The hottest Art Criticism Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Art & Illustration Topics

Inherent Vice is PT Anderson's Best Film

Freddie deBoer • 4826 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Art Criticism
  1. Inherent Vice is Paul Thomas Anderson’s best film because its loose, comedic, and shaggy style hides a deep, humane sadness and a standout Joaquin Phoenix performance.
  2. When great directors let go of solemn gravitas and embrace messy, undignified comedy they can reach truer, more compassionate work, as seen in Inherent Vice and Raising Arizona.
  3. The film uses noir’s foggy, unresolved plotting to show emotional truths about loss, the end of the 1960s counterculture, and people who keep trying to care even when the world won’t reciprocate.

Why Is the Tesla Cybertruck So Depressingly Ugly?

The Honest Broker • 30021 implied HN points • 09 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Art Criticism
  1. The design of the Tesla Cybertruck is seen as ugly and intimidating, making it resemble a military vehicle rather than a car. This choice of design seems to prioritize power over aesthetic beauty.
  2. Many modern designs, including the Cybertruck, lack the nuances and curves that characterize beautiful art and architecture. Instead, they often appear harsh and cold, making them feel less welcoming.
  3. The trend towards ugly and aggressive designs reflects a cultural shift towards asserting power and dominance in society, which affects creativity and art negatively.

AI Art Turing Test

Astral Codex Ten • 10048 implied HN points • 14 Oct 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. There's an AI Art Turing Test happening, which is a fun way to see if you can tell the difference between AI-generated art and human-made art.
  2. Participants can take part by filling out a form, which takes about twenty minutes, and the results will be shared the following week.
  3. Don't peek at the comments until you're done with the test, as they might give away answers.

cultural consent and experiential inversion

bad cattitude • 268 implied HN points • 20 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Art Criticism
  1. Some younger artists politicize culture and push for institutional enforcement of acceptance, turning what used to be optional into compulsory norms.
  2. That approach makes them feel like the new establishment instead of rebels, so older generations see them as coercive and undeserving of automatic respect.
  3. The older cultural norm valued voluntary, boundary-pushing expression where people could join or walk away; the current scene is seen as performative, risk-free, and stifling.

Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees

Austin Kleon • 2078 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. Robert Irwin was an artist who focused on creating experiences rather than traditional paintings. He wanted people to think about how they perceive the world.
  2. Lawrence Weschler wrote a book about Irwin called 'Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees'. It dives into Irwin's ideas and art philosophy.
  3. David Hockney and Robert Irwin had different views on art, but their conversation through Weschler's writing shows how meaningful discussions can happen even without direct contact.
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Another clueless person attempts to defend generative AI "art"

Top Carbon Chauvinist • 19 implied HN points • 08 Sep 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. Generative AI art lacks true artistic intent because it does not involve a person making conscious creative decisions.
  2. Many famous art movements involved randomness, but they still required an artist's direction and vision.
  3. Using AI to create art can lead to results that are very different from what the person intended, making it hard to consider those results as true art.

Imitation Games

Counter Craft • 542 implied HN points • 22 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. AI art can imitate famous styles, but it often lacks originality and creativity. Just copying styles doesn't make it as good as the original.
  2. People unfamiliar with art may prefer simple or amateur pieces over professional ones. Knowing more about art can help us appreciate it better.
  3. The value of art comes from creativity and effort, not just the ability to copy. Real art involves developing unique styles and perspectives.

An art scandal

Random Minds by Katherine Brodsky • 117 implied HN points • 17 Jun 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. In the late 1800s, a painting showing a shoulder caused a huge scandal. People were shocked by what we now see as a small detail.
  2. Social norms change over time, and what was once unacceptable might seem silly later on. Today’s moral values could look outdated in the future.
  3. The way society reacts to perceived transgressions shows how power dynamics and moral standards evolve. A harmless joke today might be judged harshly in the future.

When Hell freezes over and Tolstoy learns to skate

The Lifeboat • 195 implied HN points • 05 Feb 25
📚 Literature Art Criticism
  1. The painting 'The Devil skating when Hell freezes over' has a confusing history, with two artists named John Collier possibly involved. It raises questions about the truth of art and how things can get mixed up over time.
  2. Leo Tolstoy enjoyed skating and even learned it in his 60s. He brought joy to children by teaching them how to skate, seeing it as a kind of spiritual enlightenment.
  3. The conversation about whether Tolstoy could be depicted as the Devil highlights the blend of reality and myth in Russian literature. It questions how society views good and evil and whether everyone has a bit of both within them.

