Art criticism

So there are lots of factors we can consider when trying to figure out an artwork's value.

But who ultimately gets to decide what art is worth? Well, there's a whole area of analysis called art criticism, where individuals with art expertise interpret a work and make judgments about it.

The rise of European art criticism in the 18th century had a major influence on how art history would come to be viewed and taught for hundreds of years.

Critics of the time, like Denis Diderot, and Etienne Laffont de Saint-Yen, thought art should have moral or philosophical messages.

And they made judgments based on those standards.