 percent of readers who really "get it."

Finally, the writer must determine his or her goal in criticism. The must know how to be fair by balancing their opinion on the art itself, avoiding cheap shots and most of all steering clear of manipulation by the art world itself.

Not everything the writer reviews will be to his or her personal tastes. So he or she must know if the readers hold their personal opinion in high regard or if they want an explanation of what they saw or heard. The writer must avoid being superficial in either case.

Last there is the arts world.  Every journalist faces influence by his or her beat, and arts is no different. Critics must avoid giving rave reviews just for early passes to a movie.