Three Lenses of Critique: Gut, Hand, Eye
Use this guide to explore three distinct but interrelated ways of engaging with art during a critique. Each lens emphasizes a different mode of perception, understanding, and dialogue. Together, they form a complete, non-hierarchical approach to discussing art: grounded in experience, making, and awareness. Each lens informs and is informed by the others, often in ways we don’t consciously notice. Use this handout as a framework to begin engaging critically with art as you build your skills.
LENS 1: THE GUT
Exactly what it sounds like. From the gut. Paying particular attention to your instincts, emotions, and how the work affects you.
What to ask yourself:
What is your immediate reaction to this work?
What does it make you feel, without needing to explain or justify it?
How to use it:
Speak on instinct. Be honest, not analytical.
Trust your first impression—confusion, attraction, repulsion, excitement are all valid.
You don’t need to translate your feelings into meaning. Start by staying with them.
Share without interpretation: “I felt…” or “This reminds me of…” is enough.
Examples in critique:
“This piece makes me feel unsettled, but I don’t know why.”
“I was drawn to this right away—there’s an energy here.”
“The silence in this piece feels loud.”
Why it’s important:
Your emotion and intuition are valid responses to work.
Highlights how art moves us before we fully understand why.
Encourages openness, subjectivity, and empathy in critique.
LENS 2: THE HAND
How we examine the work through process, craft, and material engagement.
What to ask yourself:
How was this made, and how do those choices matter?
What do materials, tools, and methods tell us about intention?
How to use it:
Pay attention to techniques, repetition, gesture, labor.
Ask about the making journey: what was the impetus, what changed, what was discovered?
Be curious about what didn’t go as planned: sometimes those moments are the most revealing.
Look for evidence of decisions, accidents, revisions.
Examples in critique:
“It looks like you carved this by hand. Was that choice important?”
“How did your process evolve as you worked through this?”
“The contrast between polished and rough areas feels deliberate.”
Why it’s important:
Centers making as thinking. Process is a form of knowing.
Creates space for sharing struggle, change, and discovery.
LENS 3: THE EYE
Seeing the artwork through context, systems, and cultural meaning.
What to ask yourself:
Where does this piece fit into our larger community, society, and world?
What conversations, histories, or systems does it participate in or push against?
How to use it:
Start by connecting the work to larger social, political, or cultural frameworks.
Don’t get tied only to politics: context could relate to personal identity, historical reference, or even materiality.
Consider the audience: who is this for? Who might feel excluded?
Examine underlying values, references, and implications.
Examples in critique:
“This reminds me of protest signage… was that intentional?”
“There’s a reference here to gender. Can you speak to that?”
“What systems are being questioned here?”
Why it’s important:
Allows us to visualize how art is situated.
Encourages reflection and awareness.
Expands critique beyond aesthetics into real-world relevance.
Using the Lenses Together
You don’t need to use all three lenses every time, but layering them produces rich and surprising insights. Sometimes, a piece will invite one lens more than others. That’s fine. However, questioning and understanding a work through one lens will naturally open the door to the others. Be aware, and be receptive:
“This makes me feel (Gut)... because of how it was made (Hand)... and it shifts how I see it in context (Eye).”
You might see different things than someone else: that’s not a problem, it’s the point. Critique isn’t about being right. It’s about being with the work. These lenses help you be present to the work, to each other, and to the world we live in. These are tools, not rules. They are here to help us stay curious, honest, and connected.
How to Practice
Try this when you’re stuck, curious, or want to go deeper:
Choose any artwork; either your own or someone else’s.
Write or say 1–2 sentences from each lens:
Gut: What do you feel?
Hand: What do you notice about the making?
Eye: What does it connect to?
Compare notes with a friend. What did they notice that you didn’t?
Repeat. The more you practice, the more natural this will become.
