I find it easier to write coherent criticism. Which is a shame really, as what I enjoy is much more important to me than what I dislike. I don’t have a problem acknowledging weaknesses in my favourites, but I don’t wish to dwell on them. In general, I advocate voting with your feet and ignoring works you don’t like, the major exception being if it has an agenda (JFK, Anonymous… Birth of a Nation). Possibly I find criticism easier because suspension of disbelief is critical, and it’s relatively easy to identify the point at which it breaks down. It’s much harder to identify why I find some works so compelling.
To take a couple examples, I found it easy to explain why I found the conclusion to Signs very unsatisfying in this thread. I struggle to explain quite why I like another film I’ve seen recently, The Shooting Party. It’s set on a country estate just before WWI. I have a liking for historical fiction, in a similar way that I like fantasy. It’s the sense of a different world with different possibilities to explore that appeals. I don’t consider historical depictions as authentic, so much of history and culture is lost in ambiguity, but the process of striving for it can give a story a rich background. I also have an interest in social history. Something like The Suspicions of Mr Whicher (a factual book which explores how a Victorian murder influenced the development of the detective genre) gives fascinating glimpses into attitudes of people of the time. There are some excellent performances in the film, and the humanism of some of the characters appeals to me. However, none of this really captures the essence of watching it.
Well, I think it’s a lot easier to fail at making art (for various definitions of ‘fail’) than it is to succeed, so it ought to be easier to criticize, since in general there are a lot more reasons why a piece of art wouldn’t work for you than why it would.
And, in my experience, the things that move me the most do so in a way that is ineffable. Even if I can identify specific qualities that move me, the ultimate power of a piece has a lot to do with my relationship with it.
As an odd example that is somewhat timely, I have mixed feelings about the new Muppet movie that’s just come out. The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan are two of my favorite movies, and the former is one of the best movies made, IMHO. Jim Henson was one of the giants.
I heard Jason Segel on Fresh Air this week talking about the movie, and about how he has always had a sincere love for the Muppets. I was listening to him, and thinking, “sure, but you don’t get them the way I get them. They can’t possibly mean to you what they mean to me.” And so, I’m hesitant to see the work of someone who reveres the Muppets, because it will undoubtedly miss some of the ineffable elements that mean so much to me.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that each of our views of art is unique and subjective, and so the more something truly touches us emotionally, the more difficult it becomes to identify why it is we like it.
I find praise easier. A big part of my job is critiquing other people’s creative work and I’m always happier when someone gets it ALMOST right, because then I can point at the parts that are working and explain why. It’s a lot nicer than having to be relentlessly negative.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that this is the exception to the norm. I spend a LOT of time thinking about why art succeed or fails, so when something works for me, I’m pretty good at stepping back and articulating why. But I suspect that most people just enjoy the moment when they encounter a good piece.
I have noticed that some people tend to notice what is right about something, and others what is wrong. It looks like a brain difference to me, although it could certainly be based on one’s experiences, too, I suppose.
I tend to be better at praise, myself. Not particularly good at criticism.
Much easier to praise than to criticize. When I like something, I’m more interested in exploring it further, figuring out the nuances that are giving me pleasure. When I dislike something, I just want to forget about it, without putting in the effort to figure out why it bugs me.
I find it just as easy to do both. If I hate something, I’m glad to have the chance to colorfully warn off other potential victims. And if I love something, I’m glad to have the chance to encourage others to discover and enjoy it just as much as I did.
It’s definitely easier to criticize. Sure, I can enjoy things, but the thing is, if I’m enjoying it, I’m not thinking about what I enjoy about it. But if I’m not enjoying it, then I have a desire to figure out why, so that I don’t keep on not enjoy it. If I can figure out what’s wrong, I can enjoy what’s left.
I often feel like I’m rationalizing why I like something, and hoping I’m right. I rarely feel that way with criticism.
Hey, that’s me. I find praise easier too, for pretty much the exact opposite of the reasons you listed as your own. If I can find something to enjoy in a work, I seem to overlook a lot of faults. If I try to be critical, I can, but it’s just not in my personality to work at not enjoying something while I’m experiencing it. I do find it easier to be critical in post-encounter analysis, though.
Its much easier to be critical. You can make it really funny and insulting, throw out all semblance of journalistic integrity and overload with hyperbole out the ass. To praise a work, you usually have to be serious and sincere, and that’s much harder to fake or make funny
Meant to add this to the OP. Sometimes it’s fun to vent, and to listen to others do so, but on the whole I’m more interested in hearing about why people like things. This includes works I didn’t enjoy myself.
I find myself giving negative criticism much more easily than praise, although I try to remember to also give praise to the parts that I liked, or to start off with general praise and then list the details that I disliked. I also try to remember that creators and actors prefer the specific “You were great because/ I liked how you did…” to the general gushing “You were great” to see that the fan really understood the art and intent and the work necessary to get it - but I find when I like a work or performance, it’s so difficult to put into words exactly what’s good. I agree that good art/ performance meshes into something bigger, and maybe that’s why words can’t describe it properly*.
But to see the errors and point them, esp. if they bug, is easier. And esp. if the work is moderatly good - then one plot hole really glares, like a black stain on a white dress. Whereas if the whole work is shit, it’s not worth bothering writing a 10-page essay with all the mistakes, just whether it’s “so bad it’s good” or “just horribly bad without redeem”.
*that’s also why a series like X-files works, with the actors chemistry and quirks, while a series using the same formula but different actors falls flat.
Being funny is not easy, it takes hard work. A lot of people think they are funny or want to be funny, only for it to fall horribly flat. (We call it a Rösler in my language).
Movies/Books/Narratives: It’s easier to criticize these, usually because there are elements that will pull me too far out of believability, and I can point to those elements as the reason I don’t like them. For excellent pieces of narrative, it’s usually very difficult to specifically nail down *why *they’re great from my perspective.
Visual art: It’s easier to praise. Pieces I don’t like are easy to dismiss and move on to the next, especially in a museum setting. But pieces I do like I’ll stop, linger, and really soak in the piece. I may not be able to fully articulate what specifically I like about it, but pieces I don’t the explanation of “it just didn’t grab me” isn’t all that useful.
While I think I’d be better at the negative, I’d much rather praise. Firstly, I don’t see my dislike of something as a warning to “victims” (to be honest, I find this attitude somewhat arrogant). Lots of people may find value in something I hate, I"m (mostly) happy to let them decide for themselves. And secondly, I’d much rather spend my energy trying to get people exposed to what I feel is undervalued (say, Shpongle) than to worry about protecting them from what I’m not interested in.