Like the journal, this article is 'Untitled'

In many ways, the idea of a student jour-nal devoted to art criticism seems obvious. Yale undergraduates have produced publications dedicated to the discussion of a wide array of subjects, from human rights to science fiction. Most have taken courses that require them to think and write analytically about art. But there has never been a Yale student journal for art criticism--until now.

Earlier this spring, Ari Holtzblatt, BK '01, and Dan Smokler, TD '01, decided to create a journal for the Yale community that would serve as a forum for students to write critically about art and art history outside of an academic context. The idea was to put together a magazine run entirely by undergraduates that would be sophisticated, yet accessible. "We would like to aim it at the Yale population as a whole, but we would also like students from the art history department, both undergraduate and graduate, to be interested in what we have to say," Holtzblatt said. "We hope it will come across as a professional magazine."

In the late '60s, several members of the history of art faculty put together a magazine called Eye. They targeted the journal at undergraduates, but faculty members wrote the articles; the result was a magazine whose content was highly academic. The journal came out three times and then disappeared.

Holtzblatt and Smokler plan to address a broader range of subjects in their journal, whose tentative name is Untitled. "Eye consisted more of scholarly pieces and was more text-heavy," Smok-ler said of his vision for the new publication. The first issue of Untitled, scheduled for release during reading period, will reflect a wide spectrum of interests and opinions. The issue will emphasize student-created art, but it will also include an article about the art on the walls of New Haven doctors' offices, an analysis of why museums hide erotic Hellenistic art, and interviews with art critics Serge Guilbaut and John O'Brian.

Several members of the history of art department have already expressed enthusiasm for the journal. History of Art Professor Jonathan Weinberg has helped Holtzblatt and Smokler secure funding for the project and acted as a source of ideas along the way. Department Chair Thomas Crow will write the introduction to the first issue.

"It has been very exciting for me to hear their remarks about art history," Weinberg said. "I think it will be very interesting for [the faculty] to see what students will make of contemporary art."

The ideas that, once articulated, appear the most obvious are often the last ones to be put into effect. Undergraduate publications have featured art produced by students for decades while often overlooking the other end of the dialogue. Holtzblatt and Smokler hope that a student journal focusing on art criticism will add a much-needed voice to Yale's rich artistic discourse.

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