Why Art Cannot Be Taught

In Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Students, James Elkins (The Object Stares Back), professor of art history, theory and criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, paints a nasty picture of what goes on in art schools. Critiques of students' art are comparable to ""psychodramas,"" with the usual result of the criticized artist breaking down into tears. The chapter ""Teaching and Learning Mediocre Art"" begins from a sour premise, that ""most artists do not make interesting art."" Art students and teachers might find a grim sort of gallows accuracy in this deadly portrait of their activities. ( June)