The question of ‘what makes good art’ is something that I have been thinking about a lot over the past few years and I couldnt find a satisfying answer. I think the natural inclination is to focus solely on the technical prowess of the artist, which isnt a good answer.

Technical ability is important for communicating through the work but I dont think it’s what makes something truly good. The music that we hold most dear to us isnt the music that is the most complex or technically impressive, so why would that be true for visual art?

The other approach is the concept behind the piece, which I feel like is a step in the right direction. Something with a good concept has more meaning than something that doesnt, but I believe the key variable is connection.

Good art is art that connects with at least one person.

This is the answer that I came to and the best part is that the ‘one person’ can be you. You can be the person making the art and the one connecting to it and that makes it good.

To me this is objective truth, the art is good because you felt a connection to it and no one can really question that. So the goal of any artist is to create honesty, pour themselves into the piece so it resonates with the creator. This seems to me the key to good art.

So if you want to make art that is good, make art that is true to you and that connects on a deeper level.