Introduction
1 There is no single 'best' way to write art.
2 International Languages ​​of Art
3 Anyone can write about art competently.

Part 1 Assignment - Why Write About Contemporary Art?
1 Description vs. Evaluation
2 Art Terms and Works of Art
3 Artist, dealer, curator, critic, blogger, art worker, journalist, and art historian
4 Art criticism that suddenly appeared one day
5 Art Writing Beyond Borders

Part 2 Training - How to Write About Contemporary Art
1 “The root of bad writing is fear.”
- When I first started writing about art
- “The Baker’s Family Who Won the Lottery”
- The three tasks of art writing to convey information
2 How to concretize your ideas
- Present factual or historical evidence
- Extracting visual evidence
- Observe closely
- Follow the flow of thought
3 Readers: Beginners, Experts, and Non-Experts
4 Specific tips
- Write specifically
- Do not try to 'explain' vague and abstract concepts with other vague and abstract concepts.
- Include specific nouns in your writing
- Choose only one adjective.
- Use a lot of powerful and dynamic words
- “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”
- Organize information logically
- Organize your thoughts into complete paragraphs.
- Avoid list format
- Avoid slang
- If you're not sure, tell me a story.
- If you're still not sure, compare.
- Use metaphors and similes carefully.
- Final tip

Part 3: Tips - Writing about Contemporary Art in Various Forms
1 Academic Writing
- Getting started
- Research questions
- structure
- caution
- Other tips
2 'Explanatory' texts
- How to write a short news article
- How to write a short explanatory note
- How to write a press release
- How to write an auction catalog
3 'evaluating' articles
- How to write an exhibition review for a magazine or blog
- How to write a review for a newspaper
- How to Write a Book Review
- How to write a commentary
- How to write a catalog essay or magazine article
4 How to Write an Author's Note
- The ten most common problems (and how to avoid them)
- How to write about a work
5. Comparing the format of writings by different authors about an artist.

Ending remarks
How to Read About Contemporary Art
annotation

Reviewer's note

References
grammar
List of contemporary art books
Career information and internet sources
List of cited works
List of pictures

Explains the methodology and values ​​of artistic writing in an easy-to-understand manner
It presents the specific direction that art writing pursues.

Contemporary art is no longer a genre of art for a select few with sophisticated tastes.
As contemporary art begins to step out of museums and permeate our daily lives, many people are curious and want to know what contemporary art is, whether their appreciation of it is correct, and how to clearly communicate the value of this work to many people.
This book is the answer to these natural needs and questions.
The author of this book, driven by his love for contemporary art, chooses art writing as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of contemporary art, and art itself, and appreciating works from his own perspective.
Therefore, this book is not a book that shows the royal road to writing well.
As the author states, there is no special formula or set method for writing.
However, the author summons art writing for those who are new to art and want to apply a broader perspective to appreciating contemporary art.
This is because recognizing and reviving the value and meaning of art is an act of refining the ideas, thoughts, and experiences gained from appreciating a work of art into a neat structure and presenting it to the world in refined language.

“The only reason why you should write well about art is
“Because great art deserves that treatment.”
“Just as anyone can learn to draw skillfully, anyone can learn to write about art,” the author says.
However, just as drawing is “not just a mechanical skill but an understanding of visual experience,” art writing is defined as “an understanding of art through the writing process of putting what is seen into words.”
Therefore, the starting point for becoming a good art writer is an interest in art and a love for modern art.
“To become a good art writer, you must broadly appreciate contemporary art, read a lot, and carefully analyze how your favorite art writers convey their thoughts.”

The author says that to achieve this, one must approach art writing with the honest determination to talk only about what one knows well, free from the fear of writing.
It details the process of fixing unstable art into stable language by suggesting very practical and specific methods, such as discarding vague and abstract concepts and using concrete nouns and powerful and dynamic words, arranging information logically, avoiding jargon but also carefully using similes and metaphors.
And through the writings of excellent art writers who have done this work brilliantly, it vividly shows what novice art writers should take and what they should discard.
The author, who emphasizes that “the purpose of all art writing (in fact, all writing) is ultimately to persuade,” emphasizes that readers must understand the subject matter of the work mentioned in the text while reading, whether the work is worth appreciating, and clearly know what the writer is saying.
“A natural sense of language, a rich vocabulary, the ability to use various sentences, original views, and attractive ideas” are some of the qualities an art writer must possess, but more importantly, it is the ability to persuade readers and gain their trust.

Art writers can act as “collaborators for artists rather than external commentators, helping them explain or develop their ideas.”
Therefore, art writers must have a sense of responsibility towards art, and more specifically, towards readers.
That serious sense of responsibility will “make works of art more meaningful and interesting objects, and add ‘something richer and more beautiful’ to art and life.”

