Crits Mess with Your Brain

I had a group critique of my work in my Senior class on Monday. (We mainly focused on my newest piece that I haven't photographed yet.) Generally, they go well for me and I get good feedback that is both positive and helpful in ways I can improve.

Mondays critique, however, has left me very frustrated and stalled in jumping into my next piece. I didn't get any positive feedback. Well, that's not true, the attempted negative feedback was actually good because the piece was disturbing people. One person said it made them feel very sad and another said it made her think of rape (she said this in a disgusted way) so, good in that respect.

They really focused on the anatomy of the piece and that was very frustrating for me because my goal is not to have a perfect replica of a cow (or chick or piglet, etc). The head IS too big and I do struggle with the head/body proportions. My advisor initially told me a few months ago that it actually worked for the pieces but she flip flopped on this during crit. She also flipped her opinion of their thinness. She said that it was piling too much on. I personally like it, I think it connotes suffering and makes the piece awkward and uncomfortable. I want to look at the piece, it's interesting to me in a macabre, staring at a car accident sort of way.

So the question is: is it too much that people will ignore the piece entirely or is it "too much" in a way that keeps peoples attention?

I wish I could get more feedback than just her and this very small group of 4 people.

Now I don't know what to make next or how to portray it. I was going to do a lighter gentler piece as a break from the more heavy pieces. Which I think is a good idea so people don't get fatigued by always looking at sad, painful pieces. But how light do I go? I was going to do two calfs nuzzling, with tags in their ears to connote their exploitation/oppression. But is it too light? Are people just going to go "awwww, cute." Should I make them skinny, bones showing, or not?

My other idea is one laying with her back to the ground, writhing with her legs apart (picture a dog begging for a belly rub). So do I make her really skinny or not?

My advisor told someone else during his crit that he didn't need to do anything we suggested but to go with what he felt was appropriate. The crit was just feedback and nothing more. We are to choose whether or not we want to implement the advice.

I suppose it's good that it got me thinking. My work depends on public response, not whether they like it. I just want people to be curious and talk about it. So if it weren't a crit would people still look at the work? That I don't know. So the crits really aren't that helpful. I NEED to set up a small show and actively watch to see how people respond.