"So what makes a great artwork?"
He asked this ridiculously difficult question so casually, as if I had this perfect Shakespearian canned answer. Surely, it must be something I had answered millions of times before.
Well, I’ve asked myself that in numerous ways over and over and over again in my head, but I guess I’ve never really tried to explain the answer out loud in concrete concise letters that form words.
My mere quick, off-the-cuff response:
(I made sure not to label it "great"...a term like "successful" is more intentional, individual, and personal).
A successful artwork should be either of these two things:
1. Familiar
Art reveals something close to “home” and reoccurring. It’s reassuring and comforting. It’s familiar. It’s a reminder.OR
2. Escape
Art reflects something unique in experience and conjures extra special rare feelings. It’s an escape.
I was proud of my answer. Then I wrote it down because I wanted to capture it.
They should make cameras that can take photos of your thoughts.
BUT THEN...
I thought about how "familiar" and "escape" seem to be opposite of each other and how this could possibly be the case. How could something be defined two ways that juxtapose each other?
...IT GETS WEIRD
The best art possible should be a familiar escape. BOTH. Living harmoniously together. If you can find an artwork that does both, get it and lose yourself in it. Often.
~I’M NOT SAYING~
That they absolutely have to be both. Many of my personal favorite artworks are not both—but in general, they do conquer one of these two categories.
This reminds me of the moment we had been seeking for years. It's a reminder of the escape.
This gives my brain a break from reality and lets me discover yet another unfound detail. It's subdued energy refocuses me.
An incredibly unique moment at my home away from home gives me the best of both worlds.
There’s certainly no definitive answer to what makes a great artwork, and only you know the answer. Now you know mine.
