Taste

Who decides what is art? What is good or bad? Is it teachers, peers, critics, dealers or curators?
It is all based on individual taste. Bottom line is you either like it or you don't. You can listen to all the above people but that does not mean you have to agree with them. I will use the views of a critic or curator as a guide to an artist's creations, but I will not let them decide if it is good or bad. If I want to see an exhibition by a particular artist I will go, bad review or not. You should never let someone else decide for you if art is good or bad. You need to make a decision as a viewer based on your experiences and senses if it is good or bad. As an artist you may ask yourself, Who are you creating for? Better yet, if you have an audience for your work, does it matter what anyone says?

The Artist Mentor by Ian Jackman

"Art which is accessible to the masses is often regarded as not worthy of inclusion when the people choosing for galleries prefer old masters or cutting-edge contemporary. Should a public gallery give the public what they want or what the directors want to give them? There are two art worlds: the popular one which anyone can understand, and the academic one controlled by relatively few people. The latter has a very different approach and tries to be sensational for the sake of it." - Tom Hewlett, Britain Gallery Owner