Roundtrip Vietnam

The False Consensus Effect • 59 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. The artist received feedback from an art critic and professor, providing insights on different paintings.
  2. The artist's painting of an American flag was perceived as abstract commentary on American society and economics.
  3. Sharing art can evoke varied reactions - from admiration to finding paintings scary or thought-provoking.

Strange Fool Moon Business Week

The False Consensus Effect • 59 implied HN points • 19 Mar 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. The art industry is often influenced by cronyism and corporate models, leading to a disconnect between artists and genuine artistic expression
  2. To combat cronyism in art, there are solutions like boycotting third-party galleries and fostering local artist communities
  3. Artists should focus on creating genuine connections, nurturing local art scenes, and prioritizing artistic expression over corporate influence

Artt in the Age of Artifficial Intelligence

Donkeyspace • 18 implied HN points • 09 Dec 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. Art is not just pretty pictures; it's a project deeply connected to its context and history. Each piece of art tells a story influenced by the time and place it was created.
  2. Many people struggle with modern and contemporary art because they don't want to engage with the complicated ideas behind it. They just want nice visuals to enjoy without any deep thinking.
  3. The relationship between art and public taste can be messy. People may like things not because they are genuinely good, but because they want to fit in or impress others.

The Art Critic Part II

The False Consensus Effect • 39 implied HN points • 15 Jan 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. The post discusses the events surrounding the Capitol riot on January 6, highlighting the insurrection, sedition, and impeachment of a U.S. President and lawmakers.
  2. The author reflects on the art world, critiquing the influence of money and power in auctions and the value of artwork compared to the intentions of the artists.
  3. Effective altruism and the debate around the impact of creating art versus supporting charitable causes are explored, with strong criticisms towards the idea of art being considered frivolous in the face of global suffering.

Maculate Conception Redux

Gideon's Substack • 7 implied HN points • 23 Nov 24
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. The value of art can sometimes seem absurd, like a banana taped to a wall being sold for millions. It's more about the idea and the story than the physical object itself.
  2. Jasper Johns's artwork shows that art can be both conceptual and deeply emotional. His paintings connect abstract ideas with personal experiences, making them meaningful beyond just their visual appearance.
  3. Art should be seen as a gift to share and reflect upon, rather than just a product to be bought and sold. This perspective keeps the spirit of art alive and important.

Reading, Watching 03.03.24

Unpopular Front • 10 implied HN points • 03 Mar 24
📚 Literature Art Criticism
  1. The author shares updates on their upcoming book and recent podcast appearance, urging readers to pre-order the book or support independent bookstores.
  2. The author reflects on the work and characteristics of English essayist William Hazlitt, highlighting his views on the French Revolution and his influence on art criticism.
  3. The post is tailored for paid subscribers, providing them with exclusive content and inviting new subscribers to join for access to such insights.

Fighting Against Generative Art is Futile

The Future of Life • 0 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. AI art is quickly getting better and could surpass human art. It's not worth arguing that human artists are always better because AI can improve rapidly.
  2. Generative art can create infinite variations based on a single prompt. This raises questions about what makes an artwork valuable when there are so many similar pieces.
  3. AI can make original art, not just copy others. Even though it learns from existing art, it can mix ideas in new ways, much like how writers use language.

Mike Pepi: Bad Data

Do Not Research • 0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. The rise of digital utopianism led to a belief that museums could be replaced by digital databases, but the implications and consequences of such a shift must be carefully considered.
  2. There is a concern that the push to digitize museums with AI, machine learning, and software interactions may not actually democratize the field, but rather empower tech companies at the expense of the museum's autonomy and role in art historical discourse.
  3. Questioning the need to 'datafy' museums highlights a larger trend of tech solutionism and the potentially negative impact of trying to make museum information utilitarian for platform capitalist corporations rather than prioritizing art history and the institution itself.

Shock and Awe: An Interview with Miles Unger

The Octavian Report • 0 implied HN points • 23 Dec 25
🎨 Art & Illustration Art Criticism
  1. Les Demoiselles was the most carefully planned painting Picasso ever made, driven by intense personal pressure, rivalry with Matisse, and many preparatory drawings and revisions.
  2. The work radically broke representation by distorting bodies, borrowing forms from African masks and El Greco, and compressing space to create a raw, aggressive, almost sculptural presence.
  3. The painting shocked viewers and stayed largely hidden for years, but it profoundly reshaped modern art and helped launch Cubism, even as early curators downplayed its emotional and sexual intensity.