Tolstoy describes good art as being something that transmits a strong and clear feeling to the audience it was meant for. He says the stronger the emotion or message connected to art the better it is. He talks about an artist being genuine and sincere in his artistry. Does the art provoke a feeling in the audience and to what degree is how he measures “good art”. I read once that a white artists was ridiculed for creating a piece on the late Emit Till. A young black man who was lynched by white people. It was said that she was making fun and making money off of the distress of black folk and didn’t connect with the piece. In this standard that would be considered “bad art” because it didn’t depict a sincere perspective. He goes to say that the degree of how “good” or “bad” art is depends on three conditions. To some up the three conditions is first, the degree of individuality the piece is. He says the originality plays a big role in this. Secondly the degree in which the feeling is depicted clearly. Does the art itself present a clear message or feeling to the person looking at it? Lastly the sincerity of the artists’ depiction is important. The degree in which the artists himself feels the emotion or message he’s trying to give off. These three brings us together as a community and connects us which is important.Tolstoy explains “Art begins when one person, with the object of joining another or others to himself in one and the same feeling, expresses that feeling by certain external indications” and that makes it art. While I do feel like this is a good way to judge art I don’t feel like it is the only way. I feel like art can also be judged by the beauty of it. In my eyes art comes in so many forms and if it strikes an eye whether there is no message at all it can still be considered good art. If we go just by this standard we rule out some of the great abstract artists of all time. I would say that this is one of the ways to judge art but we must not close our eyes to the other factors that make art beautiful.
Cite: Crocker, Lizzie. “Who’s Guilty When It Comes to Crimes of Cultural Appropriation?” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 5 Apr. 2017, http://www.thedailybeast.com/whos-guilty-when-it-comes-to-crimes-of-cultural-appropriation.
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Rhythmically Unique 