I saw the mona lisa a couple years ago and I overheard a couple people saying how it was nothing impressive. I thought that they were nothing but a bunch of brainless baboons, until I began to think why they would say such a thing. In the artistic world, how is does a work of art become a masterpiece?
2006-10-28 12:15:50 · 3 answers · asked by ozarugold51 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Visual Arts ➔ Painting
An artist can not regard his own work, no matter how good it is, as a "masterpiece". In my opinion, it's the society that labels an artwork as a masterpiece. Look at Tracey Emin's unmade bed, will you consider that as a masterpiece? Perhaps those in the contemporary art industry will, but definitely laypeople will not be able to understand what's so arty about it!
While classics like Mona Lisa or the Girl with the Pearl Earring induce a sense of admiration and give visual pleasure to most of the viewers; abstract and contemporary artworks (sadly) are rather difficult to be understood by people who are not really into it.. and somehow some people do think that art is all bullshit just because of the recent contemporary phenomena!
Regarding those people who said that Mona Lisa is nothing impressive, well.... Have you heard of Galen's arrangement of the four humours or human temperaments? There are melancholic, sanguine, choleric, and phlegmatic.
According to Kant, in one of his books that explain the beauty and the sublime; phlegmatic people have apathy or lack of any finer feeling... which means that they are not really into beautiful/sublime things, so perhaps those bunch of people who can't appreciate masterpieces belong to these category! :) Well, definitely there's nothing bad about it, it's just that they are not meant for art, therefore no point trying to please them! :p
2006-10-28 16:01:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Generally, it is the piece which, after public viewing, the artist is declared a 'master' painter; it can be the one the artist considers his best piece. I think a lot of people consider paintings like the Mona Lisa to be 'nothing much' not because they are brainless, but because they are used to the graphics and artwork created now with more facile tools, computer, television, etc. They aren't realizing exactly what went into that painting, as you obviously were. You are lucky! I wish I could see it someday!
2006-10-28 12:20:28 · answer #2 · answered by Baby'sMom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A masterpiece is usually a work of art that has stood the test of time. Another definition is that one's best work is a masterpiece. By the latter definition anyone could produce a masterpiece. Therefore some benchmarks for the genre have to be met.
2006-10-28 12:50:20 · answer #3 · answered by nyasasmom 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