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Have you ever wondered what was the message behind a certain artwork was? Even after staring at it for a long time, you still remain clueless, wondering why it was created that way, why such forms were used. And after coming up with some strange theory, you read the brief description of that piece and realized that you were totally wrong about the work.

Art critics gives an indepth description of artworks and helps the audience to understand them, giving them a headstart. Hence, when the audience looks at the artwork, they would be able to notice more details that they would normally miss out. They would also question why certain subject matter is used, looking deeper into the meaning of the work.

On the other hand, some might argue that art is freedom of expression and is limitless. Hence, how the viewers perceive an artwork is completely up to them. Having art critics implant an idea into the viewers minds, limits the exploration of the artwork. This is very true in abstraction as the forms are very free and undefined hence tapping on the viewer's ability to imagine and create an entire new interpretation of the artwork. Having an art critic explain the details to the viewers, narrows it down to one possible interpretation. This takes the fun out of viewing artworks and does not benefit viewers in any way. Viewers may also not be as curious as before.

To me, art is supposed to set minds thinking, to convey a message. And if the audience is unable to see the meaning behind an artwork, there is no point in making art for viewing purposes. Artists have an underlying message and art critics help the audience see it. With their views and interpretations about the work, the audience is able to better understand the work and have most of their questions answered. As art allows viewers to imagine and interpret works on their own, viewers may interpret the work differently, sometimes what they perceive it to be, is totally different from what the artwork really meant. Art critics help such incidents from happening and leading viewers on to the right track. Who ever said that you have to read what the art critic wrote in one shot? One way of viewing an art work could be skimming through the point of view of the art critic, then with a rough but not detailed idea in mind, re-look at the artwork and try to judge and question it again. Even though some parts may be different, but most of it should be similar to what the art critic felt. Most importantly, the general idea is there. Thus art critics do help viewers to perceive, interpret and judge art because they bring out the main idea of the works, highlighting the artist's concerns especially when they are not obvious.