What makes a work of art (painting, music, film, sculpture, literature, or whatever) a good one?

Question

Are there conditions such that any work of art (of that kind) that meets them will be a good one, and any work of art that does not meet them is not a good one? Why or why not? If you think there are such conditions, what do you think they are? Why? Are the conditions different for each of the different kinds of art forms, or are there some criteria common to all good works of art, no matter what kind of art they are?

Answer 1

there is such a thing as bad and good art forms.  today, many people think of art as being very open ended as if everying is good and it is only up to the persons taste.  it is rather subjective, but good art is the product of an artist being aware of the marks, sounds, movements, ect. also, a TRUE artist (not just a craftman) has developed a sense of self-awareness compared to his/her environment.  these artists do the best they can for the sake of the work.  when some one pairs great technical skill with idiosyncracy, they have made a good piece of art.

look up Henry Williams for music and jacob collins for visual art.

Answer 2

simply put, a work can be transformed into an art by the creativity that is involved, and the impact it, the art, has on the creative side of the person seeing it!

Answer 3

There aren't any conditions that make art "good" or "bad" because art is completely subjective.  The same piece can look beautiful to one person and ridiculous to the next.

Answer 4

Well, "good" and "bad" is personal opinion. But I think what you should ask is, what makes this work of art important, or worth anything.

One good indicator is if the work of art is still popular after 25 years.

Another is how much it influenced the culture and artists after its creation.

"Bad Art" tends to be forgotten.

Answer 5

Asking what makes an artwork good or bad is a little like asking what makes a person beautiful. Beauty standards vary drastically from time to time and so do the standards for determining what is considered "good" art.

There's also different backgrounds to consider. Asking a person who is not very widely versed in art what they consider to be a good artwork will typically produce a different answer than if you ask someone who is an art historian, or a graduate of an arts school.

Generally, the public in westernized countries likes art that is representational. The average homemaker prefers recognizable subjects and objects that resemble what they see in real life, or in some cases scenes that depict ideal situations that are perceived as the more innocent bygone days (Thomas Kincaid, Hummel figurines, Precious Moments etc...).

If you consider wealthy art collectors, however, consider that My Bed, by Tracy Emin, sold for nearly 300,000 dollars. This is a work that would probably have no interest to a person who cherishes their cherubic figurines of children selling lemonade. I personally like neither, but it's a good example of how different people's tastes can be.