What is Good Art?

While reading and watching the provided materials for this course, I was especially stricken by the misconceptions of learning. More specifically in the video “Khan Academy and the Effectiveness of Science Videos” by Veritasium it is explained that when dealing with sciences students deemed to be “common knowledge” misconceptions often overtake the learning process. Because a student may assume they “already know this” they may not actually engage with the topic and learn anything, and instead only listen to what they expect to be said, and further inset in what is more often than not incorrect information.

In much the same way as science the Visual Arts criteria of learning often suffers from the same issues. Students will come with a pre-conceived notion of what makes for good art. School will teach them the principles of shading, color theory, techniques, and texture, all in the pursuit of understanding visual representation. More often than not if you ask a child or a beginning art student what “good art” is, they will define it by the level of realism. I believe this is because realistic art is familiar, it does not challenge what people think about art, instead it acts as a representation of the artist’s technical skill, creating an image that is overall is easier for people to understand and appreciate. I have two young cousins who will draw with me to pass the time, only to have them state they are not as “good” because they could not draw a more realistic looking cat.

In my early school days, found myself in a vicious cycle of creating and recreating the same subjects in the same way because it received the best response from my peers and teachers. It wasn’t until I joined an advanced placement program where I met a teacher that forced me to rethink what it meant to create, pushing me out of my comfort zone and challenging my misconceptions about creating “good art”. Yet still I often hear students in class refer to modern or abstracted art as “trash, effortless, and without skill” because of how it challenges their notion of what good art is.

Thus, it is my personal belief that one of the most important aspects of learning about art, is the journey through the misconception that “good art” is limited. Pushing past your biases and rediscovering yourself in many different styles and mediums. To me learning is all about exploration, getting out of your comfort zone and challenging what it means to make something.