What makes art "good"? Options

[Call911Quick]

If I go to a museum, and see a ton of paintings, how do I know which ones are better? I mean, I realize they all take skill to do, but if I just eye-ball it, none of them looking amazing, if you know what I mean.

If how-close-it-is-to-real-life is a determinant, then there are some REALLY good ones are out there.

If it's I-don't-get-it-what's-it-mean-so-many-colors.... etc.

Like my artist friend would go "OMG THAT'S SO PRO!!!!" and I'm staring at it thinking it looks just like every other painting.

[libertie]

Art snobs out there who have been "trained properly", and who know tons about color balance and composition, will give you a different answer and will probably say half the stuff they look at isn't art, but I don't think of it that way. I'm a musician, and no matter how simple lyrically or melodically, no matter how bad I think they sound personally, I consider it music. I would hold the same standard to art if I knew anything about it aside from what I learned in art history.

However, since your question asks which art is GOOD, I'm going to go against what some would say and tell you that the viewer is the one who decides that. What may seem plain and have no meaning whatsoever for one person may really relate to someone else in a very personal way. And even if that's not true for every painting or piece of art, all people have different views on what's "good".

Maybe, if it's something you're interested in, you could find an artist or two that intrigue you and look at some of their work. It gives you something to go off of and might spark your interest a little more in seeing other works.

Personally, I tend to find realistic art interesting but I also like sketches and abstract art and sculptures that are out of the ordinary. What I normally say is that I like for it to look like it could fit in a frame or sit on a table - I guess that's the programmer in me, wanting everything to look organized, and if I can't think about it practically, it doesn't make sense to me. xD But you can't force yourself to appreciate certain things, no matter how many art appreciation teachers tell you what to look for in art. *shrug*

[missnh]

Art snobs out there who have been "trained properly", and who know tons about color balance and composition, will give you a different answer and will probably say half the stuff they look at isn't art,

Completely untrue. Simply because we are trained to see what composition and other art elements are, it doesn't mean that art elements are the only factors we use to judge art work.

I say art is good when I am impressed or I like it. I don't have to be impressed to like it, and I don't have to like it to be impressed. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," and that is not restricted to merely a human's physical characteristics.