| You need to separate the commercial value of art from the (for lack of a better word) intrinsic value of art. The halo effect happens in any field whenever there is a subjective evaluation. For instance, people tend to think expensive wines are better even though they often cannot tell the difference between cheap(er) and more expensive wines in blind tests. I believe the intrinsic value of art (ie. how "art-y" something is) can be evaluated in a couple ways. First is technical. Does the execution of the art require some kind of technical excellence. If you take a look at some paintings and sculptures, you cannot but be struck by the incredible attention to detail and precise work done by the creator. Even features that the audience would probably never notice (eg. reflections in the pupil of the subject in a painting) are carefully rendered. The second criteria is how much the piece changes the art form itself. Think about how renaissance paintings introduced perspective in painting to make more realistic images whereas earlier paintings were flat and lifeless. More recently, consider how Elvis created rock and roll or how Michael Jackson changed the definition of a singer from someone with a good voice and catchy tune to being an all round entertainer with skills in dancing, video and special effects. The third criteria is something I call transference. It is when an artist can transfer an emotion from inside their mind to that of the audience using only the medium of their art. Listen to Chopin's Funeral March to see what I mean or rewatch the early scenes in Jaws (before the shark shows up) to get a more contemporary example. Lastly, some art has a point of view and says something that asks us to look at the world in a different way. Most standup comedy is like this. Banksy's art is like this. Warhol's paintings were like this. Shit on a plate could be like this if executed well. This is the area where I feel a lot of modern art has lost its way. They mistake different for meaning. I once was at the Tate Modern in London and noticed that most people were not really looking at the works of art but fixated on the little white cards next to each piece explaining what the work was about. If the art work cannot tell its own story then perhaps it has not much to say or is not well done. Art, like love, can only be truly measured in the heart of the subject. Your feelings for your mum would not be swayed if some celebrity stated that their mother was the best in the world so, unless you are an art investor, do not be carried away by the whims of the so-called connoisseurs of the art establishment. |