how do we know that classical art as opposed to Modern Art is so good we know it because it was produced within the demanding standards and refined principles of Aesthetics the centuries-old branch of philosophy that measures artistic quality painting drawing and sculpture employ a number of characteristics such as composition form color line texture and movement to create Beauty to the experienced eye and even to the Casual viewer each of these is present in any work of art worthy of being called Arc composition for instance is the positioning of objects elegant and controlled in the hands
of a master or awkward and haphazard in the hands of the inept color can be exquisitely balanced and harmonious or garishly random and unsavory movement can be uplifting and dynamic or static and perverse in my previous prageru video why is modern art so bad I chronicled how art began to decline beginning from about the 1860s when aesthetic standards were gradually abandoned unfortunately for the Arts not everyone agrees I'm sure you've heard the arguments art is simply a reflection of its time art isn't about technical proficiency it's about making you think art is a matter of
personal taste there's no such thing as great art or bad art where do these assumptions come from for the most part they are the result of art histories written and taught over the last century not by artists but by those in the humanities and social sciences not having an artist's point of view or experience let alone artistic talent these authors and teachers have therefore framed art in the only language they understand meaning and social significance it's no surprise then that people have Come Away with the idea that art is simply a reflection of its time
it can be but not necessarily in fact the great artists of the past didn't care one wit about reflecting their times they cared primarily about creating art that looked good art by definition is a visual medium therefore its meaning and ability to make you think are secondary to how it looks after all there can be meaning in other creative mediums like literature and music but the visual is what uniquely distinguishes art therefore the visual is what most matters in fact a great work can and should stand on its own without the viewer knowing anything about
its meaning when a visual medium becomes more about what it means and less about its pure visual experience it might succeed as say journalism or social commentary but it has failed as art so what do we look for to determine quality in art it is found in the skillful execution of a visual medium for example in a great oil painting by the 17th century Dutch Master Vermeer the quality is there in the controlled balance of its composition the harmony of its color the masterful hand-eye coordination of its brushwork when we look more closely at the
soft Edge between the woman's arm and her sleeve we can see that it was achieved by vermeer's delicate application of paint this is the very essence of artistic quality and not by the way because it looks realistic or photographic if you will ism is simply a stylistic choice in fact great art need not even look realistic to be great it's no wonder that many people believe the myth that photography put an end to classical art given that they assume that looking photographic was the purpose of a painting but that was never the goal of the
classical artist quality of execution was with each viewing of classical art our experience of it deepens while the Experience One derives from much of more contemporary art is generally instantaneous and like a joke that requires a punch line is over once one gets it this is not to say we can enjoy works of the modern era but remember that quality and taste are different things quality is based on developed standards taste and personal preference there's one thing radar will never do it will never make a fool of you its level of quality is readily apparent
to anyone with eyes to see independent of its meaning you might be thoroughly impressed with the work of a Cutting Edge artist with its impressive Theory but you have no way of knowing if you're being taken for a sucker finally unlike the inspirational work of the past much of today's art exposes how coarse and vulgarous Society we've become fortunately there is an antidote to this you'll find it in the galleries of great museums all over the world ask the security guard he'll point you in the right direction I'm Robert floorzak for Prager University thank you
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