What Do I Think Makes Good Art?

What Do I Think Makes Good Art?

Primarily I believe that good art must take skill in order to be worthy of merit; I do not appreciate art if I see a sculpture or picture and think ‘I could do that'. This is my main problem with modern art. If we take Mondrian as an example; it is an original idea to put rectangles of colour on a canvas but anyone can do it (as I demonstrated by copying one of his paintings with some rollers and masking tape- it took one day to complete).

To a certain degree I like art that depicts real life and comply with the ‘mimetic' school of thought (another reason for disliking Mondrian). The ability to draw faces and capture perspective takes skill which, as we have established, I like. This however does not mean I can only appreciate paintings which have copied a landscape or scene to perfection, as done in classical art. Vincent Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night' is one of my favourite paintings yet it is by no means an accurate representation of what the artist may have seen.

Beauty is appealing and it is often the case that good art is beautiful. The bold colours in Edvard Munch's ‘The Scream' contribute to its magnificence as a piece of art and the way