Art is an elusive umbrella concept that covers such a wide range of output that it becomes difficult to provide a standardized definition. That may be why an old punchline simply states, ¡°¡±

Everyone from art collectors to ¥¢©`¥ÈÅúÔu¼Ò (¨¡to hihy¨­ka, art critics) will have a different opinion on how a single piece can be interpreted, making it somewhat daunting for a beginner to dabble in ¥¢©`¥ÈÅúÔu (¨¡to hihy¨­, art criticism). Fortunately, the ¥¢©`¥ÈÅúÔu¼Ò Edmund Burke Feldman to make things easier and guide the casual viewer in formulating an opinion. It involves: Ó›Êö (kijutsu, description), ·ÖÎö (bunseki, analysis), ½âá‹ (kaishaku, interpretation) and Åж¨ (hantei, judgement). So, let¡¯s put those steps into practice in Japanese.

Suppose you walk into a ÃÀÐgð^ (bijutsukan, art museum) and see ¡¯s famed ¡°ÉñÄ䨛_ÀËÑY¡± (¡°Kanagawa-oki Nami-ura,¡± ¡°Under the Wave off Kanagawa¡±) and you want to offer your thoughts on it.