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How do art critics help shape the artistic canon?

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Painting by Gustave Courbet showing the artist at his easel in a crowded studio, surrounded by figures including a nude model, onlookers, and a child with a white dog. — Art criticism *The Painter's Studio*, oil on canvas by Gustave Courbet, 1854–55, in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.

Art critics play a significant role in shaping the art history canon by exercising judgment to determine the aesthetic and cultural value of new or unfamiliar works. Through their writing, critics often act as advocates for specific artists or movements, effectively legitimizing new directions in art and influencing public perception.12

Critics help establish the canon in several ways:

Naming and Codifying: Critics often name new movements and provide the foundational understanding for unconventional artists, as seen with Roger Fry naming Post-Impressionism or Clement Greenberg championing Abstract Expressionism.13
Theoretical Advocacy: By applying specific frameworks—such as formalism, Marxism, or feminism—critics provide the intellectual rationale that elevates certain artists or styles to prominence.14
Legislating Opinion: Through reviews and essays, critics can transform misunderstood or ridiculed works into recognized masterpieces, significantly impacting their historical status and market value.2

While some critics have been accused of dictating artistic practice like an ideology, others, such as Lawrence Alloway, have argued that criticism should serve as sharable commentary that coexists with, rather than preempts, the viewer's personal experience.5