What makes artwork good

It is also tough when the art market influences good and bad. I would like to say that monetary value determines quality, but unfortunately they are often unrelated, as many factors can influence the value of artwork other than quality. Damien Hirst is an interesting and relatively unique artist, but I don't think his prices at auction reflect how good he is. When one of his works is worth more than a good Monet landscape, something is very amiss.

I think the best "take away" here is that if you want to know what is good and what is not, you have to get out and look for yourself and make that decision. Take a year You will have your answer. If you don't use this approach, you will officially have no eye or ability to make these distinctions.

If you are in this purely for your own collecting interests, then look at as much art as possible in all fields and eras as I have just said. It's your call. Good art is beautiful, regardless of its appearance, just as there is beauty in a good mathematical proof. That distinction has more to do with politics and of course economics-- some generally agreed upon notion or criteria rooted in the pursuit of an absolute.

Good art is also uncompromisingly honest, unselfconscious, bold, ambitious, enlightening, original, challenging, and a feast for the senses. It doesn't necessarily have to have all of these qualities, but at the very least it has to keep you coming back for more Collect Art Like a Pro In order to collect art intelligently, you have to master two basic skills.

The first is being able to All rights reserved. Answers from Art World Pros Hi Nelvia, yes, crazy how some things sound easy until you try to do them, lol. But at least let's hope that knowing the theory of what should work will help us during the decision making process of painting. Thanks for your comment. Excellent advice, it seems to easy to achieve, but we know it is not.

Good design and balance can cover a lot of weaker issues. To really use and paint our voice we have to trust our gut as you say. Thanks Glimmer Twin Fun, I did not plan it to be a thought-provoking article, but if that's the case I am very happy. I try to write hubs about concepts that I learn in my art journey, in the hope that it may help someone discover them a little faster than I did.

Knowing some of the basics, like what makes a good painting, is surely nothing to take for granted. I learn every day from things I read. This was interesting to me.

I came into thinking that a good painting is one that someone likes, but never thought about what else goes into it. And thinking about my favorite pieces that I've seen over the years, they all have many of these characteristics.

Thank you for this thought-provoking article. Well said Denise, it's hard to know what kind of art the public wants and likes, and trying to paint chasing the thread of what sells can be very stressful and frustrating. I rather paint what ignites my inspiration, and if other people like it too, that makes me happier, but I find that when I paint only for myself, enjoying the process, I get better results than when I paint for an audience.

For example, knowing that I need to paint for a show, I have in the back of my mind that the piece will be in an exhibit, and that influences the way I paint. Even knowing that I will post a photo of the painting on my social networks does something to my brain. Best of all is painting for the joy of painting, having the luxury of saying to yourself: "no one needs to see this, I'll show it only if I like it, and definitely only if I want to".

That frees your mind from worries about the outcome and really opens up opportunities to experiment and learn with each painting. Great information. I always love it when someone tackles the age-old question. I think there is an element of chance to any painting too.

Something about being in the right place at the right time with the right composition to strike a cord with the populace. Think about Grandma Moses.

Totally uneducated in art, she would have remained an obscure primitive artist painting for her own amusement if it had not been the end of a World War and the people suddenly wanted to see "back to a simpler way of life" type of pieces.

You think how could he not like this piece, so cool and the colors are great. Many questions arise while thinking of what makes good art: - Is someone more refined than the other?

After asking professionals for their opinions, I was excited to see what they had to say, but I was surprised to find that no one could agree on a single definition. Some consider the commitment of the artist as the key to good art, while others state good art sticks in your mind as a positive memory, others say it has to do with originality, some say the background story of a piece is the key.

There are considerations that it may be up to chance whether a piece becomes popular. However popular does not mean good.

While looking for this information one cannot find a single definition that exists. You may get disappointed over the issue. You are left wondering how could you do it?

In the end, one realizes that viewing art is an entirely personal experience based on your knowledge of the style, piece, artist, visual etc. The interpretation gets into action through personal experience. Often what one person loves, another may find mediocre, one finds depressing, the other may find it inspirational. I am farthest away from Imitationalism, though it may be the most commonly held theory. Art is subjective, and the judgment of whether an artwork good or bad is a matter of personal opinion.

When we can see more clearly why we believe our art is good or bad, we use that knowledge to nudge our art more in the good direction. What Makes Good Art?

Christine Nishiyama [Might Could Essay]. Imitationalism Art is good when it imitates reality. Formalism Art is good when it masters the artistic elements and principles.