Who
can say if a painting is good or bad?
A painting is not just a picture. A picture
has to be of something - right?
A barn, a vase of flowers, a naked man, a mountain range. The public
(non-artists) will often judge the worth of a picture by measuring the artist's
ability to depict reality. "That looks exactly like a rose!" is
usually an expression of approval, of recognition of the artist's drawing skill.
Non-artists are impressed by the fact that artists can make objects in their
paintings look real, because they know they couldn't do it.
But
what of an abstract or experimental painting? How do they judge
whether that is good or bad? On the POSITIVE side they might declare:
"I
love that color."
(Personal
preference)
"It makes me feel calm after a busy day."
(Emotional
response)
"The shapes excite me."
(Emotional
response)
"The texture makes me want to touch it."
(Sensual
response)
"It reminds me of sunshine after rain."
(Personal
memory trigger)
"I imagine myself on a gorgeous beach."
(Imaginative response)
"The paint looks so juicy."
(Sensual
response)
"Something
that complex must be hard to do."
(Intellectual
analysis)
On the other hand, their reactions
might be more NEGATIVE:
"I hate purple."
(Personal
preference)
"I
find it disturbing."
(Emotional
response)
"It's
boring."
(Emotional
response)
"Those
lumps look like the mud in my back yard."
(Sensual
response)
"It
reminds me of a nightmare I had last week."
(Personal memory trigger)
"My 5-year-old kid could do that."
(Failure
to appreciate the painting process!)
"What is it supposed to be?"
(Lack
of imagination or familiarity with abstract painting!)
While these are all genuine reactions, they do not tell the artist
whether the painting is actually good or bad in objective terms. That someone
hates the color doesn't mean the artist made an error of judgment. The fact that
the paint looks juicy doesn't necessarily make it a good painting.
The problem with the above responses is that they represent only
individual views and these are largely driven by emotion. For a painting to be
considered successful in artistic terms we need to listen to the responses of a
lot more people, including those who have some experience of looking at abstract
paintings, who understand something of the history of abstraction, who are
familiar with the painting process, and who possess the language to express
their views with some precision. There must be some kind of consensus as
to the merit of a particular painting.
Having made this point in favor of expert judgment, we can't ignore the fact that the majority of people who look at our work will express their responses in emotional terms. Also, even experts can't shut off their emotions. As Johannes Itten, the great color theorist, recognized, color can be highly emotive, as can shapes and textures.
© Ann Baldwin
March 2001