A person wishing to become an art critic may first want to consider what type of art he wishes to review and express opinions about. For example, literature and films are considered works of art and a film or book critic would be a type of art critic. If, however, a person wanted to become a fine art critic, then he would likely wish to immerse himself in the world of fine art and artists. Someone who wants to become an art critic should consider taking courses at a college or art school to learn the formal aspects of art and the theories behind various artistic movements.
While an artist exposes herself to criticism as soon as she displays a work of art for popular and critical consumption, the critic also opens himself up to the opinions of others when he makes a statement about a work of art. Anything a critic says, especially while working to establish a reputation, is open for others to critique and comment upon as well. The critic should be sure he really knows about art and that his opinions are well informed. A solid educational background in art and art history is usually a good place to start.
In order to become an art critic, it is not necessarily essential that a person go through a traditional educational program to learn about art. Art is a specialized field, however, with a great deal of terminology and thousands of years of history that has given modern art a great deal of terms that can be essential to a critic to express how he views a work of art. For example, anyone wishing to become an art critic should be able to seamlessly discuss Expressionism, Pop Art, and Post-Modernism as well as Art Nouveau, Baroque, and Dadaism. Because the art of the past often influences artistic works of today, an art critic is expected to see the touches the artist made to pay homage to the past, even as he or she expresses a unique vision of the future.
Anyone looking to become an art critic should become a voracious consumer of art: he or she should go to galleries and museums, the critic should see exhibits and talk to artists to learn what is going on right now. An art critic is often a scholar in the field who pushes artists to create greater works or illuminate what has been made so others can see it and appreciate it in new ways. Whether adored or reviled, the art critic is an essential element of any artistic environment.