This book, written with a passionate love for modern art, indirectly approaches the value and meaning of modern art.
Ultimately, it would not be wrong to say that this book was written not to teach the "skill" of writing that no one can imitate, but to stimulate "insight" that greatly enriches the experience of appreciating art.
As readers read the author's conviction that "true art criticism must ultimately return to the work and the art itself," they will be reminded of not only the methodology of art writing but also a genuine attitude toward approaching contemporary art.

characteristic

Appreciating and understanding art is difficult.
Contemporary art is even more difficult.
So people want to read texts that explain in simple, refined language the subject matter of the work and the artist's intentions.
The author of this book explains the reason for the existence of art writing, saying that the demand for art writing has increased rapidly for this reason.
If there is good art writing, contemporary art, and art in a broader sense, can come closer to us and reach us more deeply.
This book, reflecting the author's love for modern art, presents a methodology for art writing that serves to enrich the understanding of works and to record and convey their value.
It covers everything from academic papers to catalogs, gallery guides and descriptions, exhibition reviews and commentaries, auction catalogs, museum websites and blogs, and more. It covers how to write for each area, the basic skills needed to work as an art writer, and the routes to use to publish your work. It covers everything from the first stage of writing to the final stage of communicating your work to the public, providing practical advice.
Whether you picked up this book out of an interest in contemporary art or out of curiosity about how to write well, all readers will feel the excitement and confidence of having taken their first steps into the challenging world of contemporary art and writing.

composition

This book, which focuses on the methodology of art writing, is composed of practical content that matches its purpose.
Beginners who feel fearful and challenged by writing, as well as curators and gallerists who want to help viewers understand their work more easily, and aspiring writers who want to write with a clear sense of purpose can immediately open this book and practice writing in the manner it introduces.

The author covers a wide range of artistic genres, but focuses particularly on contemporary art. Through numerous examples, he demonstrates what constitutes good art writing within the broader framework of understanding the artist's intentions, distilling them into his own ideas, and then persuasively conveying them to readers.
Part 1 introduces the core elements that determine the form and content of art writing, such as purpose, structure, tone, and expression. Part 2 provides practical advice on specific genres that encompass all areas of art writing, including academic papers, press releases, news articles, auction publicity materials, exhibition catalogs, gallery guides, museum labels, and articles for websites and blogs.
To this end, it closely analyzes examples of good writing through more than 30 illustrations and quotations from 64 world-renowned art writers, including Claire Bishop, Okwui Enwezor, Dave Hickey, Rosalind Krauss, Stuart Morgan, Hito Steyerl, and Adam Szymczyk.
Although it focuses on contemporary art, it covers art writing across all areas of art, so it doesn't forget to give very detailed and specific advice, such as how to structure sentences and how to use particles and verbs.
It also provides a variety of reference books to help readers understand art and develop their own perspectives. It also includes appendices that teach the correct use of grammar and provide a wealth of reference materials, broadening the scope of art appreciation and encouraging anyone to easily take on the challenge of art writing.

Recommendation

The key to writing about contemporary art is 'thinking'.
No one else can teach you that.
However, there are many secondary factors involved in conveying such thoughts concisely and accurately in writing, and Gilda Williams provides guidance on these 'secondary factors'.
This alone makes this book very useful.
Above all, I think this is the only book that addresses this issue.
- Yoo Jin-sang, Professor of Convergence Arts at Kyewon University of Art and Design

"Bad reviews are not a problem of semantics, but of syntax." I've always believed that the difficulty of review stems not from the profound meaning contained in the text, but from poor sentence structure.
Rather than listing good writing tips, this book warns that the common mistakes beginners make, such as excessive rhetoric, long sentences, and abstract modifiers, can ruin their writing.
The point is to write concisely and specifically.
I think so too.
- Ban I-jeong, art critic

It reminds us of the fear of bad writing and shows us how to be courageous.
Writing about art can be deep, precise, surprising, and even beautiful.
With any luck, this book will catalyze a revival of the kind of art writing we so desperately need: accurate, surprising, and beautiful.
- [The Nation] Art critic Barry Schwabsky

Gilda Williams applies her skills in writing elegant prose to art writing.
Quoting prominent critics like Rosalind Krauss and Walter Benjamin, he offers essential advice for those who care deeply about art writing.
This introduction offers unique insights into the art and resists common misconceptions about it.
- [Publishers Weekly]

This is a book that I would like to keep on the nightstand of students or friends who are ignorant of modern art for a long time.
Even the most experienced writers clearly convey what they instinctively know but have not been able to apply in their actual writing.
If a student or beginning writer reads this book, it will feel like receiving one-on-one personal instruction from a kind but passionate teacher.
- [Art Monthly]

Finally, a book has been published that teaches you how to think about art easily and write about it without difficulty.
Until now, the field of art criticism has been closed off, obscure, and self-indulgent, but this book will contribute to the next generation of critics writing more readable and understandable art criticism.
This is a fundamental yet revolutionary book that should have been published long ago.
- Kenneth Goldsmith, poet and founder of UbuWeb