Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

We learn the difference between the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ at a young age. During school years we find out that getting a 90% on a test is a ‘good’ mark and a 30% is ‘bad’ mark, and we know this because of a systematic scale of grading we use that considers our overall abilities on a scale of 1-100%.We come across similar scales of grading in other activities and involvements in life which apply new criteria for the words ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in different systems. But how and what we apply these terms to can sometimes make for our understanding of what is good or bad merely a subjective opinion.
One of the greatest forms of human expression, art, may be one subject matter deprived of a universal scale to determine its complete value. If within the realm of art our abilities to create and admire pieces of work are subjective, is there any way for us to distinguish ‘good’ art from the ‘bad’ art? Since art is a form of human creativity, there can be no way for us to determine which art is ‘good’ or ‘bad.’
We first have to consider the fact that art is a form of human expression and that every person’s interpretation or connection to pieces of artwork will be different. This means that since not everyone will share the same opinion or liking to artwork, the judgement between ‘good’ or ‘bad’ art will rely on our personal assessments. The primary goal of an artist is to use his or her creativity to express something from his or her perspective and send this message, emotion or feeling to the admirer. We sometimes find ourselves in situations when we ‘cannot explain ourselves.’ For many people, art helps to void this situation through using freedom and creativity to show others how we feel. This is where the subjective scale steps in. In admiring other artwork, since there is no universal grading scale, our personal feelings are the judge in whether or not we favour a certain artwork.
Many factors, apart from our human individuality, such as our age, experiences, environment and lifestyle are included in our personal criteria for judging good art and bad art. A child for example may not appreciate Shakespeare’s writing the same way an adult would since the adolescent may not understand the complex ideas in the writing, and therefore will not relate to Shakespeare’s work the same way an adult would. The child would prefer to read simple stories, where he or she could understand the context and relate to the ideas.
Given this fact, we should never let other people’s influences or opinions on artwork determine the way we feel towards certain pieces. It is up to us to decide the ‘good’ art from ‘bad’ art, and remember that the way we feel about an artwork is neither right nor wrong. It may be true that art does not have a universal grading scale, but art speaks a universal language of freedom, self expression and emotions that make human beings unique and creative.