Over her 38-year career at The Times, Ms. Smith cultivated a reputation for intimate observations conveyed in accessible prose.
I became a critic in the same way a lot of people become critics: by immersing themselves in a subject and having enough confidence to listen to their opinions. Criticism isn’t really an academic subject. I don’t think it can be taught at school; it’s much more visceral. It happens when you’re in front of art, examining it, articulating opinions and trying to convert those opinions into clear prose.
I had never taken a journalism course. Editors and copy editors — especially at The Times — were my real teachers.
Critics need to be more flexible than artists. You have to be open to being changed and pushed into new directions by art. I don’t feel an obligation to take a strong stand on things.
(Sarah Bahr, “Roberta Smith Looks Back on Three Decades of Art Criticism,” New York Times, 4-11-24)
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