crítics

Crítics, or critics, are individuals who evaluate and interpret creative works and cultural artifacts, offering judgments about their quality, significance, and meaning. They work across fields such as literature, film, theater, music, visual arts, architecture, journalism, and gastronomy, and publish assessments in newspapers, magazines, journals, broadcasts, and online outlets. The term derives from Latin criticus and Greek kritikos, meaning capable of judging.

Historically, criticism developed with literacy and print culture, drawing on classical rhetoric and evolving through the modern era with literary theory, film studies, and art history. Critics perform roles such as analyzing form and context, articulating criteria for evaluation, comparing works to traditions, and framing public interpretation. They may influence reception, canon formation, and even production decisions by artists and institutions, while contributing to the cultural record.

Criticism employs diverse methodologies, from close formal analysis to theoretical frameworks including formalism, feminist and gender theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism, and postcolonial theory. The practice balances subjective response with reasoned argument and contextual knowledge.

Types of critics include art critics, literary critics, film critics, theatre critics, music critics, and food critics. They publish reviews, essays, and scholarly articles, and their judgments can affect an artist’s visibility and a work’s market success. The authority and influence of critics are debated, as critics face biases, commercial pressures, and evolving audience expectations.

See also: criticism, reception studies, film criticism, literary theory.