Criticism does not have a fixed meaning, a constant content, an undisputed aim. There are as many opinions about criticism as there are, well, critics. It is therefore better to define all forms of criticism by the position they take on a series of sliding scales. Each of the bars below represents a spectrum, where criticism positions itself between two opposing extremes.

The goal of criticism

What is the main aim of criticism?

The critic and his audience

What kind of relationship exists between criticism and its audience?

The critical tone

What different tones can criticism employ?

The critical format

What varying rhetoric strategies or stances can criticism choose between?

Art criticism and art

Where does the allegiance of art criticism lie?