What makes good art?

Installation at an outdoor mall where John and I stopped to have lunch on one of our trips to Seoul.

The other day, my husband and I stopped at my local art supply and framing shop on the way home from lunch so I could pick up a couple of things I needed to complete a pet portrait. A few days earlier, I had been there and noticed a really wonderful painting of a pug that I was told was done by a local high schooler. It was bright and a little abstract and showed a tremendous amount of budding creativity. So when my husband stopped near the door to admire a painting, I assumed that was the one. Of course I should have known better. He had stopped to admire a pastel of a collection of tire rims. He commented to the owner, "I am not sure about the subject matter, but this is wonderful technique." So I went over to have a look. I was not impressed; just as he was not impressed by the pug when I pointed it out to him. I didn't like the rims because they looked like something I could do on Photoshop. He didn't like the dog because it was too "artsy" for him. What is the moral of this story?

Art is as much about the viewer as it is about the piece itself or the artist. My husband is an engineer and appreciates technical skill and realism. I am a humanities instructor and appreciate creativity and originality. Given, there is some art that is just hands down good, and hardly anyone can argue the point. I mean, really, who has ever looked at Michelangelo's David and said, "Wow, it just doesn't move me." But, in general, people look at art from their own personal perspectives and either see something in it that touches them or not. This is why artists should never feel bad if someone doesn't care for their work. Not everyone comes at it from the same place.

One thing that John and I do agree on when it comes to art:  we will not be hanging any toilet seats on our walls. We both had a good laugh the day we found this unique attraction in Seoul's historic district. And, hey, maybe that is what the artist intended.