What Makes Your Art Good or Bad?

Four Theories on Judging Art

I often argue against labeling the art we make as Good or Bad. I believe there's something to be learned and gained from every piece of art we make—even the ones we don’t like.

But our judgment often creeps in anyways, so it's worth digging into how we respond to our art. So what makes you think your art is good or bad?

Calling a piece of art good is almost meaningless. It tells you very little about the art. Instead of asking if the piece of art looks good, here’s a different question to ask yourself: Was this piece of art successful?

But then, what makes a piece of art successful? Your answer to that question depends on two personal beliefs you may not know you have:

• What art is

• What art’s purpose is

There’s no right answer to these questions. They are beliefs, and which one you subscribe to can tell you a lot about your art and who you are as an artist. To figure out what your artistic beliefs are, let’s look at four aesthetic theories.

4 Theories for Judging Art

According to the branch of philosophy called Aesthetics, there are 4 main theories for judging whether a piece of art is successful: Imitationalism, Formalism, Instrumentalism, and Emotionalism.

Each of these theories answers the question “a piece of art is successful when…” differently. Chances are, you already believe in one of these theories, even if you've never heard of them! Realizing which theory resonates most with you can help you make crucial decisions with your art.

As you read through these four theories, try to see which theory fits best with your core beliefs!

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1. Imitationalism

Art is successful when… it imitates reality.

An Imitationalist artist focuses on mimicking and representing real life. In a successful piece of art, the textures, light, shadows, human proportions, and perspective are all highly realistic, as if you could reach out and touch them.

2. Formalism

Art is good when… it masters the artistic elements and principles.

A Formalist artist focuses on an artwork's form or craft—the way it's made and what it looks like. In a successful piece of art, the visual features are most important: line quality, color, composition, and other artistic elements and principles.

3. Instrumentalism

Art is good when… it communicates a message.

An Instrumentalist artist focuses on context and message. A successful piece of art is an instrument to persuade the audience or provide commentary. It is often political, social, moral, or thought-provoking.

4. Emotionalism

Art is good when… it evokes an emotional response.

An Emotionalist artist focuses on the expression of emotion. A successful piece of art communicates an emotion, but more importantly, it pulls out an emotional reaction from the viewer.

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So, What Makes Good Art to You?

Personally, I'm a mix of Emotionalism + Formalism. These two theories make sense to me because I was trained as a designer and love art principles like line, composition and color (formalism), but I also use my art as a way of processing and expressing my emotions (emotionalism).

My beliefs are farthest away from Imitationalism. I certainly believe it's technically impressive when art can imitate reality, but I have no desire to do so myself, and I don’t believe realism is the most important aspect of an artwork.

But that’s just me!

To find which theory (or a mix of theories) fits you best, you'll need to think about why you make art the way you do and what makes a piece of art good to you.

Which Theory Are You?

It's important to remember there is no right or wrong theory. Art is subjective, and judging whether art is good or bad is a matter of personal opinion. You may love something I don’t care for, and I may love something you don’t care for. That’s fine!

But realizing which theory you naturally gravitate to can help you recognize what you do or don't like about your own work. When we can see more clearly why we believe our art is good or bad, we use that knowledge to nudge our art more in the good (to us) direction.

So I’m curious, which art theory fits best with you? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. My brand new book, Might Could Make a Book is now available! If you’ve always wanted to write and/or illustrate your own picture book, learn more about the book here! Or you can buy it here!

If you’ve already bought it and started reading, thank you! And please leave a review! ❤️

Thanks for reading!

<3,
Christine