I mean people say this all the time. Is it true though? Does it matter in the end when everything feels like a popularity contest?
The whole one man’s trash is another man’s treasure comes to mind, still people harping too much on that too. It doesn’t matter what your opinion/objective is on something, people are STILL going to like/enjoy it for WHATEVER reason.
That is why nothing stays 0 stars or even 5 stars for long. Name me something that was rated zero stars years ago and is still that rating. Then do the very same with something five stars. It’s just not possible. Even something that has 1 stars is still like.
There is something for everyone and everything, but even then it is still treated as a popularity contest in some way or form.
Maybe I am reaching too far, but the whole art-is-subjective thing bothers me in some way. I say that because you can’t please everyone and even then nobody is satisfied.
I like to say “human beings are just so hard to please” but that is taking the easy way out.
Oh heck, yeah. To me the Mona Lisa is hideously ugly although I can appreciate the craftsmanship of it. Others look at it and think it’s the most beautiful work they’ve ever seen. Likewise I think we can all agree that Mozart was a genius and his music is brilliant, but how many of us listen to it when the other option is Sabrina Carpenter?
I’ve hated some of the most enduring books of all time, and loved some of the silliest trash. I’m probably writing some of the silliest trash, but I’m writing what I love. As long as you stay true to your art, you’ll either find your audience or you won’t, but either way you’ll know in your heart you couldn’t have done it any other way without feeling like you betrayed yourself. I think that’s the purest form of failure: when you try to please the crowd instead of yourself, and then find that you didn’t please the crowd either. (ノ_<、)
The saying “art is subjective” literally just means that everyone will have their own opinion and those opinions will differ. Just because some opinions are more popular than others doesn’t change the fact that art really is subjective to the viewer. Even if a majority likes it, not everyone will. It’s subjective because there are no concrete rules as to what makes art good or bad. It’s not an exact science, it’s an emotion based subject.
I would rephrase this to “you can’t please everyone, and stubborn people exist” because some people can become satisfied once you’ve answered to helpful and reasonable critiques.
There are just some people who, for some reason, believe their opinions to be above everyone else’s and no matter what you tell them or show them you’ve improved or whatever, they will find something to not like about it.
They’re just stubborn and will fight you to the ends of the earth about it especially when it comes to art. If their words are harsh but their points ring true, then you can use that to improve. But if they’re just being mean, you ignore their mean subjective opinions and move on
But if we’re talking about art that you didn’t make, like some famous painting, I think “subjective” is when you start giving opinions that are emotional, like, “this art makes me feel sad”. It’s when you’re looking at it through your experiences and your personal opinions. “It reminds me of a calm, safe place I’ve been before.” Objective is like if you talk about technique. “This art uses light and shadow nicely.” or “The bright colors make it stand out.” Something that (hopefully) a majority will agree on.
I don’t understand Picasso or that giant red square on the white canvas. But that’s my subjective opinion. If someone said, “Picasso uses unique shapes in his painting in unique ways” I can agree with that. He sure does. That’s objective. “The red square stands out on the white background” Yes, it sure does.
Depends on who these human people are Who is your model human? There is no human that represents all humans, so you really can’t please everyone.
The reason art is subjective, I think, is because it’s an emotional medium. There’s emotion involved in making it. There’s a human behind the creation and there’s a human touch. There’s a subjective element in the making of the art through the eyes of the artist. And then, subjective once again through the eyes of the viewer. Objective is technique.
