Is There Such a Thing as Bad Art?
I read Stapleton Kearn's blog religiously every day. Today's post was about the longevity of oil paintings and "bad" art and it got me thinking. Is there really such a thing as bad art? Or even worthless art?
The painting above is my three year old grandson Josh's first acrylic painting that he created this past weekend. You should have seen him while he worked on his masterpiece "The Snowman". He was quiet for the first time during the weekend. ( that is not to be taken lightly!) His head was bent in concentration as he mixed red, yellow and blue. Each stroke was carefully applied. You could feel his excitement as his painting came together. You could tell that he thought this was something very special that Grandma had allowed him to do. His eyes sparkled. He determined when his art was finished and chose whether to have it signed Josh or JJ. It sat in a place of honor while it dried. He carefully transported it to his bag so he could take it home and show it to Mommy and Daddy. He was very proud of his painting.
So who is to say whether that painting is good or bad, valuable or worthless? Is there ever a piece of art that no one in the world would appreciate?
My answer is all art is valuable and none should ever be considered bad/worthless. Anything that someone labored over and poured themselves into is good art in my mind. I appreciate it. I feel linked to the person who created it. It doesn't matter who created it or who labels it as good/bad art.
I would rather have an original Josh hanging on my wall than a print of a famous artist. Once an original is copied it loses it's connectivity.
Just my thoughts.
What do you think?
Karla
I agree that no art is either good or bad; just different. I know personally that I cannot paint the same thing exactly the same way twice; there will always be some difference. Only the artists themselves have the right to call their work good or bad and that is only in relation to their standard of quality for themselves.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Karla. Enjoy your evening.
Thanks Carol! I agree that our art is our own and we definately have our own standards to meet. But, have you ever had someone see one of your pieces that you thought you had tucked away out of the light of day and say "I love this one!" Lol! I have. So, even if we don't value what we have created someone else might deem it beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love Josh's painting. It's interesting, original and makes me wonder and think. This is good art in my book.
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