Sure, we all have standards. My standards of good art tend toward realism. If it looks like something that I could reach out and touch, thatâs pretty good. Maybe even great. This standard I apply toward paintings, drawings and digital works (motion & still). Photography is a different category, and so I tend to look for a more emotive response, something that catches a feeling or essence of something. I also apply this toward âtraditionalâ and digital works.
Then there is the surreal, which I also enjoy, but again with a bias toward the more realistic.
To answer your questions of what makes art normal, good or great? Sorry, Iâll have to pull out that âbull$4!7â argument of subjectivity. The more people that enjoy a piece of art, the âbetterâ or perhaps more accurately, more âpopularâ it is considered to be. However, popular works are generally considered to be generally less sophisticated and more of a fad than any long standing piece that reflects the human condition. Here today and gone tomorrowâŚA great piece of art is usually something that moves or inspires a good number of people as well as critics.
Ah, the criticsâŚthose âprofessionalsâ who know what is best for us and what we shouldnât like because they said so. My opinion of such people tends toward the negative. I view them, as a whole, to be arrogant and out of touch. But then, I also hate lawyersâŚ
The Mona Lisa is a great piece of art. Itâs been around 500 years gaining accolades across the generations of public and critic alike. We like it. But, when I saw it hanging in the Louvre in Paris I thought it was pretty nice, but damn, I saw some âbetterâ portraits on the gallery wall that impressed me more. And as we go back in time, works such as the bayeaux tapestry, another work considered to be great, I see more of a historical document rather than an artwork. The figures are flat and almost childishâŚI donât find it to be quite as engagingâŚand other medieval works look almost comical.
So, I have to go back to the original point. Art is subjective. We all have our preferences and bias. A piece that is great for one may be lambasted by another. Art usually appeals to the emotions and therefore will (or should) always remain subjective. If you like it, good. If you donât, good. Let it be.
If you want absolutes, try looking at math. 1+1=2. However, even there we find a slippery slope with fractals and their implementation into computer artâŚ
âMandelbrot, Julia?â
âYes, please.â
PS If you really want to get a heated argument going, letâs discuss Bryce and Poser.
Personally I donât use them, but Iâm not going to knock those who get enjoyment out of it. And hey, sometimes they DO make a pretty pictureâŚ