While taking a class in college the topic of art was brought up, or more accurately, the topic of art being Good, True, and Beautiful. It was easy for my classmates to see the beauty of an icon, while I looked at it and thought it looked kind of funny. The proportions in icons are often distorted and the faces of the people are typically depressed. It dawned on me that the reason my classmates believed these icons were beautiful was because of the message they conveyed. My teacher quickly switched the slide to a picture of Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River, but the image was painted using a newer, more modern image of Jesus and one of my classmates wrinkled their nose at it and said it looked "too Protestant." Again, this consensus seemed purely made by the observers opinion and individual beliefs. Some scholars believe that art is objective, and therefore can only be considered good if it adheres to a mathematical equation that renders it proportional to reality. Others believe that only artists instructed by a master of art can create good art, while others believe that art is purely based on a persons individual beliefs, emotions, and life experience. If art is objective does that mean that everyone would look up at the Sistine chapel and marvel at its beauty? I'm sure there are individuals who might look at it and shrug their shoulders. Does this mean that those individuals are wrong and everyone else is right? Lets consider the Pieta, a sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion. Its easy for me to look at it and see that it's a masterpiece, because it is not only beautifully made but it also holds significance for me in my faith. Others might look at it and cringe because it doesn't match up with their personal worldview. So, does this mean that art is subjective and purely based on the individuals worldview and taste, or does it mean that the majority of people are incorrect in their assessment of good art? Does good art need to contain universal truths of proportion and color, or is good art simply something that stirs emotion in us? Or is art simply a medium that leads us to greater universal truths about God? I'll let you decide... Give your opinion and thoughts by commenting below!
That's true what you say about us being our own worst critic. My mom is an amazing artist and she doesnt see the beauty like I, or other people, do. It's easy to point out the flaws of our own work because we have the memory of every brush stroke, every pencil mark, every missed note, etc. But yes, true talent is apparent in many cases to most people. Thanks for sharing :)
I think art is totally subjective. Although I really do not like modern art very much, I have a lot of friends who do. I have friends who say that's their favorite type of art. I don't understand their perspective, because to me, it just looks like a bunch of geometric shapes thrown together pell-mell, or scribbles on the canvas. In terms of architecture, everybody prefers different types of looks when it comes to houses, buildings Etc. For instance, I like the look of modern mansions, as my mother likes the look of old-fashioned bungalows. I like buildings that have a lot of pointy and rectangular or square angles, ad my mom likes things to flow more smoothly together. I…
I think beauty is different for everyone and maybe successful artists have connections that other, very talented artists, don't have. I feel like a lot of success in the world comes from who you know and how popular you are, it doesn't necessarily mean you are more talented. I do believe that art is subjective, but I also think that drawing from natural things, helps people form an emotional connection to art. Just as some truths are universally known, there are certain elements found in natural that are universally recognized by everyone and this may give art a heightened sense of value.
I’ve often wondered the same thing; what makes Art good. Or a different question: what makes Art valuable? Some art that is expensive is visually unappealing to me, so what makes it worth collecting? Many famous artists never made a living selling their artwork, yet it’s worth a fortune today. In my artwork, I try to convey realism but that’s not to say surrealistic art is bad; in fact I like the vibrancy of colors and the fact that things don’t always have to look realistic to speak to someone. I’m just not that creative, I guess.
Gary Larson is my favorite artist. He certainly conveys truth, and is good. Beautiful???? Meh. Beauty is overrated. ;-)